What will happen to the good 2009 AA PAHL teams?

[Icebucket]

30 minutes ago, Nepotisim_anyone said:

I missed the memo. Did the Vengeance get bought by Black Bear?

No, Alpha pulled the same power move as black bear does by pushing scir to rebrand and ousting the Aviators.

Edited April 8 by Icebucket

[Spear and Magic Helmet]

21 hours ago, nemesis8679 said:

Why are the Huskies having such a hard time fielding teams? I would've thought they'd be in a great position of starting something fresh. But it just hasn't taken.

Was NHAHA doing well at PIA?? I don't really remember. The rink has struggled for years and some of the maintenance issues and other problems there might have given people a bad impression of the facility. I haven't been there in years, so I don't know if those issues have been resolved. I sort of assume they have fixed some of the more obvious and uglier issues, but people might be cautious of that as well.

[YardSale]

5 minutes ago, Spear and Magic Helmet said:

Was NHAHA doing well at PIA?? I don't really remember. The rink has struggled for years and some of the maintenance issues and other problems there might have given people a bad impression of the facility. I haven't been there in years, so I don't know if those issues have been resolved. I sort of assume they have fixed some of the more obvious and uglier issues, but people might be cautious of that as well.

Their overall numbers had been dropping year over year.  

[Pucks11]

41 minutes ago, Spear and Magic Helmet said:

Was NHAHA doing well at PIA?? I don't really remember. The rink has struggled for years and some of the maintenance issues and other problems there might have given people a bad impression of the facility. I haven't been there in years, so I don't know if those issues have been resolved. I sort of assume they have fixed some of the more obvious and uglier issues, but people might be cautious of that as well.

Slapped some paint on the walls and moved some things around.

[Hockey00]

9 hours ago, Spear and Magic Helmet said:

Was NHAHA doing well at PIA?? I don't really remember. The rink has struggled for years and some of the maintenance issues and other problems there might have given people a bad impression of the facility. I haven't been there in years, so I don't know if those issues have been resolved. I sort of assume they have fixed some of the more obvious and uglier issues, but people might be cautious of that as well.

esmark 2008-09 skate tonight-2 goalies and 20 or so skaters for 2 teams? Are their tryouts this weekend

[hockey07]

So did the jump in cost at icemen change anything with their open skates and tryouts this week or are they hoping their ranking keeps people coming 

[HockeyFan6687]

Anybody know how 08 and/or 09 open skates or tryouts went this week?  Interesting to see the player movement 

[aaaahockey]

27 minutes ago, HockeyFan6687 said:

Anybody know how 08 and/or 09 open skates or tryouts went this week?  Interesting to see the player movement 

08 I have not seen much movement 

[No Politics]

10 hours ago, HockeyFan6687 said:

Anybody know how 08 and/or 09 open skates or tryouts went this week?  Interesting to see the player movement 

Most '08 tryouts start this week.  Here are some.  I'm not leaving anyone off intentionally -- these are just the ones I have -- and feel free to make corrections if anything is incorrect.

Predators (AAA) start today (4/13).  Sorry, but I have no information on the Predators.

Arrows AA NB and Esmark AAA start tomorrow (4/14).  Arrows had their free skate/clinic Thursday and had a great turnout (There is no doubt Lee Grafton runs a great program there).  

Someone else posted that there wasn't a good turnout for Esmark's free skate, but I am not able to confirm that personally.  

Vengeance AAA tryouts start Monday the 15th.  I know families there, and it is a solid team with a lot of returning players.  I know of quite a few other players who are trying to crack that lineup, though.  This team seems to be a target of a lot of talented players.

Huskies (no level designation, so assume A/possibly AA) start Tuesday the 16th.  Huskies are a question mark because last year's tryouts went from "AA," to "let's try to cobble together an A team," to scrapping the whole thing.  To be fair, that was last year, it was the first year of a major expansion, and they may have ironed out the kinks.

Predators (AA/A) start 4/18.  Again, no disrespect to the Predators organization... I simply don't know anyone there to share information.

 

So lots of overlap there the first weekend.  Families are going to have to choose one (or start one and switch to possibly one other if things don't look good).

Next weekend North Pittsburgh (A through AA) start tryouts on 4/20.  This is NP's normal tryout process.  It is just earlier this year.  Not much to share that we all don't already know (nothing good, nothing bad... they're just probably the largest program in the area, so everyone knows them).

The Vengeance 16U NB (AA) team tryouts start 4/21.  Being that this is the Renegades conversion, I don't have much information on this one (or the regular Vengeance/Renegades tryouts below).  All I know is what others post here, and what I know from returning families (whose players ARE returning).  There seems to be a big flap about the cost this season, though.

Iceman (AA/AAA independent) and Aviators '08 BY start 4/22.  The Icemen were a pretty solid team last year, and families I know there are planning on returning.  They may pick up kids who were squeezed by the overlapping tryouts, but they are solid on their own.  The knock on this -- and other similar programs -- is the independent schedule.  You either like it or you don't.  

