Good Dates to Visit PGH

[champeen]

Ok... I'll kick this thing off I guess.  Currently living in TX and have two sons playing -- 12UAA and 10UAA.   My wife is a Pittsburgh native and we are considering a move there sometime before 2019-2020 hockey season.  In the meantime, we'll probably make a couple of trips up there and we'd like to catch a few different games and/or practices to get a feel for how the scene there differs from Texas.   Is there a specific weekend that is better or worse in terms of the sheer volume of youth hockey activity around town?  Which organizations should we try to prioritize observing?  I'd be equally interested in seeing what constitutes AAA talent up there, as well as AA and A--- not because I believe my kids are AAA, but purely as a reconnaissance mission.  Thanks in advance!

[fafa fohi]

Games within the PAHL usually are in full swing in October and there are 10+ organizations you could visit to watch games within an hour apart.  So plenty of hockey at varying talent levels for you to see.

As far as AAA level hockey, in my opinion PPE Gold is the true AAA organization with Esmark at some age levels.  

Most organizations within PAHL will field a AA team at most age levels.  For your visit I would recommend coming during a weekend PPE is hosting some games, and knock out some AA games all in the same weekend.

[champeen]

Thanks for your reply.   One other question:  My research shows that season fees for most PAHL teams are FAR less than what we pay here.  On the one hand, I know energy costs for the rinks are higher in Texas, but the discrepancy still seems crazy.  FYI- we pay $4300 per kid for practices, a 20 game regular season + Playoffs, and team entry fees for a couple tournaments.   Travel/Hotels to games and tourneys are of course extra.  We live in Austin and the majority of our games are in Dallas or Houston, and sometimes OKC or Tulsa, so we spend a fair amount of extra dough on gas and hotels.  Some of the PAHL orgs I've looked up have league fees between $1800 and $2200.   

SO, my question is this--- how many hrs of practice/week do your kids' teams have and is it shared or full ice?  Total practice time is the only variable I can imagine driving the relative programs costs.  

Thanks again!

 

Edited August 8, 2018 by champeen
spelling

[Paul Baxter]

@champeen the numbers you are quoting in TX are far more expensive than any AAA team (or any other PAHL team for that matter)...  AA costs in the PAHL are roughly $1400 to $2500, with most under $2000.

The other thing you have to consider is that there are likely less players at high levels in TX so when you come here you may find it a bit more competitive to make a good AA team.  At some of the larger orgs you may find a lot of players trying out for AA teams.  Some orgs do their AA tryouts a week ahead of the standard tryouts.  All the tryouts start right after nationals.

[fafa fohi]

Season fees for A,AA hockey will vary however most will range from $1,700 to $2,500.  Additional fees include a "team fund" that covers tournament costs which are around $300 which usually covers around four tournaments.  Roughly three ice slots per week, which includes games and practices.  Half / full ice depends on the organization - do your research on this as there are some organizations operating out of one / two sheet rinks that primarily have shared ice practices with sporadic full ice practices, hence the lower cost for the season.  

Hotel costs for away tournaments obviously add to the total cost.  There are a multitude of tournaments within a five hour drive from Pittsburgh so plenty of variety of competition to suit your players needs - Niagara Falls, Detroit, South Bend, Buffalo, DC, Columbus and Cleveland are popular destinations.  

AAA hockey is an entirely different ballgame from a cost and travel standpoint.  Because of the amount of travel is considerably more than A and AA levels, expect to pay in excess of $10K per year.

Do your research as there is plenty of options to choose from.  Good luck in your search.

[champeen]

Ok... thanks again. Our boys have 3 practices a week + games, so over the course of the season maybe we are getting, and paying for, a bit more ice.  Still doesn’t justify us paying double the amount you guys do!  

Fafa Fohi- yes, my son’s two best friends play for the Dallas Stars Elite AAA and will easily pay 10k (actually a fair amount more, i expect) this season after all is said and done. 

I am not assuming an equivalence between AA here and AA there- my boys might be A players up there- but getting a sense for that would be a big part of why we want to come check things out. 

OH WAIT- one more question!  What is your opinion of middle school hockey?  Is it something kids do in addition to PAHL?  Is it competitive at all or is the skill level lower than the league?

[fafa fohi]

Middle School hockey IMO is a decent supplement for additional skating and ice time but not much more than that.  The talent level is quite different as most teams have a much wider disparity between the best players and lower skill players on a team.  I’ve seen some teams with kids where playing MS was their first year of ice hockey.  And some MS programs do not cut players.  

Both of my kids played MS but enjoyed PAHL much more as the talent was more equal across the board. 

[Saucey]

What area of the city are you planning to live? I would check out the programs nearest to there. Getting around town, particularly for a 5 pm practice on a weekday, from North to South of the city, can be quite challenging. That would be a big consideration for me.

[twoboys]

My boys are basically the same age as yours.  We have played AA.  Our fees have usually been over 3000.  We get two practices during the week and extra ice on the weekend if we don’t have games.  Tournament slush fund included.  There are only a few organizations we would move to due to the commute.  So, if you are gonna move South look at those or look at the ones north of you are thinking of moving there.

 PPE for Peewee is about 4500 plus travel and coaches fee.   All in around 10,000.

[champeen]

thanks for this info-   my wife grew up in aspinwall/fox chapel area, but it seems like Renegades are the only conveniently located program to that part of town.  not that a little driving would scare me off too much, but commuting to something south like the Panthers might be too much of a pain in the ass, and vice versa if you live down there. 

Austin literally only has 1 organization, which is terrible if you aren't happy with the situation for whatever reason (coaching, fees, other parents, etc.) because it's either suck it up, or quit the sport.  Having options is a totally foreign concept for us!

 

[lferg]

You don't need to visit to see the teams. There is a TV system, and I forgot the name of it, where you can sign up for $10-$15/month and see practices/games in ringhs that are hoocked up to it. PPE hocked up for sure.

If you plan to move here, the best time to visit is late March - April, where your kids can actually go through next season tryouts. Just make sure you plan to be here over the durations of the entire tryout period. It is rarely over a weekend. Usually several days, depending on the Org. One weekend is not enough. Unless your kids are gifted, missing a day of tryouts will likely result in poor placement.

Unfortunately, tryout schedules get posted in the last moment. It's hard to plan the visit much in advance. And with the older forum being down, the last spring tryout info is all gone. But other folks on the forum may remeber. Just ask, and specify the BY / category that your kids are. 

[bjm2401]

To me, at those ages, practices/development are more important than games so I would definitely try to visit to watch the practices.  Pick a couple orgs close to where you may live and watch a few of the practices.