HockeyFan6687

If kids choose to play for him. I’ve heard there were kids that passed on the AA tryouts to play A so they didn’t have to play for him.

How is his 18 team looking? Doesn’t he coach both 16 and 18?

Not to mention the putting other kids up to pressure their friends into playing.

They will never replace him as coach as he’s tightly in the circle. It’s costing them more and more talent at those older levels.

Preds going to be that good to be able to pull the goalie from mid state? Kid is legit

Where did all of the Esmark 09’s go?

Until someone regulates how to qualify organizations to be AAA or not be, it will continue to spin out of control.

Hasn’t this coach lost numerous players following the last season and rumored to again this year to where there was no feasible way to have separate 08 and 09 teams forcing a combined 16u team?

So limited spots remain? Sounds like that team is pre-selected.

Just out of curiosity, when does recruiting become harassment?

What organizations are looking solid for 16u and 18u AA teams for next season?

Everyone here has great points. The lack of house league in most places is a huge void that nobody seems to wanna fill. As soon as the PAHL / amateur teams need ice guess what gets raided. There’s no reason for teams of lesser skilled and lesser experienced kids especially at your younger levels to travel 2+ hours to play a game. Stay home, focus on more practice with skill development and play games without the travel. Develop the love of the game, improve and then look to PAHL and beyond. Furthermore we are lacking opportunities for kids who may want that less costly, less affordable option because families may not be able to afford the cost or make the time commitment the cure system has to offer. The result is we totally alienate an entire sector of kids who could be playing the game. We offer put all of our focus on the top teams and talent to where it appears the rest are along for the ride and help the bottom line. Whether you B or AAA every kid deserves a chance to play. It’s something we need to look at with the skyrocketing cost to play. However, not many seem to care nor will change their ways because doing so usually means deviating from a self serving agenda. The game like all youth sports is now a business with many in it to make money over love of game.

I think a great deal of Western PA hockey is long time people with the “this is how we’ve always done it” attitude and none of them will give up their positions nor allow youthful energy and new ideas which may be viewed as a threat to their involvement.

16u/18u. Sounds like kids are leaving the Badgers.

No real AA options east of the Vengeance?!? Where are all the kids going? Sad state of affairs

It’s a good ole boys club.

If I’m paying $3700 to play at Allegheny, I want my coach there every game and practice. I’ve seen this game before and it will not work out. I have heard the 16s were leaving if the coach was returning and he looks to be returning. Some organizations just can’t look at what’s best for business. Keeping top players is as competitive as ever.

Way too young and at a level that we should not be looking that in depth at things. With every passing year, there is increasing focus on pushing kids to develop for a D1, Junior, Pro career. Some want to pursue that but not all but this should not even be a factor at squirt. Let the kids play and have fun. The direction each individual kid will/wants to go will kinda sort itself on its own. Sit back, have a cup of coffee and enjoy watching your son play, enjoy his buddies and have fun. The years will go faster than you think. Whatever he wants to do will sort itself out in time!

It’s all money grabs. Coaches in it for pay and not delivering and good old boys clubs who continue to recycle the same coaches and dads year after year after year despite some of said good old boys continuing to lose top players due to that recycling. A lot of sad situations throughout the area.

John Bradley of Bishop McCort

Agree but where are the “coaches” telling them to avoid doing this to their kid? Oh that’s right too busy collecting money off these kids as they provide the 5-6 private sessions per week. They know it’s insanity but if it avoids getting a real job like some of these guys fail to do. I’m not opposed to paying a coach but there’s a few trying to make a living off of promising parents like that guy mentioned above so here we are. ice hockey here is a sort of a hypocrisy. Don’t play year round but those involved in rink management encourage it to keep the doors open. Don’t burn your kid out but hey line my pockets 4-6 times per week. And if some of these spring hockey teams say it’s extra beneficial ice time in the off season guess again! No practice. No instruction. Just games!

Wasn’t talking HS. You of all people should know PAHL is known to have a few.

Some organizations are a good ole boys club of dads year in and year out. You could be Scotty Bowman and still won’t break in with that group.

I agree with all of this. The goal of little pens is getting them hooked and using that to boost your retention rate out of that program. The minute you get that list of kids registered for your rink, you immediately reach out and educate. First and foremost hammer learn to skate. Get them on the ice with that before the first pens session. Once that starts, your first session is skating heavy. And have your skating director running a station every week. You will dramatically reduce the number of kids laying on the ice unable to do much. Kids laying on the ice or having to be carried around by a coach and unable to participate in drills equates to frustration by the parents and kids that quickly don’t wanna do it anymore. it blows my mind how underutilized in-house hockey is. We are making a whole sector of the population unable to access the game. Not every family is able to manage the traveling around, not every family is able to afford PAHL hockey and there are families not interested in that much time and financial commitment from the start. Some may never but others may get hooked by that low cost less commitment opportunity and eventually want more hence your PAHL program grows.

You are correct! Was so focused on the kids and the coaching I forgot that but it’s definitely part of the process. The education must begin in Little Pens. Weekly communication throughout that program and a pizza party/certificate awarding where you can discuss next steps etc is where is has to start and orgs must follow through on and upward from there.