bender05

1 hour ago, Carl Racki said:

Well said.  I think the 2009 Pens picked up four really good players from the 09 Vengeance and will be a better team.  I think the 09 Vengeance lost a lot of their top players but may retain some of their  players that tried out for Pens and got cut so guessing they will drop off a decent amount.  Esmark seems as though they lost a lot of their better players so that team will drop quite a bit if they even end up fielding a team.  The Preds seem like they are getting the most new players which will be an upgrade from their bottom players so they will get a little better.  Same with the 09 SHAHA team.  

In reality the rankings for these teams are a joke.  There is not much difference between the Vengeance 09 who were ranked 40ish and SHAHA 09 who was ranked 90ish.  If you look at the rankings math it is about a goal or goal and a half difference.  That is really nothing in my mind.  If fact toe 09 SHAHA beat the 09 Vengeance in a scrimmage late in this season.  It showed up briefly on MHR then disappeared.  My point is all these teams are very close in talent.  They all have some AAA players but not an entire team.  I think a lot of the movement is people tired of driving an hour to play on a team that would be similar 20 minutes away.  Its like a team ranked 300 vs 400.  It's 100 spots but probably a goal difference.  People get to caught up in the rankings. 90 and 40 are very close and depending on the day and goaltending  it will be a good game   Look at the Preds 09 team.  I guess people flocking there because they were the highest ranked but they lost to Esmark 09 and have a loosing record.  If you only play highly ranked teams it is EASY to hang in and look good!  Pens do it best.  Why do you think they won't play many games local or teams 30-60.  Worried about the rankings and looking good for prospects 

Esmark-preds-Shaha all are similar even though rankings were off. Esmark beat preds twice in close scores-Shaha 09 lost by one goal to esmark-Shaha 09 beat 09 vengeance.  Cost to play each one is different too because esmark usually requires 2-3 plane ride trips at this age 

On 4/8/2023 at 11:31 AM, Tendymom said:

Word is the two pens goalies are staying at Vengeance, but i guess we'll see next week at tryouts who shows up where....

didn’t one make pens?

15 minutes ago, Hockey00 said:

What’s up with the 14u esmark team only naming 12 players to the team? 

Supposedly a supplemental is coming? Supposedly several aa players now on team and many kids left for pred 

What’s up with the Huskies replacing Viper Stars as a feeder for Esmark?

https://www.madman-hockey.com/stand
 

from the 2009, 2010, 2011 games this weekend

9 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said:

What are the fees at Esmark? Anybody know the total cost to play at Preds AAA and SHAHA AAA. Just trying to get an idea of what AAA costs other than the Pens.  Does the cost go up the older you get?  Is 6 to 8 thousand all in about right?

Shaha AAA between $3100-3800 for players.  Around $1200 for goalies for AAA

37 minutes ago, Wes said:

Not to defend PHA at all, but It seems to me like the # of players is perhaps declining from a peak around by2000.  At 2002 we had fewer players and this just might be a continuation of that.  But what do I know.

 

people finally figured out what a joke they are and false promises-making a fortune off parents getting team fund invoices after every weekend-spending thousands and thousands 

On 5/5/2022 at 12:35 PM, rock said:

if pens elite aren't ringing your phone daily to get your kid, he isnt there yet. 

if he is old enough at the end of the year take him to mid ams. 

 

Untrue. There were kids cut from Pens Elite that went to Barons and then drafted to OHL

18 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said:

So where did those AAA kids come from?  If you say Preds, Icemen, Vengeance according to this site are they really AAA players?

one played pens elite, few played vengeance , and few played esmark. None from icemen. None from Preds 

4 hours ago, PUCKCOVID19 said:

what from all the esmark cuts and ppe cuts?

kids that had played at wha for years then left for pens elite, esmark, vengeance and then came back for senior year 

Believe it or not Westmoreland is going to have an amazing team with almost half of the team AAA players 

9 minutes ago, Saucey said:

I beg to differ. It only takes one charismatic dad to convince entire teams that what the organization did was wrong and another organization in need of check books. That's how the Icemen fill their rosters every year. You know, because they don't have a program that develops from the mites on.

true. Icemen/yetis said they are having 09 aa/aaa team and their team won 2 games in 12UAA 

1 hour ago, RJUSHL said:

Are you talking about the season that just ended? 2021-2022? Viper Stars 09 team was PAHL AA.

Last year. 2020-2021 08 viper stars Aa and went 0-19-1 and 09s won 4 games in A major gold. not even a major black for AA team paying a few thousand bucks for a major gold 

12 minutes ago, forbin said:

I have without a doubt seen Viper Stars teams placed in PAHL A divisions, so just because they are a AA program doesn't mean they will be automatically placed in AA. 

yes last year 09s were a major white or gold-not even a major black 

On 3/8/2022 at 9:16 AM, Corsi said:

Not sure how it's "questionable", all the 2009 teams are going to be playing their 1st year of checking, regardless of "AAA", "AA", "A", or "B"... so its equal footing for everyone from that perspective.  

your kid plays there so yes you are going to say that 

now to see how many people from Pittsburgh willl drive out to Delmont for badgers 06 and 07 for the open skates. Tryouts will be interesting this year for sure 

1 hour ago, hockey57410 said:

I don't remember Preds goalies being anything special?

the question is will Preds still try to be aaa for 09 without a goalie-rumor was Preds kids going to Esmark09? 

3 minutes ago, RoyalTraveller said:

The one from Lebo is the son of the PPE coach that was brought in last season so his 06 son could play 15O. The 09's had already completed tryouts when he came so his 09 went to lebo. Everybody knew he would be on the team this year.

so why cut both goalies? they seemed to be pretty successful 

22 hours ago, forbin said:

Did they bring in kids from other states to fill these spots?

one is from Preds and one is from mt Lebo

15 hours ago, aaaahockey said:

I think there are 4-5 at the 08 and 09 levels as well. And that doesn't include pens black (gone at that age now?)

08AAA

Mt Lebo

Pens

Vengeance 

Esmark 

if each team has 20 then about 80 AAA 6th and 7th graders basically 

09AAA

Vengeanxe 

Pens

Esmark 

60 AAA 11-12 year olds in Western pa? 

So how was the turnout foe the proposed AAA pee wee teams at esmark 

Could be mistaken but isn’t EF’s goalie a PAHL referee??

2 hours ago, PUCKCOVID19 said:

you mean more then 1 of the hockey moms on that team.....

And not the one he fathered a child with. That’s another birth year. 

11 hours ago, nemesis8679 said:

Why was he banned from Renegades? 

Ask someone from the former 2003 Renegades birth year team........incident with player and an incident with a player’s parent 

On 2/16/2021 at 1:32 PM, hockeyisgreat said:

Thanks for the clarification. Just don't want to see what you wrote targeted at a particular coach or coaches without any facts.

It is helpful when parents ask around and find out why particular coaches were kicked out of organizations (such as Renegades banning him)-what safe sport violations if any were violated, etc. What happened with any parents from past teams etc.  Children look up to coaches and need positive role models. The majority of the kids from western PA and not going D1, not going to NHL.  Provide a positive role model for your son/daughter. This will get your child much farther in life. 

5 hours ago, BACKCHECKING said:

Has anyone else heard that Esmark is trying to start a 09 and 10 birth year team next year? 

We all saw what happened several years ago with Esmark having the 06 team where they won one game and parents spent $20,000+ to fly to Nashville, etc.  You can’t make a group of AA players a AAA team and then expect them to compete against top 20 teams.  Posey has been recruiting for this 09 group for months. The Viper Stars 09 team there is barely A Major