Saucey

I hate the automatic offsides. The better, higher level teams are adjusting quickly to it, but I hate the extra stoppages. I am hearing that lower teams are struggling, but maybe they, too, will adjust. Whether that translates to better players, no one really knows right now. Guess we shall see. I hated the no ice on the penalty kill at first, but now it doesn't bother me. It impacted the game until the kids adjusted. The better teams can stick handle to the neutral zone, a lot still ice it. So maybe I won't care about the offsides later in the season, either. It does drive me crazy that school and travel play under different rules. But bigger hockey markets like Minnesota and Michigan only let you play one or the other, so maybe that is why they don't care. Checking changes are not going anywhere. USA Hockey is scrutinized by outside forces. We were told in a CEP that if they don't make the game safer, their fear is medical professionals and government will force changes that they won't have input on. They want to make the game safer and point to how they are doing it. And the checking rules are not different from the last rule implemented, just changed wording for 'clarification'. The big hit that causes all the ooos and ahs is supposed to be gone. Make a play for the puck or can't hit. I don't mind that. A hit is supposed to get you possession of the puck. Nine times out if ten, that big hit takes both players out of the play. That's dumb. The biggest problem I have seen so far is that not many refs seem to be calling the rules that way. I want consistency. I see a lot of issues coming with the change in penalty minutes that will pull a kid out of a game, particularly on bantams learning how to check. 12 minutes and you are out, regardless of minor or major. Lots of kids coming out of games. That is a bigger chill on checking than applying these definitions of checking. We may just be headed to non checking.

Really? Because the AA PAHL teams my kids play for do exactly this. ? Many others do, too. My hockey rankings confirms it. You do not need to go independent to do this. Dear lord is that one a whopper. The Renegades, North Pittsburgh, Allegheny right off the top of my head. I don't mind driving further than Cleveland since Cleveland you spend most of your time in the car running around to all the different rinks, anyway. You do not need to go independent to do these things. If you want to play independent, fine, but under correct information, please.

Well, SHAHA 09 is peewee. I think it is ridiculous to travel so far at such young ages, worrying about playing teams. I also suspect they can find games locally. Tournaments are an expensive way to develop, add in extensive travel and that is worse.

If you are asking why Danner would leave, I second that. I appreciate your posts Danner.

They will suggest a few teams but it is up to you to find the game. You have to find another team willing to do it for you. Appeals are rarely granted, as Forbin said.

That requires a good team manager/head coach who knows what they are doing or cares. Lol. I hear ya, but too many of those tournaments jerk you around. There are some good ones.

This is straying from the topic a bit, but I find tournaments to be the least useful thing you can do dollar for dollar. I'd rather schedule some independent games and control who you play. They are largely a racket.

Sheesh! That's high!

Oh, I agree they do. But they go Vengeance or Esmark now. SHAHA puts out better BY than the Preds. So I scoff more at the idea of going to Preds when cut.

I mean, kids being cut from Pens are not like...hmmm...where can I play next....ooooo, the Preds have a BY team, let me go there!

I don't want to see PAHL cater to something that isn't a good way to develop. Parents dictating structure based on ignorance and dad's ego is not good for hockey around here. Maybe there needs to be more of an outreach to educate younger parents. PAHL can do that. PAHL organizations can do that. Neither of my boys played in that minor BY model. They either played up or in A minor. That stigma associated with playing A minor in your rising year is a new phenomena, and it's not good. When my boys came up, it was normal to be on team 2 or 3 every other year and AA major your second year. You had to be really good, or born in a low BY to play AA both years. The kids I see coming out of that minor year are timid with checking. PAHL created that level to make it safer to check and it seems to just delay the learning process. Making choices on where to play and levels based on theoretical kids you want to recruit the next season is terrible. What does that say about what those coaches think of the kids that they have? They are wanting to cut kids on their current roster. Great way to spend your time and money, folks. Serve your current players in the season you are in. Develop what you have over wishing for something different. My boys were not always top players.They play for an organization who develops. They have had good and bad coaches, winning and losing seasons.. They've had some private instruction in the off season. They are naturally good athletes. They love it. Let them play where they fall, let them develop. Kids grow and change. They play in divisions with a lot of bad teams. They continue to get better. I don't think you are going to see change with PAHL going to BY. It all starts to wind down at midget, folks. Enjoy the moment. All that chasing chasing chasing...I am on the back end of watching people do that. I don't see those kids who are running around with these independent teams becoming significantly better hockey players. That has to be PAHL's end game. Not stroking parents. Develop the players.

