Just curious as to why anyone would waste money on AAA instead of trying to make a Junior team? For the 16-20 year olds, why not try for a Junior team instead of wasting time on Midget Major or AAA?

Making a junior team is one thing, playing regularly and going to school on a limited basis as a 16 or 17 year old is another. When kids leave home parents give up supervision of both off-ice and school activities. Some jr. teams are better at raising other peoples kids then others. Making decisions to let your 16 or 17 year old player move away is a serious life decision and more goes into it than a hockey career. Some kids leave jrs. without a HS degree that will get them into many colleges. Some can't pass the clearinghouse. Some come away from the experience with addictions. Better know your son before you send him away at such a young age. Many survive and thrive but others struggle not only on the ice but off. If you think peer pressure is bad when kids are at home try living with a group of 16-20 year olds who think they are "living the dream" and on their way to a career in hockey.

Jrs. is a business and most coaches have grown-up in the "Boys will be Boys" and don't feel any obligation to parents to "babysit" their sons.

It's a great experience for many but ask around before thinking it is all about hockey development.

Thanks for giving an honest answer. Seen it too many times.

AGREE. gOING AWAY TO JUNIORS AS AN 18 OR 19 YEAR OLS IS ONE THING. gOIUNG AS A 16 YEAR OLD IS QUITE ANOTHER.

Thanks for your response. Appreciate it.

What about playing juniors locally and living at home when 14-16?

not many 14-16 year olds can compete with a 19 or 20 year old. Just not going to happen.

We have been to some ushl & nahl camps and the older players always come to the top,when it comes to picking a team. the only way little jon mite make the team is if his parents are hype machines and the team belives in his skills. Saying that he mite be on the roster, but more then likley a scratch when it comes game time.

in my opinion play AAA till you age out or are promised the world by some jr team (playing time). Also, look closer at the CHL, over USHL for the elite players.

Agree, too. I would rather see the 14-16 year old dominate his own age group. That is rare. Of the 92s and 93s who have played up, none of them ever dominated their own age groups. Playing up was not necessary and maybe not advisable. Buy OH the hype the coaches will shout about what they did for this kid. Life is not a sprint. Its a marathon. Let's wait and see.

Yea but the thing is juniors is also more expensive ... and its not about if you dominate or not its about experience and getting better if you are playing with everyone older tends to become more competetive and is a higher level depending on what you play a b or c . its also what the kid wants .

well if your are not playing in the USHL or NAHL it is not really worth it to play jrs. AAA is much better than the CSHL. Also CSHL and other lower jr leagues are pretty much around to take your money. AAA they place most players at the USHL or NAHL level. Also in these lower level of jrs theres is alot of goons that are there just to fight compared the US or NA which wants to play a good skilled game and only have 1-2 goons compared to the 5-6 goon on the lower jr teams. that is what i have learned in my 3 years of playing jrs.

Absolutely. No doubt about it.

So play AAA till its over age wise then go to juniors if I am understanding it right

It's risky to make blanket statements because there are all kinds of people everywhere, and each player is different, but ...

Don't leave home during HS to play hockey, Unless you're Gretzky or Kane, or unless there is absolutely no hockey that's competitive for you in your area.

Except for the USHL and NAHL, juniors will cost money as does AAA. Even D1 colleges give many partial scholarships.

Don't buy into any promise by any team or coach. Once you get there you still have to earn it every day.

Look around during tryouts to see where you might fit in. And new players can keep showing up for months after the team is picked, meaning other players get cut well into the season.

Keep moving up. Don't stay at the same level too long ... unless that level is just what you want.

Plan your next move up from where you are. Work forwards toward your goal. And find out where the team and league you want to play for get their players. Plan the steps backwards from your goal to identify the feeder level that you probably have to get to.

Don't count on making a big jump. Take a small jump to the next level every year or as soon as you can. If you're not able to move up and are getting close to aging out, think hard about college or whatever the next step after hockey is for you.

The junior leagues below the USHL and NAHL are not around just to take your money. They need your money but aren't getting rich off of it. Most of them are struggling. Many players move up from the EJHL, MnJHL and CSHL, to the NAHL or to college club and D-III hockey. You can jump from AAA to college hockey right after HS, but a year or two of juniors, at a competitive level, can give you an edge.

Jrs. is a business but all clubs have volunteers and billet parents, many of which do take an interest in the players. Many coaches try to find a spot on other teams and leagues for the players they feel they have to let loose during the season. They're all in an informal network and pecking order of coaches. All the junior teams at the next lower level need better players. Sometimes one step backwards or sideways can lead to your next step up in a direction you never considered.

Don't necessarily keep playing AAA until you age out. Move to juniors after HS, if it's a move up. You meet new players and coaches from all over the country with a network of contacts and opportunities at many levels. If AAA has not opened the door to the USHL for YOU, a move up to juniors could open the next door for YOU. That door could be out east, west or up north.

It's good to try out for juniors, even while still in HS, and even though not planning on playing juniors next year. Even though to an extent they're money-makers for the clubs, they are "auditions" where talent can be discovered. Without kicking the tires, you're making decisions in the dark. See and be seen. Get on their Rolodex. Get them on your Rolodex.

