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The most popular programs get the most kids. The Yeti ( formerly known as Butler Valley ) used to be a huge player in this space and now are a shell of what they had. But both NP and RMU have a cap and limit the number of kids that participate in their mite programs. They close registrations once they hit that cap - I know that for a fact.

NP and RMU have the best youth development programs in the area, hands down. Both serve as feeder programs to Foxes and Wildcats travel teams and both orgs can field as many as six Squirt U10 teams. If the rinks are near you then you can’t go wrong with either one.

These rankings make me laugh.

For Mid-Ams there are 11 teams in this group. Will the top six or top eight advance to the Mid-Am tournament? If six, only Esmark and PPE will be there. Vengeance and the rest are on the outside looking in.

lol Since you are so connected with your finger on the western PA hockey pulse, ask Mars players if they are enjoying HS hockey more this year than last year or years prior. I know many of them personally and that would be a hard "yes." Butler is 3-3 at the A level this season and have already won more games this year than all of last year. My guess is same story here - yes on all accounts.. Or ask your bud CB at Mars..........

Yeah so what - I would have loved to get my ass kicked as a high school kid and go 9-47. Makes total sense Mr. PA Hockey. 🤡 Since you are super genius maybe you should step in and show those schools how to run a program. Based on your computer and web skills I am sure you would have them turned around in no time.

For the record, Butler's record over the past three seasons is 9-47. Mars 17-39. So there's that.

@Wes "If the game is tight, your team will for sure get multiple penalties in the last ~10 minutes to try and even up the game (This is routine at Indiana as well). Happens 100% of the time." It's as if as you were there at the U18 game because that appears to have happened. SCIR up 2-0 mid second period, then the one-sided calls from the refs magically appear to include TWO 5 on 3's. Armstrong then scores two PP goals for the game to end in a tie.

Not wanting to travel to a rink because of the unique smells and the possibility of contracting e-coli does not equate to horrendous reffing. Just sayin’

Penalty shenanigans continue this season at Belmont. Earlier today SCIR U16 AA had 22 penalty minutes compared to four minutes for home team Armstrong. In the U18 AA game it was only a three X differential in favor of the home team - 18 penalty minutes for SCIR compared to six minutes for Armstrong. And people wonder why they don’t want to travel to that barn. I know I know - pure coincidence. https://www.pahockey.com/game/show/40714165?subseason=911580&referrer=8266158

The talent levels for both AAA and AA divisions were not as good as prior years as there were many teams in both divisions that got blown out by the better teams.

I get it, things are different in other states. In MN high school hockey is the holy grail, not amateur hockey. I stand by my original point - here in western PA a MAJORITY of kids play on two teams.

Minority? What percentage of HS kids on school teams do you think also play on amateur teams? Everyone appreciates you promoting the school tournaments, but players playing on two teams is not a minority. You will see a drop off with HS seniors. Other age groups my guess is 80-90% play on two teams. I know a number of team managers from amateur teams that have to schedule around school tournaments because of scheduling conflicts.

That was a comment I made before regarding HS tournaments for WPA teams. St. Marg’s did not conflict with amateur schedules this year as games were scheduled on weekdays. Scheduling HS tournament games on weekends is a problem.

It was a scrimmage with numerous JV players similar to one where NH lost to Mars 9-0. I wouldn't take much of anything from a scrimmage.

Completely nonsensical, especially with only seven teams in A Major Black. The two orgs fielding two teams in 16U AA will have one team at or around the top, and the "second" team will be 15 games under .500. Those same parents excited to see little Johnny at the AA level will be the first ones yelling and screaming when they get boat raced by seven goals a game. Bank on it.

Not much at the AA level. NP beat Westmoreland 8-1 last week while SHAHA lost to SCIR 9-0.

I know it's very early, but it appears those that were writing off Esmark as a player in AAA need to take a look at the U18 level. Based on games played so far they appear to be the class of this level in western PA. PPE looks average ( got swept this past weekend ) while Vengeance is a mess and also got swept by OBJ with Preds and Icemen taking their customary spots at the very bottom. Fresh chum is now in the water - commence feeding. https://myhockeyrankings.com/rank.php?d=MM&y=2023&v=118&view=alphabetic

How do these / if at all conflict with club hockey? Are games during the week? I noticed St. Margs did not conflict this year and games were on weekdays. This does not address the current system where teams are on waiting lists but the same teams get boat raced every year.

Not local tournaments.

What I do not like about this tournament is many schools have been on a waiting list to enter the tournament for years, while some of the same teams get blown out year after year after year but continue to hold their spot. What is the point to holding a spot for a team that goes 0-3 every year in pool play while not allowing other schools with stronger talent to enter because of a waiting list?

Seems someone has not spent much time on Elite Prospects nor have a clear understanding of AA hockey. Could it be that your kid was the recipient of a bought extra A for flex purposes and bragging rights? AA is not “minor” hockey,” especially U16 on up with the top tier teams as many kids go from AA to playing prep, juniors and / or college hockey. Not all parents want to subject themselves to the cost, time, travel, headaches and expense that AAA offers. If you had a clue you would know there are many AAA level players in western PA playing AA hockey for those same reasons. As for those useless hobbies of yours, I can’t help you there. Maybe you should make better choices in the future.

Other Tier 2 AA leagues throughout the country log stats within their own network, but many also do the same on Elite Prospects which has become the go-to for stat freaks. Although the coaches / managers are the ones logging stats for Elite Prospects, it is not isolated within a few AA teams. The dinosaurs within PAHL do none of this.

You clearly do not need a roster to poach players.