The market would be better served by concentrating on growing the game, rather than just saying let's have BY. As it is, we have a few dads running around trying to collect kids for the few programs that develop from day one, making their AA BY team. More kids playing, bigger market, bigger pool to increase competitiveness. Everyone wants BY around here. But when you do that, you end up with a handful of teams that are actually top to bottom AA. Maybe you can't compete at Mid Ams unless your program has a mite program. There is some sort of assumption that the independent teams leaving are good AA teams. That isn't always the case. If you need to pay the bills, at some point any body will do. I keep saying, you want proper BY the way the bigger hockey markets do it, you have to increase the number of AA player talent in the area.

There are at least three or four teams in PAHL that are legit AA each year. That's too simplistic.

I just loathe BY around here. I know my players really benefitted learning from more experienced players and are much better hockey players for it.

There is the coverage! http://burghhockey.com/luke-washabaughs-hat-trick-propels-north-allegheny-title/

Yeah, but those rankings are useful for teams to figure out appropriate tournaments and other teams to play.

That's also why you add teams from other regions, attract back some who claim they play AAA for the travel. Don't need a separate independent schedule, then.

I get where you are going, but people pick teams based on location a lot of times. That's a draft league and an entirely different scenario. Playing the same three teams all season causes its own issues. Make it regional....give people their travel by putting other AA MidAm teams in as part of regular season play.

It's a problem in lots of places. I have friends in Michigan that complain. It's also not unique to hockey.

If the teams leaving to play independent aren't AA quality to begin with, not sure that hurts PAHL AA. Recruiting rules aren't enforced, either. Programs become these 'powerhouse teams', AA players are siphoned out to independent teams....it all snowballs and is related. And a handful of programs are developing all the players. Maybe if all programs developed from a young age, we would have more AA to go around, instead of fighting over the same small pool. PAHL does offer playing for something other than a ranking. Playing independent only gets you a ranking until you are really good and can play nationals. Playoffs are fun.

With PIA having new ownership, who knows what will happen in the future. Black Bear may introduce their own programming and push some organizations out. Pittsburgh has too many places for the disgruntled with stars in their eyes (pun intended) to go. These BY teams don't work in the long run in our small market. That nice team of 07s that you think will stay together forever, won't. Butler Valley may have thought that group didn't have the talent to play at AA or as a BY in Butler Valley's opinion and refused to hear otherwise. It falls apart eventually, but in the immediate, it hurts an organization, who might have thought this would not be good for the development of the kids. Sorry, but parents shouldn't determine the makeup of a team, where the team should be placed and whether there is BY. "But people should be able to play where ever they want..." sorry, no. The Aviators are a perfect example of a disgruntled dad keeping things alive. I have to caveat that with it's been a few years since my boys played an Aviators team, but I never liked having an Aviators team in my division. They don't have a home sheet so it is problematic to schedule with them. Games don't go off smoothly or get cancelled, again due to their ice issues. And the player/parent behavior was frequently atrocious... because that kind of team attracts the disgruntled. They were fond of sandbagging tournaments, adding AAA players when playing in a division of A Major teams. Pittsburgh could use less of these places to go. Parents have too much power here and I think it hurts overall development and the hockey community as a result. I mean, most of you can't even skate, but somehow you are an expert in how to best develop your kid.

There is no 'automatic AA'. A team might get initially placed in AA because of the performance the year before and the makeup of that team. Placement games, as well as any other data a team wants considered, can move that team up or down. Last year teams played wherever they declared due to Covid. In some years, there are AA divisions with teams that are filled with players and teams that aren't AA quality some years, due to low birth years and/or the continued exit of AA players to play independent. Also relentless recruiting of some coaches to make a powerhouse team. You can sometimes draw a line right down the middle of a AA division in terms of competitiveness. I actually think PAHL does a generally good job at creating divisions.

Usually that isn't by design in my experience. 07 is a low birth year and players are scarce, just like 05.

https://www.rinksatharborcenter.com/15u-early-bird-showcase

Nevermind. I found it. Cheektowaga Warriors, Amherst Knights, Wheatfield Blades and the Pittsburgh Preds. Warriors and Blades are listed in my hockey as AA.