Juniors is totally not like AAA, CSDHL, NIHL or HS, where there is almost no player movement after the "official" tryouts. Player decisions are made all the time by one club or another from now through August, and from then through January. There are tryouts going on right now.

NICE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1, Please talk more about aging out, please start at the midjet AAA level.

2, You also say if AAA hasn't opened the door for the USHL then upgrade yourself tp JR's. I'm thinking the USHL is JR's so if AAA is not opening that door yet what JR's is still worth playing if the players goal is D-1 but is a late bloomer , meaning is still growing at 16 or 17 years old?

I see players playing until they age out of juniors, looking for the best situation in college or just wanting to keep playing. I dont see players playing until they age out of midget majors, looking for the best situation in juniors. After high school, most players either move on with their lives or move into juniors at whatever level they can, looking for a balance in the chances of the team winning, the cost, the distance from home and the coach. If youre worried then about how much playing time youll get, youre probably not the kind of player whos going to move up very far.

If youre playing Midget Major AAA as a Midget Minor aged player, and then get drafted by a USHL team, youre probably a pretty good player. How well youll do in the U is not assured, like getting a commitment from a DI college or even making the junior team and staying in the league for more than a year. But most of these players probably get tabbed by one of the top DI teams, and if not then either by one of the other DI teams in the Atlantic Hockey Association or College Hockey America or a better D-III team.

If youre playing Midget Major AAA in your last year in HS, its probably pretty clear by then whether or not youre wanted by a team in the USHL, NAHL, MnJHL or CSHL. These AAA teams play in showcase tournaments that are scouted. The junior leagues all have either a draft or a tender or both.

If youre not invited anywhere, or if in your last year in HS youre one of the best players for one of the better Midget Major CSDHL teams or the top ten HS teams, then you could try the Open Tryout route. Go to the web sites of teams in these junior leagues and figure out which tryouts to send in applications for. Not everyone who applies gets invited. Junior coaches dont think much of Illinois hockey except for AAA. It might come down to your accomplishments at the level you played at and a phone call between the junior team coach and your coach. But then the tryout is what matters. How well you play, size or speed, shot, passing, puck control, whatever quality you have ... not to mention character, leadership and ACT score.

At this point the USHL is probably a reach. The NAHL teams are anywhere between Ohio and Alaska, but they all seem to have at least one tryout around Minneapolis. A few have a tryout in Chicago. The MnJHL teams are mostly around Minneapolis. Four of the twelve CSHL teams are in Chicago (Rolling Meadows), Peoria, Quad Cities and Dubuque.

Some of the USHL, NAHL and EJHL teams also have futures camps in August where its probably easier to get an invite. Do one or two maybe before your junior or senior year in HS. It helps while youre dishing out the dough to think of it as a conditioning clinic or a summer vacation trip.

Some players get recruited from any of these leagues to play college hockey, either NCAA or ACHA. Some players go straight from HS to ACHA hockey, but very rarely to NCAA DI or even the better DIII.

At all these camps and tryouts youre making contacts and letting the player and parent get a read of how good you really are. If the player starts saying hes not interested, he might believe hes not good enough, rightly or wrongly. If the parent starts saying its getting too expensive, its either too expensive or the parent might believe the player is not good enough, rightly or wrongly. Communicate.

To your question if AAA is not opening that door yet (to the USHL), what JR's is still worth playing if the players goal is D-1, if you check the USHL web site in May, after the draft, and look at where the draftees played the prior year, after AAA, Minnesota HS and Prep schools, its in no particular order: the NAHL, MnJHL, EJHL or one of the Canadian provincial hockey leagues like the OPJHL. Every Canadian province has a junior league. (But the OHL is different, at a much higher level, superior to or equal to the USHL.) Also, some NCAA DI schools get their players straight from the NAHL, MnJHL, EJHL or one of the Canadian provincial hockey leagues, but youd have to be one of the top players in those leagues that year.

One other point: the USHL and NAHL have restrictions on the number of foreign players allowed on their roster, but the US college teams dont.

This guy is hitting the nail on the head.
Quite the accurate assessment.
Thanks for the no BS info.



most players and their parents should read this.

teams in the ushl are pretty much picked. right now is the time when they start handing out spots. theres is usually 5-6 spots going into tryouts and theres about 15 guys they are looking at for those spots. the rest will try for a team in the NAHL

??

What you've posted is consistent with what we've seen in our travels along this road. The couple things I'll add that I think are very important:

1. Mom & dad drop back and let your player do most of the communicating with coaches. They need to be able to do it to survive at the junior level and it's more impressive to a coach if a player is willing & able to speak for himself. Mom & dad can step in later when appropriate, but try to channel your questions/concerns thru your player.

2. Be realistic about the player's ability. Unrealistically high opinions can set your player up for failure. Unrealistically low opinions can put a player in a bad situation where they aren't challenged and may lose interest (which often leads to off ice issues). Don't be afraid to consult your player's coaches (past & current) and other "hockey people" you know.

