IF I WERE KING: DO NOT PAY TO PLAY UNTIL SAFE BILLETS ARE SECURED Player housing can never be taken lightly. There's no equal to programs with well established billets.

Why do I keep doing this to myself? Probably because nobody else is willing to do it. For the last nearly fifteen years or more, I’ve always served the game as a players’ advocate. That position is not very popular among operators that don’t want to do things the right way.

If I were king of hockey, and I am not, pay to play prospects would have their safe billet secured before the first payment is ever made.

Shady teams are famous for trying to front load their contracts. They try to get a large percentage of the fees paid before the first puck is even dropped. This leaves families with limited options once it’s time for the team to start living up to their end of the deal.

That is not going to be a very popular statement to make. When I started writing about junior hockey almost twenty years ago, the idea was to advocate for the players, regardless of the consequences. For that, I've lost a few good friends. 

The reality is that families are in control of the cash flow when it comes to pay to play youth and junior hockey. So demand that you get what you are paying for, and that includes a safe and secure billeting situation.

Let’s be clear, teams should not be collecting money until they are able to meet all their obligations when it comes to the players they want to sign. Housing should never be taken lightly. It’s the one area that is of the most concern for parents.

Teams that wait until August to beg for billets, or when we have to see players' parents are posting notices on Facebook on behalf of the team, are the same ones that will have a lot of other major problems down the road.

It’s a pretty bad sign when the issue of billeting is being disregarded. The North American Hockey League’s Northeast Generals once recruited two teams of high level youth players without having the housing situation clarified before doing so. That was a catastrophic mistake that ultimately led to a suspension of the youth operations. Just how many bunk beds and boys did they try to stuff into that house? Was it seventeen, or more?

We are hearing that problem has become an epidemic across the entire spectrum of junior hockey. The NAHL’s Minnesota Wilderness, a well-established program, was online begging for billets before the start of the season a few years back. How does that even happen? Most teams have great billets back year after year.

The time has come for families to just put their foot down and say enough is enough.

Again, you all have the power. Simply refuse to pay a dime until the team puts you in contact with the billet they have planned for your prospect. It’s amazing how fast billeting will become important when it’s directly tied to player payments.

Parents should also make sure the billet family has cleared the safe sport background check. That is a USA Hockey and SafeSport mandate, but all too often things are falling through the cracks. We once discovered that one NAHL team (the Wilderness again) had a former billet (and team volunteer) at a team BBQ. The problem is that he is not supposed to be around minor players under age 18. Why not? Because SafeSport declared him ineligible after information regarding his registration as a sex offender came to light.

Don’t let teams cut corners with your child. Be diligent regarding housing and the folks the team has around your prospect.

A good advisor takes this issue into serious consideration when selecting and negotiating with pay to play teams. If you find yourself in a situation that is not safe, not comfortable, and certainly not within the standards set for your tier level of play, please feel free to contact me directly.

It’s simple, no safe place to stay, do not pay.