my son is in EHF elite team '07 mid range team - currently in 8th grade, but doing 9th grade at his current school. would repeat 9th a year from this fall at a prep/boarding school. He's academic (A student) but doesn't love academics. He wants co-ed. He would do boarding or day. We live in metrowest. he loves hockey. what schools should he look at? Dexter (not really boys because of Southfield), rivers, nobles, Milton, Thayer but what boarding schools?
If your kid isn't an absolute stud forward do not waste your time going to prep as a freshman. If he is a Dman, no way. Get on the best SS team your bender can play for and hope he gets noticed by a coach. You have time. You should be targeting moving to prep after his junior year as a repeat junior or go in as a senior with the intent to pg as well. Also if he can't be a contributor on his HS team as a freshman/sophomore, then you know he wouldn't get any ice at a prep anyway.
Contact the coaches at each of the schools and have a conversation. Each of the schools has a different culture so reach out to parents of current students to get their thoughts. Also, consider how he will get to/from school.
Couple other thoughts:
1). Talk to the coach. If they do not know who your son is, wait. If they do not show real interest and tell you he will play, wait.
2). Take a look at how the schools handled Covid. It says a lot about how they approach the education of your kid. Do you want a place that will teach your kid what to think or how to think?
Have Jr play full season u16 until this covid and blm nonsense calms down. If you’re a liberal prep is for you. If not, your kid will get frustrated with the constant equality talk and pandering by the staff and snowflake students.
If your kid is good, they’ll take him as a junior, especially if you can pay full tiition.
Prep can be really good, but this year it’s a waste of $
Kind of subjective on being a waste. As long as the full season or other options are practicing and training 6 days a week, maybe it could be hockey wise, From our experience, our kids have never skated and worked on skills more than they have at prep this year in Covid, it doesn’t even come close by a long shot compared to their club hockey. It’s been great actually, a ridiculous amount of ice time that didn’t seem to hurt them at all after watching them finally playing some games.
Agree, my kids prep has played a few games but skate every day and work on skills. The 3 schools he is talking with see this year as 1 less year of grind on the body. Glass half full mentality is the only thing getting him through all of this.
FWIW, my son is a freshman at prep. We have been approached by a couple of schools, most of them hinting at a repeat to have him contribute for the full 4 years. One school said it doesn’t matter to them. He did not make varsity but that’s ok, he played one scrimmage with the big boys and he said everything happens so much faster. It probably was a good experience for next year.
He is a straight A even at prep and that’s why we did not want to waste another year. He is loving it where he is. One of his coaches told us, choose the school you would like to be at should hockey be taken away from you. That’s how we did it.