Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the future of current 10 and under hockey players? Just wondering if all this travel and tournaments will payoff in some way? Or is my kid going to get injured and unable to play? Do all colleges have hockey teams?

Not really sure how to answer this. The road to college (and pro hockey) is long, and there are many routes you can take. If you are looking for a guarantee that the travel and money you are spending on your 10-year old is going to result in a college scholarship (or even a roster spot), you are not going to get that. In general, if your kid really wants to play in college, he (or she) has a good chance of being able to find an ACHA (club) team that they can play on, though it might not be a college he or she would otherwise want to attend.

Good chance of ACHA is harder than you think, especially depending on the school. Lot of good AA players won't make ACHA D2 teams. Even AAA players may not regularly dress. Other clubs are just looking for bodies. Has to play because he likes it, that's it. High School hockey is ton of fun and that's the payoff.

DS played ACHA D2 at a school with ACHA D2 and D3. Every kid on the D2 team was from a New England prep school or straight from 2 yrs of juniors. AAA kids didn't make that team, only the D3 team. That's not necessarily the case at all schools, but depending on the school/region, ACHA hockey is *very* good.

Anonymous wrote:Making an NCAA D1 hockey team is about to become more challenging. CHL players are about to be allowed to play NCAA.

Not necessarily. Maybe in the short term. But it will also lead to more schools adding hockey programs which in turn will lead to more opportunities for kids in the US

I can say that hockey "paid off" for my kids. One was a good potential travel player and one was a good house player, not travel. Both played from about age 5 until high school, one played in high school, the other dropped out.

But both play hockey now - one for his college (small LAC) and one in an adult league. They love hockey, watch it on TV, enjoy playing, and want to play as adults. I'm pretty sure that is the goal, right?

Anonymous wrote:Rat hole to dump major $$ in.

Why do you feel that way?

Making an NCAA D1 hockey team is about to become more challenging. CHL players are about to be allowed to play NCAA.

The road to college hockey is weird. If your only goal is a sport in college, hockey is definitely not the one to do.

But my DS is 16 and plays on a lower A team and high school hockey, most of his best friends are hockey players, and he just really loves it. We're on a team that only does 2 or 3 tournaments a year, and only once have we flown anywhere. (Lake Placid... probably could have driven...)
So if your current team doesn't work for your family, find another one that's fun for all of oyu. But definitely don't do this with the hope of college.