I see a lot of people kind of dismissing tournaments that take places in the spring/summer, why is this? I'm kind of surprised because it seems like hockey has become a year round sport if the kid is into it. I've seen kids take the summer off and they are behind the kids who didn't when fall rolls around. I can understand spring/summer shouldn't be as intense as hockey season and of course take that family vacation...but I'm just surprised by all the oh, it's just a spring/summer tournament comments. Do you think people don't want to win these tournaments?

Many kids do play other sports in the spring but hockey is the #1 sport for them. They will go to the hockey game over the soccer/baseball/lacrosse game.

I agree with you for the most part but what people mean by it’s just a spring/summer tournament is it's generally not your kid’s “real” team. It’s a bunch of different teams combined for one. So does it really matter which team wins. It’s like pick up basketball.

If you want to waste your money, have your kids pick up bad habits, burn your kid out, than spring and summer tourneys are excellent!!
Some of the 15 year olds i know played in Nashville last weekend and are currently playing in Philly. These kids are elite players and have eyes on them from Jr, to Div 1 schools to agents and advisors EVERY time they play. There are two types of exposure good/bad and the latter is the type they get at most spring/summer tourneys

or maybe some kids just enjoy playing? I don't know why having kids play summer hockey should equal burning out. If anything a rink is a nice place to be on a very hot day.

Also you realize that many people in MA have quite a bit of money? people aren't poor up here.

If your kid gets burnt out then maybe he just isn’t into it

The focus on year-round hockey is ridiculous. I played D1 hockey (I wasn't that good but good enough to play at that level) and never touched my bag from April-June. Yes, the sport has become more competitive, but you all need to understand the cream will rise to the top regardless...if your kid is good enough, they will find him / her. Don't burn them out, screw up their hips, etc. Let them have fun and play other sports with their friends from school. And I bet with more perspective and a better approach, we will close the gap vs. MN. These spring and summer tournaments for kids that are not high school age are all money grabs and are not good for the kids in the long term.

My kid is about to age out of youth hockey and start playing in front of people who will actually make decisions about him. We’ve always had him play spring tourneys but not many summer tourneys. Spring tourneys are fun. We see friends from the winter, the kids play with their fed opponents instead of against them, and the tailgates and cornhole are a blast. You get to the semis or finals and eventually lose to the all star team that somebody’s father created. Maybe you miss a lacrosse game or you miss one of the tourney games. You don’t do them to make your kid better. You do them for the fun of it. In the summer, we stay away from the tourneys but the kid skates in a good skills program during the week (far more important than tourneys). Spend the weekends at the beach, playing golf, on somebody else’s boat. Maybe you do mini chowder.

Slightly different perspective. Our 14 looks forward to the travel experience, meeting new teammates and coaches who might have a different hockey style, geographical upbringing and yes, even accent, lol.

From a hockey experience, the competition is stronger, every shift is a challenge, every game is an opportunity to learn and improve. For him, learning and improving gives him the confidence he can compete and he loves to compete.

If you’ve watched spring and summer tournaments you wouldn’t know they are a joke. You don’t have a 14 year old player. You have a 10 year old who is very average. Keep lying.

If your kid wants to play then let him play. Worked out big time for me. Coach from Prep school coaches my kids summer tournament team... after the tournament hands me a card and one year later guess where my kid is going?... prep school. Good education for a third of the tuition and he gets to play hockey!!! WINNING! I have no idea why some parents speak poorly of summer tournaments... can't understand why they care -if their kid isn't playing then why comment? Gotta be because they a) have a kid that wants to play but they need a break (which is totally understandable) so they just trash the whole thing to make themselves feel better b) kid just isn't good enough to play in the better tournaments. IDK. But if you don't like Spring/Sumer tournaments then just don't play - easy peasy. Just an aside... I love the supposed D1 players that troll the DBoard just waiting to pounce and share their wisdom to all of us peasants.

I love the supposed parents that troll the DBoard just waiting to pounce and share their wisdom to all of us peasants. You sure are a winner.

You like these things, and your kid is probably the type that has green tape on his stick. Good luck.

Nice job equating burning out to being not that into it. Tool. Bag.

