Hockey Advice for my son

[gabenzeke]

Is there anyone here that played hockey and made it to a higher level? Say juniors or higher? Especially if you were a goalie. Looking to send some PM's for questions/advice for my son.

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[MThunter2025]

Get him to some higher level camps and talk with some of the coaches for more advise. I am just starting to play but everyone who has moved up has gone to bigger camps to get advise and experience. Just my two cents

 

[IAm_Not_Lost]

I played highschool and I watch the show Shorsey, so…I’m pretty much an expert.

 

[johnsd16]

@NilsBackstrom

Not a goalie but made it far.

 

[Huntindog45]

I played highschool and I watch the show Shorsey, so…I’m pretty much an expert.

"It's f*ckin hockey! You go til you can't go no more!" - Shoresey

 

[Nickofthewoods]

I played in middle school and high school but my parents were unwilling to pay for club leagues. The guys I knew that ended up playing in college had parents that were just as dedicated as they were and carted them all over the place in their mini-vans to play in expensive private leagues.

 

[Rokbar]

Like any sport tell your son to beat them with hustle!

 

[Aces11]

My son played hockey and we traveled all over. He had some attention from scouts and invited to junior tryout camps. He went to many his jr and senior year, and after HS one team talked to him about signing him. He called me from that camp and said he decided he was done playing hockey and wanted to move on. He was not a highly sought after player and knew he most likely wasn’t going to ever be a D1 player. He is now done with college and starting a successful career, He played with kids that played juniors and now playing D1 hockey and even drafted in the NHL. If your son gets to the point of getting interest from junior teams and they invite you to camp that doesn’t alway mean much. A lot of times they are just trying to fill the camp and collect some money from you. If they are serious about you attending camp, they won’t want you to pay. One thing for sure is the kid has to have the passion, parent can’t have it for them. I seen many parents live through their kids and want it much more than they did. As much as we all love the multi sport athlete, MOST of the kids I seen go on specialized in hockey playing year round. Camps where they get great skill development is great. Playing with travel teams is a help as well to get more ice time and play against better competition. In todays world and media exposure there isn’t really any hidden gems. If you can play they will find you. The travel teams my son played on were filled with kids from all over. It was pretty evident the kids that were going to go on and have success by the time he was a sophomore and junior in HS. Those kids were getting lots of attention. When it comes to higher level hockey, good players are a dime a dozen. Coaches won’t deal with kids that are in trouble of the ice. Parents can also get a bad rap as well. I know one kid the only reason he didn’t play D1 hockey was because his dad was a pain in the ass for his HS and junior coaches. D1 programs dont need to deal with that. I am certainly far from an expert but went through a lot of the process with my son and seen a lot along the way.

 

[Ecampbell25]

Some good advice from @Aces11. I would agree with his advice …

I played junior B in the northeast my senior year in high school…

It was a big commitment. It ended up becoming a second job.

As I worked summers doing landscaping and irrigation playing hockey three days a week after I got out of work it was too much for me.

Weekends spent with the team traveling all over New England.

You really have to have a strong passion for it. My passion started to die and I lost interest because I got burnt out.

I was going to repeat my senior year at a prep school… (which might be a good option for your son if you can afford it) my folks couldn’t afford it. So I went to a technical College after I graduated.

Any advice would be don’t push it on him… the pressure to perform at such a high level every game wore me down.

Good luck

 

[jmez]

Any sport these days social media is your friend it takes work and dedication but will likely pay off. You need a good video camera. Video games, edit, make a highlight reel and get it on X and Instagram. Follow every coach, scout, assistant, development guys etc you can find. Email them as well, not you your son. Follow up on the emails, a lot.

Not sure what metrics there are for Hockey but you need to go to a third, unafilliated party and get any and all metrics recorded then put those out there. Here is the hard reality. There are a ton of kids that are good players. There are not a ton of kids that have great metrics. The higher level programs are going after the ones with metrics and good players. They can also do more with kids that have higher metrics, ie a much higher celining.

