1) The best players go to the USHL - Already knew that.
2) The best league, USHL, produce the future players in college and pros in the US - Already knew that.
3) There is no such thing as late bloomers. It comes down to who outlast who throwing money at the prospect of playing D1/pro hockey. It is the law of attrition. That is why everyone calls it a marathon and why no one wants to accelerate the development of a hockey player. You have to milk the parents for every dime you can before they give up. The ones with vast resources will be the last ones standing - Already knew that.
4) If you are not at the USHL by 18 years old, hang them up and go to college. - Already knew that.
5) Prep schools are a waste of money. You don't get college degrees from these Prep schools. Why throw money at them when you can save the money for college.
It is very easy to understand people. Clue in and enjoy the ride while it lasts. My kid knows it is over if the USHL is not looking at him by age 17. You don't need to crunch numbers to understand this. Good luck to everyone on their journey.
Re: #3. This holds true for marginal prospects only. If you are really, truly, a blue-chipper, all of this stuff is given to you and the cash outlay is not nearly what you think (BTW my kid is definitely not one of them). The true prospects are treated as such, and every opportunity is given to them (as it should be). The "hockey industry" has exploded by offering the marginal prospects the hope of making it through all of these pay-to-play opportunities. Some make it through hard work, determination, unrecognized talent, late bloomer, whatever you want to call it. Most ultimately don't.
Great Point!
Holds true in most every aspect in life so why should it not be the same in sports/hockey?
Most of the parents of the truly elite players are making significant investments in helping their kids' games. Their team tuitions may be free (or they may not be), but they are spending multiples of that on outside skills. And contrary to popular belief, if the parents make $$$ their kids are not getting full rides to Prep schools. ISL schools are not able to recruit athletes using money if not need based. Others may have looser requirements, but then they haven't been getting the truly elite players, so what difference does it make?
Very True! I see it all the time. The other thing I see a lot are parents who like to say, " well, my kid isn't that talented like player X or player Y, so we aren't going to sacrifice our time or money to it" Player Y and Player X may or not be better athletes. They may or may not have better hockey sense. What the do have is a desire to get better and willing to sacrifice much for the love of playing. The two things that every great player shares is a love for the sport and desire to get better ( Competitive Streak). If you keep doing things over and over, you tend to improve.
Yes, there are freaks out there who are the full package but hard work and desire are essential.
The same holds true for nepotism in hockey. Look at all the coach's sons playing in the USHL from around New England.
Name means a lot. Not just coaches' name, but being a "name."
We went to a USHL tryout - great experience, BTW, even though he didn't advance. Absolutely worth it. Anybody that calls these "money grabs" doesn't know what they are missing.
Three kids from my son's team did advance, so I saw them play 4 games in 3 days. Two of them, you could see they were strong skaters with potential. The third didn't stand out AT ALL. Had to look up his number.
1) The best players go to the USHL - Already knew that.
2) The best league, USHL, produce the future players in college and pros in the US - Already knew that.
3) There is no such thing as late bloomers. It comes down to who outlast who throwing money at the prospect of playing D1/pro hockey. It is the law of attrition. That is why everyone calls it a marathon and why no one wants to accelerate the development of a hockey player. You have to milk the parents for every dime you can before they give up. The ones with vast resources will be the last ones standing - Already knew that.
4) If you are not at the USHL by 18 years old, hang them up and go to college. - Already knew that.
5) Prep schools are a waste of money. You don't get college degrees from these Prep schools. Why throw money at them when you can save the money for college.
It is very easy to understand people. Clue in and enjoy the ride while it lasts. My kid knows it is over if the USHL is not looking at him by age 17. You don't need to crunch numbers to understand this. Good luck to everyone on their journey.
There are no such thing as late bloomers? What a dope. So undrafted free agents signed by out of NCAA are only signed because their parents had money and they hung on longer? Okay wingnut you've been making excuses for your kid since mites, why stop now.
1) The best players go to the USHL - Already knew that.
2) The best league, USHL, produce the future players in college and pros in the US - Already knew that.
3) There is no such thing as late bloomers. It comes down to who outlast who throwing money at the prospect of playing D1/pro hockey. It is the law of attrition. That is why everyone calls it a marathon and why no one wants to accelerate the development of a hockey player. You have to milk the parents for every dime you can before they give up. The ones with vast resources will be the last ones standing - Already knew that.
4) If you are not at the USHL by 18 years old, hang them up and go to college. - Already knew that.
5) Prep schools are a waste of money. You don't get college degrees from these Prep schools. Why throw money at them when you can save the money for college.
It is very easy to understand people. Clue in and enjoy the ride while it lasts. My kid knows it is over if the USHL is not looking at him by age 17. You don't need to crunch numbers to understand this. Good luck to everyone on their journey.
Pretty much nailed it. Remember the kid still has to stay healthy; kid needs to grow; kid needs to hit the weight room; kid needs to love the game; kid needs to stay out of trouble - go easy on the bottle, stay away from the pills and keep it in his pants.
1) The best players go to the USHL - Already knew that.
2) The best league, USHL, produce the future players in college and pros in the US - Already knew that.
3) There is no such thing as late bloomers. It comes down to who outlast who throwing money at the prospect of playing D1/pro hockey. It is the law of attrition. That is why everyone calls it a marathon and why no one wants to accelerate the development of a hockey player. You have to milk the parents for every dime you can before they give up. The ones with vast resources will be the last ones standing - Already knew that.
4) If you are not at the USHL by 18 years old, hang them up and go to college. - Already knew that.
5) Prep schools are a waste of money. You don't get college degrees from these Prep schools. Why throw money at them when you can save the money for college.
It is very easy to understand people. Clue in and enjoy the ride while it lasts. My kid knows it is over if the USHL is not looking at him by age 17. You don't need to crunch numbers to understand this. Good luck to everyone on their journey.
Pretty much nailed it. Remember the kid still has to stay healthy; kid needs to grow; kid needs to hit the weight room; kid needs to love the game; kid needs to stay out of trouble - go easy on the bottle, stay away from the pills and keep it in his pants.