twoboys

I would actually prefer if tryouts were earlier. That way my kids can put hockey on the back burner mentally. I think the trend of tryouts without parents in the stands makes it more stressful for kids. My kids play other sports, we don't do spring hockey but we do take lessons throughout the off season. I am fine if my kid improves over the summer to the point that he could have made a better team. Lot of value in being able to have some success on the ice for team.

My son's team didn't get their request to move down. The 07 Badgers are pretty good. I don't think the Badgers were surprised at all by their record. Guessing that they preferred Bantam minor knowing it was likely going to be like this.

Heard this too.

If you child wants to start playing hockey I would get him or her into an ADM program this season. No reason to do another learn to play session it just puts of his or her development a season. The reason I say this is that most ADM programs are 2 days a week and at the end of the day your child has to get on the ice to start developing. At this point, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the 3 programs. Pick one that fits your schedule and has a spot for you. At the end of the season you can reevaluate the situation. The only thing that can hinder your player’s development is if you wind up in a situation where he or she isn’t having fun. And the Jamborees were fun for the kids. To the kids they seem like a big deal.

My bad. Misread the post.

I get it. The PPE is the big dog. However, looking ahead, it will be interesting to see how things play out. The PPE requires North Catholic and Excel. Not everyone from "Pittsburgh" lives within commuting distance to North Catholic. The out of towners know coming in that it is required. For the locals it is much more difficult decision. Anyone know how many kids from the 06 team are at North Catholic? Also, right now the 08 and 09 Vengeance teams are close to the level of the PPE teams.

I think those college numbers aren't that accurate. RMU has 4 players form Western Pennsylvania. One is from Wexford. Played for the PPE. Another is from "Pittsburgh" and played for the the faux AAA Preds and a season with the PPE. And one is a transfer from UConn who is from Bridgeville. He played for Esmark and PPE. Lastly, another kid is from Moon and played for the PPE. And a couple kids are at Niagra? I am not saying that there are 50 kids playing D1 form Pittsburgh but more than 5.

My friend's son is on that team. And he is quite happy. What are the other 05 options? Aren't people on this board complaining about the Preds and Lebo too?

So, if the 18U Icemen rostered as a AA Independent team you wouldn't have a problem with it? I still think the kids that play on these lesser AAA teams do so because there isn't a PAHL option that they like. The PAHL organizations have to adapt.

I think we sort of have a split on how we view things. Some people want to open a bit more and flatten the curve with hopes of moving toward "herd immunity". Their thinking is that for the most part if you are relatively young you should be ok if you get covid. On the other hand, some people want it to keep the restrictions in place and wait for a vaccine or better treatment. Frankly, both options suck.

It was an 08. Whole family was there. Unless there were multiple families checking it out.

Boarding school is all about the aid package. I know people that paid less than 10 for SSA. And I know someone that paid half for a boarding school in VA for lacrosse.

My point is if you want to play at the Division 3 level or a higher ACHA Division 1 Club team you better plan on playing Juniors.

Some kids just want the chance to play hockey after high school. For the most part you have to play juniors to play Division 3 hockey or even to make some club teams. You know this and the kids know this too. Lots of student athletes play all sorts of sports at the Division 3 level. They play because they want to not because they are getting a scholarship. So, if the family can swing paying for AAA hockey in high school or even low level juniors let them. It is their checkbook.

The one thing that is different is the locker rooms. I think they do restrict the number of kids. Parents sometimes wear a mask and sometimes they don't. My kids have been in 3 different rinks. Most of the time they are relatively empty so it isn't a big deal. However, even if the rinks are somewhat crowded masks aren't worn by everyone. Nor do the parents stay apart.

I agree with this. August or September for tryouts is the best case scenario. No idea how the potential for another spike comes into play.

The Vengeance will have an 07 team this year. Esmark usually doesn’t work til Midgets. The exception was the 03 team which left the Renegades for Esmark at some point. Was it Bantams?

I don’t think people realize that non-checking hockey makes checking hockey possible. All of the mite, Squirt and Peewee teams make your Bantam and Midget teams possible.

It is your prior post that contains the quote that I feel is inaccurate. What happened 15-20 years ago is frankly irrelevant to youth hockey today. The team that is the closet to home grown is probably Armstrong's National Bound Program. They play a ton of games including independent games and better tournaments. I heard there are a fair number of kids from the area but there are also kids that travel pretty far to play for them. Have your kids played AA in PAHL recently? Recruiting is happening left and right. One organization gets a coach and has a plan and they reach out to everyone to fill the team.

I think you proved my point if you have to go back 15-20 years to come up with some high level home grown AA teams. Let's make it easy. Why don't we just talk about this years teams.

I also think you have to define high level. Not every AA team is high level. I would bet that at most 2 teams per age group could be considered high level.

I think this thread is proof that a lot of people really only care about the cost. They don't care if they get the extra ice or not.

The only thing stopping the PAHL teams from doing it are the PAHL teams. For starters, if the coach doesn't want to do it then it won't happen. The organization also has to give them extra ice slots for practice and independent games. That may not be possible. If it is possible then you got to pay more. Does everyone want to pay more? Not always the case. Sometimes, parents are happy to play AA and a couple of tournaments. And lastly, they need prime practice slots since kids are likely traveling some distance to get there. If you are having a high level AA team your team probably isn't home grown. All of this makes the other teams in the organization mad and jealous.

I don't get people complaining abut the Icemen. A friend's son has played there for a couple of years and has nothing but positive things to say about the coach. Then again it is only one coach. You do realize that kids flock to the the faux AAA organizations as you call it because they don't want to play PAHL. The issue is with PAHL and PAHL organizations not giving the consumers what they want. Give the AA teams more ice and a qualified coach and people will stay. We all know certain rinks have 7 am games. Getting rid of those will go a long way. An early game in Morgantown or Erie to me is less desirable than a night in Cleveland or Buffalo. The away tournaments are a draw for families of the faux AAA teams. Usually the kids and and parents like them. But what really makes parents mad is if the coaches kid plays way more than the other kids. Of if he is a terror and is always in the box and there is no attempt to stop the behavior.

You guys crack me up. I just glanced at the ranking. 105 teams in AAA 2005, 45 teams below them. They’d be 5th (ish) in tier 2. Not great, not bad. As for the Preds as a whole, I’m not sure if I’d go back or not. They are the same as every other club. Some good things, some bad, some very bad. Question is, do the pros out weigh the cons? Not to be outdone, the 14U Preds just took it on the chin 12-0 thanks to Pens Elite as well. OrrWhat you may want to look at this I think being the 5 team in AA is awesome. Can't fault them for playing AAA.