ATTENTION PARENTS OF THE 2007'S So many options, so few realistic opportunities

As we near the close of the regular season for many players, and playoffs and more for the rest, it’s way past the point of concern when the topic of next season begins to gain relevance.

Today, we are going to focus that conversation on the 2007 birthyear players, because it is this group that has the most options for next season. There are options at the youth level along with many others within junior hockey and we can’t forget the real possibility of skipping junior altogether and just going to college.

Yes, there is the real option of returning or staying with the AA or AAA program for the last year of eligibility. There are players that can climb the developmental ladder from AA to AAA or even from a lower-level AAA team to one offering a better developmental opportunity. Every player is different and individual pathways do vary. The most important factor is to keep getting better and making the choice that is going to enhance the prospect's individual development and value.

We can spend all day in this section. There are so many leagues and levels with teams that often purposely muddy the waters to catch unsuspecting families off guard. A family can spend a crazy amount of money chasing the junior hockey dream, only to get to a place the player could have gone directly to after high school.

Junior hockey should never have been for everyone. But these days, any skater with a healthy checkbook and pair of hockey skates can find a team to pay-to-play for.

I believe that junior hockey should deliver a real developmental experience and not be little more than a bad social influence on the young men trying to climb the ladder. Unfortunately, we see a lot more of the latter from today’s pay-to-play levels of junior hockey.

The key is to find the very best team where the prospect will play. It’s better to be a regular every game player for a North American 3 Hockey League club than to be healthy scratched every other night with a North American Hockey League team.

The same goes for a young player on a United States Hockey League team. Players need to play. Guys in that situation with higher level teams must strive to raise their game to everyday status or face reality of a mid-season move to a lower level of play.

Then there’s Canada, and right now it’s a bit of a mess.

2007 birth year players would have already been identified years ago by the major junior Canadian Hockey League clubs, so we can omit that option for now.

Hockey Canada did everything within it’s power to interfere with the British Columbia Hockey League’s exit from the national governing body of the game in Canada. And nothing worked. Major junior NCAA Division I eligibility was unforeseen by the BCHL and now they are paying the price.  In fact, the BCHL is weaker today than it ever has been. Penticton to the Western Hockey League, a few Alberta clubs returning to their former league and other member clubs considering darkness or even dropping down to one of BC's new junior A leagues are just a few of the west coast league's problems.

Despite the BCHL’s issues, the rest of the Canadian Junior Hockey League remains a viable option for 2007’s next season. Families must be very careful to avoid the unscrupulous operators the have a history of deceptive behavior that’s designed to separate cash from unknowing parents more than developing hockey prospects.

This one will get some hot water tossed into my direction.

There are colleges out there with hockey programs that cost less than some pay-to-play organizations. If the prospect cannot see himself climbing the ladder of development to the NCAA Division I or III levels of college hockey, let the kid go to school.

Junior hockey is not supposed to be a warehouse for kids just going through the motions. Let’s go ahead and drop every vape, dope, and alcohol user into this category. The player should be on his way up the developmental ladder or checking out of the competitive levels and into the college club or adult beer league levels.

Players wasting time are simply wasting space.

The new rules surrounding two-year schools, and seasons playing at the JUCOs not counting towards the years of eligibility at the NCAA level, could be an absolute gamechanger for college hockey prospects. As of today, there are three schools that fall into this category, look for many more to come. 

Do you need help navigating the path between youth and college hockey? Let’s have a conversation.