God, I could have written this about my kid. Eleven-years-old and pretty much on par with what you describe here.

Unless something dramatic happens I know he won't be bound for prep, juniors, etc. I would love for him to have a chance to play in high school because knowing him as I do I think he'd really enjoy it. People on this board slam public high school hockey quite a bit but for many kids it's a great experience.

Most people that know their hockey know a good public team is nothing to 'slam.' A good D-1 and a few D-2 teams will have players that can play with anyone. Go to the summer tournaments and look around, the good public school players can hold their own. Prep is not always great hockey but they too have good players, just more on the 3rd / 4th line.

If the kid is boarderline making a bad high school team, to be honest he might have more success elsewhere in another sport. No shame in that.

nobody slams good high school hockey. the rest of your statements are garbage. individual public players every now and then can play with prep players. teams can't

Yeah, a team like Hingham might have 6-7 kids that can walk onto a prep team seamlessly but why should they? They'll be on the same junior teams anyway, have a $120-$150k more in the bank and be able to live at home.

Exactly!!! With most D1 schools wanting most kids to play at least 1 year of juniors after high school, then just start playing with juniors teams during high school if the kid is good enough. Why pay that kind of money for a prep and still need to play juniors anyway? Either play for your high school team or just play full season U16 or U18.

Once again, we have the parents that think parents are paying for prep school for the hockey. It just isn't so. Even the recruited athletes are still paying a large chunk of change to give their kids the experience of attending private school, and all the non-hockey-related advantages that has. NOT so they can play hockey.

As far as Hingham having "6-7 kids that can walk onto a prep team seamlessly," doubtful. Those that maybe could have already, or are playing for BA. So there goes your theory about saving $$$ and still going D1.

Yeah cause the education you get at Hingham or a Prep are the same ...lol

Worth every penny

? In most quality publics you pull out the lower-end that simply doesn't want to be there and the 'no child left behind' crowd and a school like hingham as well as other top public high schools and you would have middle of the pack prep school at least. The poor guys that need to justify their expenses; sad.

The education at a Prep compared to a Public is not even in the same atmosphere , sorry .

Sophomores at a Prep typically are doing college freshman work , they are already past the work of seniors at a public , this is fact .

College is much easier for the kids from the prep schools they do not struggle as they have been doing college work for three years .

Also the money spent at a prep is typically your savings a college .

You are an idiot. Take a top kid at a public school - you know the same kid(s) that get into Harvard, U of Chicago, Yale, Stanford - and drop them into a prep school. Same 'atmosphere'? Please. Just write your college tuition checks for a high school and shut the hell up.

One of the top prep schools is WAY harder than any of the colleges you mentioned. The hardest part about those schools is getting in.

Sorry your kid didn't get into prep school ........

The education is not comparable to a public ......... Not even close my friend .....

A Prep school education is an experience that public school cannot provide. Then again playing in a Super 8 game would be a great experience as well!


AP classes along with being a dedicated student will prepare a student for a competitive college.

Academics, Athletics, Extra Curricular Activities, Friendships, Living at home, Living away from home. Having Peers from all over the world, being in school with the same kids K-12.


Point is, as stated on the Dboard so many times, there are many ways to get there. I will add though, with all the choices today, hockey is getting diluted.

Enough of the Public /Private v Prep sword measuring. There's enough of that going on at prep school's as it is. (Catholic jokes may also be added here) As a parent it's up to YOU to figure out what's right for YOUR kid. Few, if any, are going to go on and play hockey in college anyway, and if they do, they'll be doing so after a couple of years of juniors, and those programs could care less where you played in high school as long as you can play. Read this basic breakdown and get some sort of clue of what may or may not work best for YOU'RE kid. Now leave us alone and go back to your 05 and 06 lists on the youth board.
https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/private-vs-public-hs/

Thousands and thousands of non-sports-playing public school kids are applying to area prep schools every year. Most are top end academically.

Now, why do you think that is?

Most, candidly, don't get admitted.

Now, why do you think THAT is.

Parents aren't out there paying for what they already pay for in taxes to level out the economy. If you don't have a kid in a prep school, you aren't in a position to understand why people make that decision.

Do you feel the same way about a community or state college and a private university? The equation is the same.

So you're saying public universities are inferior to private universities? Then you are a dope.

Hingham's top 7 players for the coming season, who've played together for years, were on the Bay State Breakers U18 team that went 0-3 at States and was outscored collectively 21-3 by 3 teams made up of prep school players that never even practice together. Not sure which prep team they would "walk onto...seamlessly", but it wouldn't be a good one.

Maybe this season, but historically it would be the case. They always have a least a line upfront and a few D that can play if you've been paying attention. And how about the kid who was their worst defensemen one season at the high school and 6 months later he goes to Dexter he's their top defensemen? They could have rolled 5 kids over there just on D alone.

All Hingham discussions inevitably revert to the LM sucks assertion. Not true. He was clearly their most skilled D when he was at Hingham and only his size will hold him back going forward. True, he didn't fit into Hingham's dump and chase scheme but what good player at the high school level would want to play that kind of hockey?

He didn't 'fit into their scheme?' I went out for a few of their games back then and from what I saw was they were trying to run the offense though the undersized D and giving him all of the ice time he could handle - so he was 'the scheme.'

Interestingly enough, yes the other kids were more ready to play - two I was out to see - and it was clearly a process of trying too hard to make it work and it didn't. Is the kid a bad player today? No. Did they have more high school ready kids right there? Obviously, but I think the coaches gave in trying to keep him there for when he would have been ready and that clearly didn't work either.

Ha! Almost got the coach fired. If he stayed another year cementing yet another losing season the whole staff would have gotten tossed. too funny.

And that would have been a bad thing? Tired coaches playing tired dump and chase goon hockey.

though it's funny LM is playing college hockey, and the other kids who were "more ready to play", are sitting at home watching him on tv

Where is he currently playing ? I bet I can give an educated guess where he will be in 2 or 3 years, or if he is at least headed in the right direction if he wants it.

Thanks,
He currently plays Tier 1, EHF & Town Hockey.
Top 2-3 on his town team, bottom of the pack on his club team

He will be fine, stay positive and keep doing what your doing. Unless your local high school is a powerhouse even the Tier 1 kids are top contributrs to the team.

Plenty of middle of the pack Tier 1 and AAA kids go on to be the top high school players on their team and area.

And remember to set a realistic goal for yourselves and child, unlike most of the fruitloops on here. If your kid has enough skill to be a captain of his competitive high school, then that is a thing the majority of youth hockey players never reach and means a great deal to them, but if your illusions of grandeur have him playing at a top NCAA school then that high school captaincy seems like a disappointment if that's his pinnacle.

I'm sure a very accurate answer could be given with more info like which EHF Tier 1 team and where he will go to high school.

Either way, he wil be fine and be vastly better than the kids who played just town going into high school, unless he is struggling with his EHF team

Thanks again,
Excellent advice, yes captain of his high school team Is a good realistic goal