aaaahockey Posted February 19, 2023 Share Posted February 19, 2023 I went out with my brother to watch some 09 "AAA" teams in Johnstown this weekend. Have to say it was honestly some good hockey. Very competitive games including some Philly teams and more locally Esmark, Preds, and SHAHA. Esmark ended up winning the championship. The games were excellent and competitive and made me wish we had a high level league where these types of teams could play regularly. Maybe it is coming now that SHAHA and esmark are competitive with the Pens teams but as a region we really need to get our crap together. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muckerandgrinder Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 On 2/19/2023 at 5:05 PM, aaaahockey said: I went out with my brother to watch some 09 "AAA" teams in Johnstown this weekend. Have to say it was honestly some good hockey. Very competitive games including some Philly teams and more locally Esmark, Preds, and SHAHA. Esmark ended up winning the championship. The games were excellent and competitive and made me wish we had a high level league where these types of teams could play regularly. Maybe it is coming now that SHAHA and esmark are competitive with the Pens teams but as a region we really need to get our crap together. Agreed. Coworker has an ‘09 that played in Johnstown this weekend as well. Said it was a great tournament. She mentioned that there was also a 2011 division with Pens black, Esmark, Preds and a few other teams with Preds taking home the hardware. Happy to see some of these teams finally playing each other. Should have been happening at the younger ages for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyisgreat Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 1 hour ago, muckerandgrinder said: Agreed. Coworker has an ‘09 that played in Johnstown this weekend as well. Said it was a great tournament. She mentioned that there was also a 2011 division with Pens black, Esmark, Preds and a few other teams with Preds taking home the hardware. Happy to see some of these teams finally playing each other. Should have been happening at the younger ages for years. How do you think PPE will feel about losing to the Preds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkersman01 Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 10 minutes ago, hockeyisgreat said: How do you think PPE will feel about losing to the Preds? As long as their black teams are paying their fees and behaving themselves, I really don’t think they care too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaaahockey Posted February 21, 2023 Author Share Posted February 21, 2023 Yeah I don't think Pens have ever cared about their black teams as long as the money comes in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyisgreat Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 So why do they quit fielding black teams at 14U? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihearthockey Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 1 minute ago, hockeyisgreat said: So why do they quit fielding black teams at 14U? I think it's actually PW Major. So the 2011 black team will need to either make the gold or go elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyisgreat Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 Do any of the Black team kids make Gold the next year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickboy Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 So all these families from Pittsburgh area teams had to go to Johnstown to play each other? ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaaahockey Posted February 21, 2023 Author Share Posted February 21, 2023 1 hour ago, stickboy said: So all these families from Pittsburgh area teams had to go to Johnstown to play each other? ? Better than driving to Detroit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forbin Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 4 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said: How do you think PPE will feel about losing to the Preds? They don’t care. The 2011 gold team is #1 in the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucks11 Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 2 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said: So why do they quit fielding black teams at 14U? Because they expanded the girls teams and made the cult team for the older boys. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGP13 Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 18 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said: So why do they quit fielding black teams at 14U? At younger ages kids are still developing, actually probably even past 14U. They most likely quit because they have a solid idea of who will be on the team at that point. At younger ages you can still keep parents (money) roped into the organization to sell the dream. As they get older and parents start to catch on they understand you need to try elsewhere if you aren't on the gold team. If PPE continued to field a black team it would probably be full of "lesser talented" kids and not yield the ratings and persona to continue the business model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGP13 Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 17 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said: Do any of the Black team kids make Gold the next year? Sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatever Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 21 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said: Do any of the Black team kids make Gold the next year? My son was a Pens black kid once - and now he is NCAA Div. 1. Pens Black, while painful at the time for him ended up being the best scenario because it increased his playing time. His previous year's coach spoke to him before they released the rosters and told him he was getting a better coach and the playing time he needed to continue to develop. He would have been the bottom on the Gold team. Interestingly enough - the black team beat the gold team that year at mid-ams. I could go on and on about our experience as he developed and how many times he was passed over at the Pens but that's not what this thread is about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyisgreat Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 2 hours ago, whatever said: My son was a Pens black kid once - and now he is NCAA Div. 1. Pens Black, while painful at the time for him ended up being the best scenario because it increased his playing time. His previous year's coach spoke to him before they released the rosters and told him he was getting a better coach and the playing time he needed to continue to develop. He would have been the bottom on the Gold team. Interestingly enough - the black team beat the gold team that year at mid-ams. I could go on and on about our experience as he developed and how many times he was passed over at the Pens but that's not what this thread is about. Thanks for sharing! Most people on this site "Danner" in particular would have us believe there is no chance to play D-1 from Western Pa. Would like to hear more of your experience as your son navigated the hockey world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJUSHL Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 2 hours ago, whatever said: My son was a Pens black kid once - and now he is NCAA Div. 1. Pens Black, while painful at the time for him ended up being the best scenario because it increased his playing time. His previous year's coach spoke to him before they released the rosters and told him he was getting a better coach and the playing time he needed to continue to develop. He would have been the bottom on the Gold team. Interestingly enough - the black team beat the gold team that year at mid-ams. I could go on and on about our experience as he developed and how many times he was passed over at the Pens but that's not what this thread is about. It would be interesting to hear more about his development process and what you learned along the way, as much as you're comfortable sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spear and Magic Helmet Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 22 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said: Thanks for sharing! Most people on this site "Danner" in particular would have us believe there is no chance to play D-1 from Western Pa. Would like to hear more of your experience as your son navigated the hockey world. I guess that's how people interpret Danner, but to be honest, I think he's a good counterpoint to a lot of the non-sense that goes on around here. Even Danner will admit that there are some kids from this area that are moving on to legit, higher level hockey. I have also seen that there are a lot of people taking advantage of people's naivety. I know people who still think their kid is going to get a scholarship (not just walk on) at Boston College/Boston University despite the fact that they are playing pay-to-play Jr A, because that's what their (paid) advisor is telling them. I do see the other point too, let people spent their money how they want, but it gets annoying when people say their kid's gonna play NCAA hockey when he's 19 and nowhere close to the level that those players are. I think that's what makes us a bit jaded. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saucey Posted February 25, 2023 Share Posted February 25, 2023 I like Danner, too. I don't always agree with everything he says but hey, here's a weird thing, you can both like and dislike someone's various opinions. And, you know, it's an internet Board where people post anonymously, so you should....da da da....take it all with a giant grain of salt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saucey Posted February 25, 2023 Share Posted February 25, 2023 On 2/23/2023 at 11:52 AM, Spear and Magic Helmet said: I do see the other point too, let people spent their money how they want, but it gets annoying when people say their kid's gonna play NCAA hockey when he's 19 and nowhere close to the level that those players are. I think that's what makes us a bit jaded. If the team formed is not the level advertised, maybe don't field it that way. I don't want to say don't try, particularly considering the continuing disaster of PPE, but for crying out loud, don't call yourself AAA when your team is largely made up of kids who couldn't crack AA. Place the kids right. Hockey is a moneyed sport with a lot of parents used to being able to buy their kids whatever they want. I have heard it. "I will spend whatever it takes because he/she wants it." But you can't buy natural athletic talent. "You want me to kill my kid's dream?" Um. Someone is going to at some point. Maybe if you had, they would have put their energy into something that is within their skill set, ever think of that? The stats of going D1 are out there and have been discussed here and naseum. The development of youth sports should not be focused on chasing something that is so rare to do. You essentially harm most children playing. There shouldn't be so many butt hurt options. Don't be fooled, most of these coaches know what they are getting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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