Good luck!

Just a parent. Much of what I wrote I read here first or elsewhere or heard from another parent, coach or player. You can also learn a lot at the web sites of the leagues and teams, and the web editions of the newswpapers in the teams' cities, and by following teams and players on Pointstreak. But you need some access to coaches or other older players, either directly or indirectly, to keep it real. When I said figure out which tryouts to send in applications for, read the coaches' bios, and study their player rosters and team records for a couple - three years. Look for a team that has needs where your player has strengths, possibly because their better players are aging out or moving up, the year your player could be ready to move in.

Otherwise, always have a Plan B and never give up as long as the player wants to play. It's a coach's decision. Try out early and often, but to avoid wasting money and time (measured in weekends or entire seasons), you select some realistic reach, good fit and safety teams. Unlike chosing a college to attend, where the decision is probably for all four years, in hockey the decision might be for just a season, and this year's reach should be next year's good fit. Help the player understand that some tryouts are part of a multi-year process, and not getting selected is not a failure. It's a success to be invited to try out, to play well, meet some new players and coaches, get recognized and invited back in the future. And whenever it's over, at least you tried, and along the way you had some fun and saw the world.

Well said!

Your responses, are some of the most well-thought-out, knowledgeable posts I've seen on this blog. If you don't mind, I'd like to add a few things to your dead-on statements.

If you are a 16-year-old midget major AAA player, who believes(or has been told) that you are good enough to make the jump to juniors, then there is probably a very good chance, that you are a "blue-chip" player. If this is the case, then, believe me, you are already being scouted. The discussion then changes to, not "if" you should make the jump to juniors, but "when", "who" and "where" you should make the jump.

On the other hand, if you are just a step or two behind, that blue-chip plateau, then your options become a little more cloudy. If you are a returning AAA midget major player, going in your last year of eligibility and probably going into your senior year high school, then you need to ask yourself, if it is in "your" best interest to make this huge leap at this time.

Too many players at the elite level, tend to get caught up in the accolades and press-clippings. At this age, it's very easy to be swayed by other people. It's hard to put a deaf-ear to someone telling you or your parents, that you are the best thing to come down the "hockey pipeline" since Sidney Crosby. Flattery is always hard to ignore-especially when you're an impressionable 17 or 18-year-old.

Both you and your parents need to, seriously, consider the source of the hockey knowledge, as well as the possible agendas, of the people making these statements. Coaches, scouts, and even parents, have their own reasons, for wanting you to make the jump to Junior A. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should make the jump!

Making a Junior A squad, especially if you're still in high school, will have huge ramifications, for both you and your family. Resources, involving time and effort, not to mention money, could easily put a huge burden on both you, as well as your family; not to mention the toll on your school work and social life. A path that seems so clear at the beginning of a journey, can easily derail, with disastrous consequences. You should always keep this in mind-there is always a price to be paid, when you want to get off the porch and play with the "big dogs".

In my opinion, the best advice for any players in this situation, is sit down with their parents, as well as, a hockey knowledgeable person,(who can be trusted and has no ulterior motives) to help develop a plan, and guide the athlete through the decision process.

Before any elite player makes any decision, he/she needs to define his/her "ultimate hockey goal" Is your ultimate goal to play in the NHL, or is it just to play college hockey, at any level. A highly skilled player with a high GPA, who fully grasps his potential, and more importantly, his limitations as well, could have a wonderful college experience at the D-3 college level.

There are many highly competitive Division III universities, that are easily overlooked, during the college hockey hunt. Included in the mix, are wonderful "Little" Ivy League schools such as Bowdoin, Colby or Babson that will give high-quality education's, rivaling there "big" cousins.

It's important to remember that "ultimately" the decision is yours. The considerations you take into account, with respect to family, education and career path, should be at the top of your list, during your decision process. Because ultimately, it's your life!

Great post.

1. If you age out of AAA, it might be too late to play good junior hockey. You are better off playing juniors when asked at 17, then driving all over trying out at 19.

2. If you are playing midget minor AAA as a junior in high school - you too are probably missing the boat.

3. Illinois needs a better system to allow and encourage late bloomers. It seems that if you do not jump into AAA at the right time, you will have a tougher time reaching your goals.

Just attend some of the local open camps...NAHL...there will be 10-15 guys just like you out of 75-80,,,some very good ,some middle of the road,,,,so if you stand out ,,,you might get invited to the main camp.If you're not drafted or tendered,,,slim chance.

Two wheel you make statements which are sooooooooooo wrong. You state if you are a JR in Highschool and still playing Mn you have missed the boat.

TEAM ILL Mn last season had three 92's who were all JR's in Highschool, CJ Ohio St, MV Ohio St and RD just trying to pick where he wants to go. All rides.

The rest of the 92's who played MM got a pat on the back while the coach told them maybe next year.

Is that what you mean by missing the boat?

Those day's of playing up and not doing much mean nothing vs playing at a level which you can excel.

I think the three 92's that played minor as JR's in highschool have proved all the experts wrong.

MV is a sophmore

thats all you can say is hes a sophmore? maybe someone is jelous