Troubling listening to some of the dads in the parking lot rattling off prep rosters and talking about finding the best spot for their little guy's hockey career. Not once have I heard any statements about academic concerns or considerations. Troubling.......

Reminiscent of the recruiting the dads did in the EHF

Heard one knucklehead refer to prep as a one year parking spot before move to the ushl.

I blame the young guys wearing the Bauer wind jackets for giving these parents false hope

So funny to hear the big plans to escape this disjointed patchwork of hockey to get to the promised land of Iowa, Nebraska or North Dakota. Like big blue blood prep school dreams, spending the cash for one year of hockey (I mean education) and thinking it's the path to the USHL.

Here is a hint to the dads, screw one year of prep school, take your $50k and put it in the kid's 529, go out to one of these team's summer camps, have the kid get to know the staff, come back and play on whatever team, tell the USHL team you're interested and have them make an offer or draft the kid and have him prepare for his high school journey through Dubuque Senior High School, once those D-1 dreams fade have him attend some local backwater D-3 school, start draw'ering on that 529.:kissing_smiling_eyes:

The majority of USHL players coming from New England have a prep background. Is that because parents haven't caught on, advice from advisers, coaching connections, too many New England FS teams for scouts to deal with?

The FS model for the serious player seems to make the most sense to me but looking over the USHL 30 man protected list, prep is still favored.

I think your right, its too hard for them to follow full season teams so instead they pick 2 or 3 split season teams and market/write about them until your eyeballs fall out. In the meantime, all the FS players are working everyday to get 1 ounce of PR from them and they end up with nothing. That's the real New England Model.

There's nothing wrong with making sure your kid gets a good education and a degree from a good Prep school, versus finishing online or at a pudunk midwestern HS. If there's interest at 18 from Tier I/II and Junior A teams, there will be interest at 19.

I think the fallacy is that USHL teams have interest in average to slightly above average Prep kids. Level of play is off in Prep, just as it is everywhere.

As for NE FS teams, what would you consider to be a strong NE FS team that an above average player should be looking at for development? They've really gone downhill the last couple of years, and this year there will be some embarrassingly bad teams. Model seems to be falling apart here.

If you want facts then read this:
1. Pick the best prep school based on your kids academic standing and lifestyle. Hockey is a part of it but never pick a school based on so and so is going there so I will pick another school. Best players play period.

2. 95% of the top prep players will play 4 years at prep, graduate then do a year or even two in the USHL if they are D1 caliber.

3. 5% of the elite top prep players will play 3 years and then leave as a junior and do a year or even two in the USHL if they are D1 caliber.

Repeat after me, PREP SCHOOL IS FOR BOOK WORMS AND TIN FOIL LIBERAL RETARDS. It is not for grooming/training hockey players. The development model will remain broken in New England until this is changed.

It will also remain a sport for the well to do here in New England instead of a sport for all. Isn’t USA Hockey trying to include everyone. Oh never mind, we still need to fleece the system by making parents believe that 1 year of Prep is for educational purposes.

I'll ignore the educational and social impact prep can have on players and simply concentrate on hockey, since that's what we parents do.

Why do the majority of USHL players from this area have Prep backgrounds? You're a broken record "PREP SCHOOL IS FOR BOOK WORMS AND TIN FOIL LIBERAL RETARDS" and ignore the facts. I agree with the theory that FS is a better development model but if the rate of matriculation to higher levels is so pitiful, why do it? You're paying 10K a year for your son to never be seen by anyone meaningful.

If your player is talented enough on the ice and in the classroom, isn't prep the best option? If your player is talented on the ice but struggles academically, wouldn't he be better off looking for opportunities north of the border? He obviously isn't going to go to college so it seems to me that Major Juniors is a better path.

The reason why Preps are mostly selected for the USHL is because that is who is in control here in New England. That will change. If you think it is because of education then you are delusional. Wake Up Francis.

How will it change? You’re making a pretty bold statement there.

If you think a Prep diploma doesn't open more doors then you are delusional.

And it's "Lighten up, Francis," not "Wake Up Francis."

Are we talking education or hockey? I was talking about hockey, not education. I could care less what doors are opened with an education from a Prep school. Again, I am talking about hockey. Now the phrase, "Lighten up Francis" can be used since you have your panties in an bunch you big TIN FOIL LIBERAL RETARD PREPSTER.

considering the number of prep players that do NOT move on or barely... education should be a wee bit higher on your list.

and the money spent on your worthless high school prep degree could be used towards getting a real college degree. You don’t need to spend 50K/year to get a high school degree. But you are too dumb to recognize that.

yup. those ivy's schools are just drooling for you tech grads...

I couldn’t agree with you more!!! Listen the prep schools have good student/athletes for sure,people need to realize that a 25 game prep schedule playing 7 different sports isn’t going to get you to a legit “elite” level of hockey. These ******* townie clowns here forget about the USHL,WHL,CHL,OHL.... they need to watch some of those games and get their ******* heads examined!
The level of hockey knowledge here is comical and I really enjoy reading these comments. The lack of awareness of what it takes and what the kids in those leagues are doing is mind blowing. These ass clowns talking about this prep and that prep... please.... go to a WHL out in Brandon for the Wheat Kings and see what those 17 and 18 yr old players are capable of!
St Johns and Austin??? Are they ******* high???? Write that 27k check and watch the real players eat those rich ***** players for dinner

Spoken / written by a true Trumpanzee. I just can't beleive the idiots who follow that Bozo. :-1: Wait until those tariffs hit your Christmas shopping at Walmart.

Tariffs will only apply if you buy a product with c-h-i-n-k-s in the armor.

Spoken like a true Nobel prize winning economist.