Take the 07 islanders out of the EHF it's a level playing field .. Gallant has that team stacked and I don't take a single thing away from that team there all good hockey players. But I had the privilege to sit and watch the Boston showdown. And if you look at the team that won the tourny it's was made up of more E9 kids then any other division. So let's be honest E9 EHF Elite is pretty even. And that's coming from an EHF elite parent!!! We'll have this conversation again when our 8 year olds start hitting and half of the guys who think their kids are 1st round draft choices are not even playing anymore ... Remember there 8 and that's the problem people can't give honest and good info on here
Not a parent of an 07 either but have been through the chaos for far too long. Here is what you will see at any age level when comparing E9 to EHF.
The top 3 teams in the EHF are better than any other team or league around here. It's a simple as that.
Teams 4-8 in the EHF are good teams that can play each other all year and have competitive games. The top 3-4 E9 teams will fit nicely with these teams. Competitive games no blowouts.
The bottom 2 teams in the EHF are weak compared to the top teams and usually get blown out. These teams would be mid to bottom in the E9.
And here's the difference the bottom teams in the E9 don't get blown out by the upper teams. They lose but can hang in a game. Top EHF teams blow out weak teams.
Another crazy parent that thinks checking is such a big deal. At the higher levels it's really not much of a factor, you will see once your kid gets there. Skilled kids are too slippery to catch very often so the focus remains on playing the game. Low level & especially Town hockey you have kids taking runs at others all of the time. Go watch a Prep or Super 8 type game and you will only see a couple big hits per game which the kids shake off usually.
The kids that don't pass the puck are the ones that are impacted most by the switch to checking. It's the hockey gods' way of meting out justice.
Exactly. If your kid is one of those types that likes to skate the length of the ice with the puck, he will get blown up when checking starts. So they better learn how to pass and skate with their heads up. See it all the time. Some kids don't mind it and just keep going. But other kids don't like contact at all. And when the kids on the other team figure out that your superstar skater and stickhandler doesn't like contact, they will be hitting him the whole game.