Saucey

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.

Can you put it in context? Who did they play?

Too early to ask that. Most rinks run clinics in the spring and some over the summer. His last year of peewee, about Feb look into that. In the meantime, just see that his coaches are developing confidence with appropriate contact.

Totally. USA Hockey training is fabulous at making hockey boring. Add in teenagers with short attention spans and it is a recipe for disaster. They need a mentoring system for new refs. They learn more by doing.

Nope

Also explained that they have to because they don't want legislatures or doctors taking all contact out like you are seeing in youth tackle football. Now you need the refs to call it consistently...did not happen much at all last year. Lots and lots of checks away from the puck, late hits (some very late) and checks with zero attempt to make a play for the puck. Last season felt like the wild west, I am guessing because of COVID and all organizations being told not to complain about reffing. Year before that I saw the refs making an effort to call those things.

It was explained to me as an update to language only. Body contact and checking were being used interchangeably. So now body contact is competitive contact. Competitive contact should happen at all levels, checking at 14u up.

It happens. Not available for the one in their district, perhaps.

Dude, I am vaxxed. I am tired of people being crappy to each other, however, and wishing death on someone falls into that category. Tired of it all.

Welcome! Turned out not to mean too much as it did not seem to be applied very often.

You exclude the children under 12 who aren't allowed to get vaxxed from that sentiment I hope?

What happened at the MidAm camp?

Oh my god. ? Regardless, it doesn't mean anything at this stage in the game.

One last time...PAHL did not send data because there is none to send. Placement games haven't happened, the PAHL placement committee has not met. People are guessing or other people are reporting it. For instance, I am not aware that the Pittsburgh Vipers are fielding a 16u AA team this year yet they are in there. You sound like a new squirt parent, squirts get placed later than all the other ages, too. You can relax, nothing has happened yet.

No. There are more teams listed for 16uAA than played last year, for instance. I doubt PAHL sent any thing, divisions haven't been set. My guess is self reporting or people looking at organization websites.

Dad is an excellent skater and skills coach. I am glad for Ty, but we all know how hard it is to make it when you aren't big. I thought the NHL was trending towards skill and speed for a while, but not the last two seasons. I would prefer that game over 'grit' and 'goons' as defined by the Canadians...