Parents need to do what is right for their children, not what is right for the coach. That being said public schools don't get nearly as much attention as the Catholics and Privates do. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the level of talent your child possesses.
Don't buy the BS your local coach is trying to sell you. You owe it to your child to explore these other options and then make an informed decision with your kids input. For kids looking to move on to play college hockey local may not be best option.
You hardly know what you're talking about. Low level h.s. hockey, yeah the odds are against you unless you play on super tournaments teams. Top tier D-I h.s. hockey if you're getting ice time you have a shot, certainly D-III college isn't impossible. D-I only if you're ready for two years of juniors and you're big enough and skate well enough. Been there, done that.