Anonymous wrote:Hockey is the absolute pits

Why? Please elaborate.

Hockey is the absolute pits

Anonymous wrote:Per a quick search there are 94 D1 mens ice hockey teams and 96 D3 teams, 72 teams in ACHA- so not a lot at all...

And new rules have opened the floodgates for Canadians.

My experience is that hockey is the worst of all the youth sports. The amount of travel and missed school is absurd. The odds are significantly stacked against kids from this area. I wouldn't do it again. DC is still playing at a high level (AA/AAA) because we are in too deep, but it is now clear to me that it's not going anywhere and negatively impacting grades. In the best case, they transition to high school hockey and maybe focus more on other sports at the club level if college is the goal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dream on if you think your kid gonna play college

Why?

Because for hockey, colleges pull from Canada, Europe, Minnesota, Massachusetts, etc. all of which blow away the DMV in terms of skill of players. But, fortunately, there is are excellent club hockey leagues with different levels.

But aren’t there a lot of colleges that have hockey programs?

Um, no.

I come from a hockey town up north. If kids weren't on the ice by the time they were toddlers, they were considered later starters. So if you are talking about starting to play in general, then it is never too young. If you mean the hyper-competitive travel leagues and so on, then we never had any of that, so I don't know. No one burned out, though - hockey was a lifelong thing, not a line on a college resume, and people didn't go into it with goals like that.

And now guys who played Canadian major juniors can play NCAA. Previously, they lost NCAA eligibility when they signed with a CHL team. So there will be more competition for the same number of NCAA roster spots.

It's increasingly uncommon to make the jump right from HS to the top NCAA teams. Most freshman NCAA players actually spend a year or two after high school playing in the USHL or another league. And it's not unusual for these guys to leave for their senior years of high school to play USHL.

Even Mercyhurst, the worst D1 team, is full of guys who played USHL, NAHL, and Canadian minor junior hockey. It's not enough to play for a great high school and/or elite club team. You have to be playing minor junior and odds are you're going to be a 20 year old college freshman.

Per a quick search there are 94 D1 mens ice hockey teams and 96 D3 teams, 72 teams in ACHA- so not a lot at all...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dream on if you think your kid gonna play college

Why?

Because for hockey, colleges pull from Canada, Europe, Minnesota, Massachusetts, etc. all of which blow away the DMV in terms of skill of players. But, fortunately, there is are excellent club hockey leagues with different levels.

But aren’t there a lot of colleges that have hockey programs?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dream on if you think your kid gonna play college

Why?

Because for hockey, colleges pull from Canada, Europe, Minnesota, Massachusetts, etc. all of which blow away the DMV in terms of skill of players. But, fortunately, there is are excellent club hockey leagues with different levels.

Anonymous wrote:Dream on if you think your kid gonna play college

Why?

If you have the resources and your kid loves to play, carry on and enjoy the never ending season of rink life. Just don’t make the mistake thinking it’ll translate to college anything. Maybe it will, but probably it won’t—especially if you are in the DMV.

Dream on if you think your kid gonna play college

College hockey on the boys side is going to get even harder now that players from juniors will be eligible. Only a very small percentage go straight from hs to college.

I have two that started travel hockey at 9. Both still play and love it. It is a huge time and money commitment. I would not go into with expectation of playing in college or improving college admissions.

First - are we talking girls or boys?
Like any sport, if you play at a high enough level, it can help with admission.

About 12% of male high school hockey players play in college. Its about 21% for girls.

Some of the best colleges (HPY) also have strong hockey teams. So yes, it can help with that.

Beware, that you will be competing with international students who are also competing for those spots as hockey is filled with lots of high level players from outside the US.

How has youth hockey experience been for those who started young. Started club/travel at the age of 9/10. Did your DC burnout? Competition increases at each level, travel increases etc.. did they get to play in college? Did it help them get into top 20 colleges? Any input is appreciated.