PPE

[CranjisMcBasketball]

6 hours ago, zam said:

Lets compare AAA hockey to MLB,  You have loaded AAA teams at the top, Yankees and Dodgers.  (They take the best of the best players because they can sign whomever they want). Then you have the Pirates and Rockies, essentially the Vengeances and Predators of the world, (who nobody wants to play for unless they absolutely have to).  No chance 95% of the Pirates roster could make the Yankees, yet we still call them MLB players. Nobody from Veng, Preds, Esmark are making Little Caesars, Shattuck, or Mission, but are they still AAA players?

What essentially happens at PPE would be like if the Yankees fielded a second MLB team.  And I think the results would be similar.  The Yankees second team would still be better than many of the other MLB teams.  Players would sign with the Yankees second team because they are a legitimate organization and people want to be associated with winners. Many guys would still rather play on Yankees2 and enjoy the experience of Yankees Stadium, and being seen and trained by Yankee staff, than they would playing elsewhere.

The difference is in the mlb they are all pro players. In hockey there’s a lot of AAA rostered players that are AA or even A major at best. 

[Corsi]

6 hours ago, Hockey247 said:

Not everyone who plays for Veng, Preds, and Esmark do so because they can’t make PPE.  Many can’t or won’t pay that extra few grand with additional commitments to schooling and training.  While they are not necessarily making the NHL, playing for these so-called “fake AAA” teams, they are still able to play at a much higher level and are given a higher level of training.  

This is 100% correct, especially if you are in home school district that is very strong academically.  

[sadday4hockey]

Speaking of "EXTRA" money and this may tie into the previous question regarding the 16U team, does anyone know for sure or has anyone seen in print the actual total cost for a player on the any of the 14U and 16U PPE teams this season?

The number I was told, hence the need for corroboration, is so insanely high that it could not possibly be correct.......

[Corsi]

6 minutes ago, sadday4hockey said:

Speaking of "EXTRA" money and this may tie into the previous question regarding the 16U team, does anyone know for sure or has anyone seen in print the actual total cost for a player on the any of the 14U and 16U PPE teams this season?

The number I was told, hence the need for corroboration, is so insanely high that it could not possibly be correct.......

I have been told that is in upwards of $40k...  

[twoboys]

20 minutes ago, Corsi said:

I have been told that is in upwards of $40k...  

I was told it will come in under 30,000 for PPE, excel and NC.  Travel is additional.

[sadday4hockey]

There you have it. 3 different numbers betwixt the 3 of us and the one I heard was mere 5K more than Corsi but what's 5K.

Just the fact that it isn't known ahead of time should be cause for some concern?

Any of those numbers when combined with the additional travel costs and other unforeseen surprise bills when looked at over the 4 year period of 13U-16U they each would fall within the average cost of a 4 year college grad which is a range of 110-220K.

That is truly is mind boggling and honestly a disgrace to youth sports.

The NHL itself and the Penguins franchise specifically should be appalled with this and realize that the higher the costs go to play, the more severe the adverse affect it's going to have on their overall fan bases. Less people playing means less watching as well.

 

[nemesis8679]

27 minutes ago, sadday4hockey said:

There you have it. 3 different numbers betwixt the 3 of us and the one I heard was mere 5K more than Corsi but what's 5K.

Just the fact that it isn't known ahead of time should be cause for some concern?

Any of those numbers when combined with the additional travel costs and other unforeseen surprise bills when looked at over the 4 year period of 13U-16U they each would fall within the average cost of a 4 year college grad which is a range of 110-220K.

That is truly is mind boggling and honestly a disgrace to youth sports.

The NHL itself and the Penguins franchise specifically should be appalled with this and realize that the higher the costs go to play, the more severe the adverse affect it's going to have on their overall fan bases. Less people playing means less watching as well.

 

I agree with all of that. And to be honest once you account for necessities like gas, hotel, food, miles on the vehicle, etc. not to mention extras like lessons on the side, tournament fees, higher price equipment, etc.- I know for a fact another 18u AAA team that would be over 30K and some AA that would hover right around the 20K mark.

There are good players and families that just can't do that or don't want to do that.

And some of these organizations should have their nonprofit status looked at a bit more closely.

 

[aaaahockey]

I heard 20k base + equipment/uniforms + NC + Excel.  

[Corsi]

14 hours ago, sadday4hockey said:

There you have it. 3 different numbers betwixt the 3 of us and the one I heard was mere 5K more than Corsi but what's 5K.

Just the fact that it isn't known ahead of time should be cause for some concern?

Any of those numbers when combined with the additional travel costs and other unforeseen surprise bills when looked at over the 4 year period of 13U-16U they each would fall within the average cost of a 4 year college grad which is a range of 110-220K.

That is truly is mind boggling and honestly a disgrace to youth sports.

The NHL itself and the Penguins franchise specifically should be appalled with this and realize that the higher the costs go to play, the more severe the adverse affect it's going to have on their overall fan bases. Less people playing means less watching as well.

 

The $40k number I have does not include travel for PPE.  I have some friends that still have kids in the sport (16U and 18U) and they have shared that the expectation is that "AAA" with an academy, billet, coaches, and travel fees you should expect $30k on the low end and $50k+ on the high end.  Most of that depends on the academy cost.  They also mentioned that some organizations now include "travel" as an upfront cost.  They said that the team books all travel (bus, airfare, hotel) for the players and then you are refunded what is left following the season.  

As far as Pittsburgh goes, PPE is the only program with an academy.  Within MidAm, Blue Jackets and Barons have both billet programs and are associated in some way with an academy.  

[hockeyindaburgh]

In Midam, If I had to guess, PPE, Barons, and Jackets are probably the most legit programs for high level players and getting them to the next level. I hear mixed reviews on Esmark and Vengeance.

[fafa fohi]

19 hours ago, aaaahockey said:

I heard 20k base + equipment/uniforms + NC + Excel.  

NC tuition is around $17K a year and Excel is roughly $7K, although I would challenge anyone to find pricing on Excel without having to be in the last stage of sign-up before hitting the "Pay Now" prompt on the Excel / Pens website..

Edited June 3 by fafa fohi

[zam]

5 hours ago, hockeyindaburgh said:

In Midam, If I had to guess, PPE, Barons, and Jackets are probably the most legit programs for high level players and getting them to the next level. I hear mixed reviews on Esmark and Vengeance.

I'm baffled by "mixed reviews" as this implies there are positive reviews for these places.

[sadday4hockey]

People should look very hard at SSA and what Coach Tangradi has there.

If you're going to drop 50K, why not include a 50K education instead of a 5K education?

And I'm talking educational value, not actual cost.

Set your kids up for life after hockey because it does exist much to many of your chagrin.