The Aviators are puzzling to me -- no disrespect meant -- because they played A Major Gold last year as a mixed-year team, and they lost 100% of their '08s from the previous season, so I don't know how they will have the numbers to form an '08 BY team (which are usually higher-level... you don't usually see an A-level BY team).  At any rate, they are an option for families looking to play elsewhere, and they are now playing at McKnight Arena.

Regular Vengeance 16U (A) start 4/25.  As stated above, I have heard very little regarding the Vengeance.  A-level Renegades players from last season -- and some others -- have told me they plan on trying out there, but I am not much help past that.

Yetis (A/AA) start 4/26.  I know multiple families from last year's team, and they were a higher-performing A Major Black team, but were (impressively) almost all '08s.  So the Yetis have them advertised as National Bound/AA this upcoming season, depending on who comes back and who joins the mix.  Any AA-level talent that got squeezed by the tryout jumble could land here if they want to stick with a PAHL schedule.  They're the last tryout of the season, so any higher-level players who don't yet have a home will still have a strong option.

 

I hope this helps folks!

 

 

[Hky05]

11 hours ago, HockeyFan6687 said:

Anybody know how 08 and/or 09 open skates or tryouts went this week?  Interesting to see the player movement 

09 preds goalie tryout-9 goalies-team starts today 

[Huskies_Director]

47 minutes ago, No Politics said:

Most '08 tryouts start this week.  Here are some.  I'm not leaving anyone off intentionally -- these are just the ones I have -- and feel free to make corrections if anything is incorrect.

Predators (AAA) start today (4/13).  Sorry, but I have no information on the Predators.

Arrows AA NB and Esmark AAA start tomorrow (4/14).  Arrows had their free skate/clinic Thursday and had a great turnout (There is no doubt Lee Grafton runs a great program there).  

Someone else posted that there wasn't a good turnout for Esmark's free skate, but I am not able to confirm that personally.  

Vengeance AAA tryouts start Monday the 15th.  I know families there, and it is a solid team with a lot of returning players.  I know of quite a few other players who are trying to crack that lineup, though.  This team seems to be a target of a lot of talented players.

Huskies (no level designation, so assume A/possibly AA) start Tuesday the 16th.  Huskies are a question mark because last year's tryouts went from "AA," to "let's try to cobble together an A team," to scrapping the whole thing.  To be fair, that was last year, it was the first year of a major expansion, and they may have ironed out the kinks.

Predators (AA/A) start 4/18.  Again, no disrespect to the Predators organization... I simply don't know anyone there to share information.

 

So lots of overlap there the first weekend.  Families are going to have to choose one (or start one and switch to possibly one other if things don't look good).

Next weekend North Pittsburgh (A through AA) start tryouts on 4/20.  This is NP's normal tryout process.  It is just earlier this year.  Not much to share that we all don't already know (nothing good, nothing bad... they're just probably the largest program in the area, so everyone knows them).

The Vengeance 16U NB (AA) team tryouts start 4/21.  Being that this is the Renegades conversion, I don't have much information on this one (or the regular Vengeance/Renegades tryouts below).  All I know is what others post here, and what I know from returning families (whose players ARE returning).  There seems to be a big flap about the cost this season, though.

Iceman (AA/AAA independent) and Aviators '08 BY start 4/22.  The Icemen were a pretty solid team last year, and families I know there are planning on returning.  They may pick up kids who were squeezed by the overlapping tryouts, but they are solid on their own.  The knock on this -- and other similar programs -- is the independent schedule.  You either like it or you don't.  

The Aviators are puzzling to me -- no disrespect meant -- because they played A Major Gold last year as a mixed-year team, and they lost 100% of their '08s from the previous season, so I don't know how they will have the numbers to form an '08 BY team (which are usually higher-level... you don't usually see an A-level BY team).  At any rate, they are an option for families looking to play elsewhere, and they are now playing at McKnight Arena.

Regular Vengeance 16U (A) start 4/25.  As stated above, I have heard very little regarding the Vengeance.  A-level Renegades players from last season -- and some others -- have told me they plan on trying out there, but I am not much help past that.

Yetis (A/AA) start 4/26.  I know multiple families from last year's team, and they were a higher-performing A Major Black team, but were (impressively) almost all '08s.  So the Yetis have them advertised as National Bound/AA this upcoming season, depending on who comes back and who joins the mix.  Any AA-level talent that got squeezed by the tryout jumble could land here if they want to stick with a PAHL schedule.  They're the last tryout of the season, so any higher-level players who don't yet have a home will still have a strong option.

 

I hope this helps folks!

 

 

The Huskies 16u & 18u tryouts will be solid and we will be fielding the teams at an appropriate designation. No need to push into a higher level if it doesn't make sense for the families. Focus is on development, support and FUN this year. Parents and players alike. 

