I find it hard to believe that a platinum team would be better than an elite team. I say this as someone with small children still learning to play hockey so I really have no dog in the fight either way but come on.

You stated that you feel the coaching is equal, so the next question should be, what does your player want? Does he have friends on the closer team and it would be more enjoyable? Would he freak out not being on an elite team? Is the long commute times having an adverse impact on academics or do you think it will? Have you talked to anyone in the organization about their ability to get a waiver for him to play Bantams early when the time comes?

Ignoring the back and fourth of Platinum vs. Elite, E9 vs. EHF there here are a couple of things to consider.

1) The older your player gets, the more difficult time you will have moving him back to an EHF Elite team. Not because he's not good enough but rosters don't turn over at the same rate in most organizations. If he's a stud then of course they'll find a spot for him but if he's only marginally better than an existing player, chances are the coach doesn't change the roster.

2) Although no one is looking at a squirt, the simple truth is when the time comes it's much easier to get noticed by a prep coach on an EHF Elite or E9 team than it is for everyone else if that is part of your goal.

Always remember, hockey needs to stay fun for your player. That doesn't mean he doesn't need to work hard on and off the ice but he has to enjoy it to keep playing, regardless his ultimate destination.

“Would your player freak out not playing on elite team”. 😂 The only time a kid would “freak out “ is if the parents freak out. I see you’re one of those elite parents that think their bender is better than everyone.

I love the hardos who think that every org picks the best players for their Elite teams. My son joined an EHF team at squirt major. He stood out at the tryout to the point of random parents asking who he was and where he played before. He ended up on their Black team( before Platinum was a thing). Stayed there till PeeWee Major. Never once was even considered for the “Elite” team. We moved on for Bantam minor to another EHF org and made their Elite team( this org only has elite teams) Not good enough to make the crappy bottom 1/2 Elite team of previous org. But good enough to make a top 5 team in the country. So ya, making an elite team has a lot to do with if you played in the org as a mite.

That kid is off playing Varsity Prep now , his younger brother played for the E9 team in our town instead of driving 30 minutes for the EHF org. Loved every minute of it. Played Varsity as a Freshman last year and will play a ton as a Sophomore. And hopefully play one season with his brother at prep.

I like stories

I like these stories too. The fact of the matter is that they happen. People here seem to think EHF elite is the end all/be all but the fact of the matter is that some kids are grandfathered in and it often is all about who you know. Sometimes a coach likes a kid, sometimes he doesn't. A player can be great but if they don't pass enough a coach might pass on them. I actually know an EHF elite player who didn't get invited to something because they're selfish with the puck.

You’re story makes no sense. I can’t think of an E9 org that doesn’t have a Fed Elite org less than 30 minutes away (except maybe Seacoast) and 30 min is too far yet you had no problem driving your 13 year old to Stamford? Sorry you have no life and need to make up stories for the D board.

If you live in a place like Hingham or Norwell I can see why you'd pick BA over Breakers or Terriers which both offer 'EHF Elite.' Lots of people do.

This guy is Obviously from Western Mass or Ct. Rifles and Jr Huskies are about 30 minutes apart. And Stamford is about a 80 minute drive from Springfield if everything goes right. There’s an 07 on the Eagles U15 team from out that way. And the Flames usually have a couple kids from Western Mass / Northern Ct on their teams. Some people travel a good distance for youth hockey.

Well we can assume lots of things but we don't know where this person lives. I just commuted to the to a rink that is 20 min from my house and traffic was brutal. I'm not sure how willing I'd be to go out of my way these days. Traffic is just brutal. Anyone who travels 80 minutes for hockey practice is a nut.

Your logic is mind numbingly accurate. No dboard for you…come back 1 month.

Love all the butthurt platinum parents chiming in. If your bender plays for an org where the top 6 on the platinum team are better than the bottoms 6 on the elite team you’re in the wrong org and should leave. Of course there are kids playing platinum that could play at the elite level but it’s not half the team sorry platinum parents. And of course there are a few platinum kids floating around that will wind up being better hockey players in high school than elite kids. But there is still a big difference between elite and platinum. If there isn’t why are all these platinum parents looking to leave the platinum level to get their kid to the elite level? To your question you are probably better off moving your kid down at the elite level than moving him to platinum.

For most teams, the difference is the top 5 kids. A competitive elite team typically has a top line/pairing that make the team. Top line of a competitive platinum team is generally interchangeable with the middle and bottom of an elite team.

If even "most" of the players were actually elite, New England would be sending hundreds of kids to D-I & D-III at every birth year.

Facts

Everyone's situation is different, it is difficult for others to tell you what is best for your kid and family. My kid moved from a bottom black/platinum to a bottom elite and then to a top elite team. The difference in talent level and work ethic of the players is noticeable every time he moved up. The same can be said about coaching. In the end, very few kids in the EHF elite division are able to continue on to play on top U14/midget teams. My suggestion is to figure out what your kid needs at his current stage of development and do not worry too much about labels.