You should get an independant evaluation. They are available. They will tell you exactly where you son projects. This is likley going to differ from your opinion. If a reputable evaluator tells you that you have an NAIA or Div III prospect don't waste time with Div I or competitive Div II programs. These guys know, they do it for a living.

Weight training and training in general are important. Get videos of training, blast them on social media. Post the strength and conditioning numbers. Coaches want to see this.

Things are changing in all sports due to the transfer portal, NIL, etc. It is getting really hard for anyone other than the most elite prospects to get looked at for any high level programs. The most elite prospects don't fall through the cracks and you don't need to wonder if you are raising one. Target schools/programs that show interest in you. Target places you have a realistic shot at playing contributing. Sitting and watching while putting in the work sucks. With the direction of sports if you deserve a shot at a higher level you will get it. If you tear it up at a lower level the big dogs will come hunting.

 

[WCB]

I played H.S. here in MN...AAA and Select summer leagues, JR A. and College. Have a bunch of close friends play College and a good handful that played pro (European leagues, ECHL, AHL, and NHL). PM me if you want

 

[NilsBackstrom]

I can try and help you.

I played 4 years NCAA Division 1, 8 years pro in top leagues in Europe and currently work as an agent.

But I am only familiar with the higher junior leagues (USHL/CHL).

 

[Dogone]

Here in Canada everyone thinks they are great at hockey. I personally know families that have moved to a different city for the hockey. Many have spent probably a hundred thousand dollars on their sons. Most times it is the parents goal not the kids. I don’t know one that made the big time. They end up playing old timers hockey at five in the morning.
Someone gave good advice: get evaluated by a professional.

 

[gabenzeke]

Here in Canada everyone thinks they are great at hockey. I personally know families that have moved to a different city for the hockey. Many have spent probably a hundred thousand dollars on their sons. Most times it is the parents goal not the kids. I don’t know one that made the big time. They end up playing old timers hockey at five in the morning.
Someone gave good advice: get evaluated by a professional.

All roads lead to beer league. I know that. We aren't delusional and understand we have better odds of winning the lottery than playing in the show.

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[tdhanses]

My son is a goalie, played his first year as a squirt this past season and really shined, has a few championships under his belt now, he is now a peewee going into spring/summer and made the travel team over a few other kids that have been on the travel teams for a few seasons. I don’t know crap about hockey but my son has a crazy passion for it and is constantly studying video and doing dry land drills at home. I just love that he has a passion and will support it as long as it’s a passion.

Who knows where it’ll go but his coaches are former D1 players and a few former NHL players plus others that never made the big show, everyone tells me he is amazing, I just love supporting him.

My suggestion, just support him the best you can and never miss ice time, it can be hard to get at times.

 

[Roonatic]

Junior hockey and NCAA D3 player here...I hate to say it considering the expenses that already come with being a goalie. It seems that any high level goalies have a private coach for 1:1 lessons. The regular team coaches typically do not have the goalie experience and/or time to focus on a goalies specific needs during regular practices.

If you aren't already aware, take a look at Advancement Hockey Advising. If your son is legit, they seem to have the resources to connect him with college, prep and junior coaches. Those showcases they host seem to be good opportunities to get a look

 

[gabenzeke]

Junior hockey and NCAA D3 player here...I hate to say it considering the expenses that already come with being a goalie. It seems that any high level goalies have a private coach for 1:1 lessons. The regular team coaches typically do not have the goalie experience and/or time to focus on a goalies specific needs during regular practices.

If you aren't already aware, take a look at Advancement Hockey Advising. If your son is legit, they seem to have the resources to connect him with college, prep and junior coaches. Those showcases they host seem to be good opportunities to get a look

Yeah, we've had various goalie coaches. Looking for someone more advanced. Currently waiting on a quote from an AHL Goalie coach. Last guy I got a quote from wanted 125k a year. I'll take a look at that company. Thanks for the advice.

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