Tryouts will be 4/16, 4/18 & 4/20. 

The above is a great recap, I appreciate it! 

[bender05]

supposedly less than half of the 2009 Allegheny team is going back there after winning both pahl banners?

[Nepotisim_anyone]

7 hours ago, Hky05 said:

09 preds goalie tryout-9 goalies-team starts today 

9? How is that even possible? It’s the Preds not the Pens. 

[hockey55]

Why is 2009 birth year such a mess every single year 

[Icebucket]

7 hours ago, hockey55 said:

Why is 2009 birth year such a mess every single year 

Last I checked, players aren't out here changing their birth years. So 09s are a problem because it's the same parents year after year. 

[CranjisMcBasketball]

23 hours ago, bender05 said:

supposedly less than half of the 2009 Allegheny team is going back there after winning both pahl banners?

I heard the same and the kids they did have show up were definitely no way near the same skill as last years. 

[hockey55]

1 hour ago, CranjisMcBasketball said:

I heard the same and the kids they did have show up were definitely no way near the same skill as last years. 

Probably won’t be AA skill level, more like A major black 

[Carl Racki]

12 hours ago, hockey55 said:

Why is 2009 birth year such a mess every single year 

Honestly once you hit 2nd year Bantam teams are always a mess through Midget.  Kids jumping around, teams disappearing, .....  Its just hockey.  I could give you many examples from 2006-2010.  

[CranjisMcBasketball]

3 hours ago, Carl Racki said:

Honestly once you hit 2nd year Bantam teams are always a mess through Midget.  Kids jumping around, teams disappearing, .....  Its just hockey.  I could give you many examples from 2006-2010.  

This is true. This birth year might be especially spicy, but it’s also a time of a lot of turnover as well. 

[CranjisMcBasketball]

5 hours ago, hockey55 said:

Probably won’t be AA skill level, more like A major black 

I misquoted. They’re advertised as 16u and not 09’s. So take from that what you will.  You’d think a few 08’s on the ice would improve quality but from the sounds of it they looked like they’d struggle against an 09 BY team. 
 

The 10’s there had a ton of turnover as well and probably will be A major as well. 

[No Politics]

It is the parents.  I tell families with mite players to find a team your kid is happy on and stick with it.

Every season it's the same thing.  Some people call it "A chasing," but I call it lack of foresight, as well.  If your kid leaves a team where they are happy -- so they can play for a team with an extra A -- that doesn't mean they're locked in for life.  The next season they might not make that team, it may have been a bad experience, or the team/organization could even fold.  Then they're stuck and desperate to find a home.

Can't move down a level, though, right?

Multiply that by 80% of the folks out there, and you get what we are seeing right now.

It's absolutely stupid, and the sad part is that parents only realize they goofed after their kid's time is done and they're playing beer league.

The sadder part is that they took other kids with them.

[hockey55]

3 hours ago, CranjisMcBasketball said:

I misquoted. They’re advertised as 16u and not 09’s. So take from that what you will.  You’d think a few 08’s on the ice would improve quality but from the sounds of it they looked like they’d struggle against an 09 BY team. 
 

The 10’s there had a ton of turnover as well and probably will be A major as well. 

There hasn’t be a 2010 team there for at least 2 years. 

[YardSale]

Not a good turnout at Esmark ‘09 night 1. Not sure exactly but not enough for a team with no cuts.

[nemesis8679]

58 minutes ago, No Politics said:

It is the parents.  I tell families with mite players to find a team your kid is happy on and stick with it.

Every season it's the same thing.  Some people call it "A chasing," but I call it lack of foresight, as well.  If your kid leaves a team where they are happy -- so they can play for a team with an extra A -- that doesn't mean they're locked in for life.  The next season they might not make that team, it may have been a bad experience, or the team/organization could even fold.  Then they're stuck and desperate to find a home.

Can't move down a level, though, right?

Multiply that by 80% of the folks out there, and you get what we are seeing right now.

It's absolutely stupid, and the sad part is that parents only realize they goofed after their kid's time is done and they're playing beer league.

The sadder part is that they took other kids with them.

To expand on that a bit, a lot of the teams have had a certain number of kids year over year. So each year, you have one, two, however many... that step away for whatever reason. Now the coach has X roster spots to fill. You might get one. But you're not part of that core group. Next season, if someone wants to come back, or the coach is also coaching a school team and wants to add one of them, or somebody shows up at tryouts that is better or was cut by a higher-ranked team... you're going to be in the group of players that's first to be off the team. Or you walk into your first season onto a team that's mostly all been together for years prior, and wonder why you're not getting the ice time or special teams time you had on your last team. It is what it is. 

[hockey55]

2 hours ago, YardSale said:

Not a good turnout at Esmark ‘09 night 1. Not sure exactly but not enough for a team with no cuts.

Heard Shaha 09 had more show up than esmark 09