Im so with you on this. Burnout is fake news! Keep them skating and improving year round and they will have a much better chance at the pro level. Im not saying all would make it the NHL but at least leagues like the ECHL would be in play.

You sound like the biggest loser buddy. Get a life.

Um you sound like a loser bad mouthing people on here.

haha, ok. well that was a hostile response to a fairly simple question

When you have kids (maybe you don't) summer can feel long with trying to find things for them to do. You dont want them on the couch watching tv, you also dont want to be sitting on the beach/pool all day either because sun burns (reapplying sunscreen gets old after a while). I'm all for summer hockey.

If summer tournament is fun for you and your kids, go for it. I was at the final 40 games this past weekend, and I can tell you that it doesn’t make any difference whether your kid plays summer tournament or not, if your goal is for hockey development.

It's because your little bender isn't going pro. It's not worth depriving them of their childhood or other sports. They will realize when they get older and reflect, how much of a doosh you were.

Hockey is already the longest season of any sport. The kids have a blast at summer tournaments because they are fun. No one drags their kid kicking and screaming to them. That said, take your kid's team to a hotel with a pool and tell them they can't swim and see how much they love hockey. They love fun.

I have a combined 12 years' experience with youth hockey and some old sayings have come true. The best mites really are not the best bantams. Ok, there are exceptions, but I was amazed at how many talented kids are dropping from the game at this level. Some because they don't know how to play the game anymore since they can't just outskate everyone. Others are quitting over the physical side of the game and the beating they take. At this level, the practices become a meat grinder. Other kids have simply had enough and want to do something else.

The summer tournament is fun, but it takes them away from the things that they are realizing that they missed out on during the first 5 summers of hockey. At this age the other gender becomes a distraction, and sometimes just hanging out on the couch with their friends is what they want. Letting them have time away from the game makes the return to the rink something to look forward to, and not just the next step.

Like all things there is no blanket answer. If your kid is having fun and so are you, great. However, no one else cares, and when they come to the dboard and complain about things they invite the criticism.

Summer tournaments have two teams. Those that are constructed by hand and practice together and win, and those that have open tryouts with limited or no practices and no shot at winning anything. They are both money grabs, but this is youth hockey, so that is par for the course.

The ride is short, enjoy it.

I coached spring/summer tournament teams for about years and got to make decent money doing so. My own kids age groups and kids up through 18. The kids who played in them were no better off in the long run than the kids who didn’t play. I chose to leave my kids off of most teams even though they could have played. Again, I was getting paid to coach. Parents were always dumbfounded when they found out my kids were home, at the beach, or fishing instead of at the rink. The only tournaments I let them play in were the ones their full time teams did as a team. Worked out well for them as they both play are still playing at a high level.

Spring and Summer tournaments are all about the parents posting on social media that they were at the rink. Makes their kid look good. I mean, if the kid is at the "Elite Showcase Showdown" he must be really good right? And how about some of the spring and summer coaches? "Guys you need to work harder" or "Guys you are playing really good". Thats the development you will get at a premium price!

Summer tourneys are fun! Chance to bond with new families and see what they think of the program they skate with in the fall. A few parents from one of my son's summer teams actually got together for "a couple" drinks" this past weekend and that's what hockey is all about. I do disagree about summer tournaments being "money grabs". I mean, the exposure to the elite coaches who probably know college and prep school coaches is priceless. More tournaments the better :)

This thread is crazy :grinning: Just let the kids play as much as possible. Like another friendly poster mentioned, life is short. Just have a great time people.

"Mesi" loves himself a tailgate

If the kids love doing it let him/her do it as long as the family can afford it. There are worse things a kid can be doing with their time than having fun playing the game they love, being with teammates they like, improving their hockey skills, and getting exercise doing it. If the parent is pushing the kid to do it and the kids doesn’t want to do it then you should reconsider. All of this nonsense about specialization at an early age is a lie. The better they become now the more propensity they will have to excel later because they are building muscle memory. It’s the same with other activities such a music and academics. Connor McDavid is a perfect example of highly specialized athlete who only played hockey since he was very young. He openly admits that he is terrible at all other sports and just played hockey all the time and rollerbladed everywhere he went. He is now the most advanced hockey player ever. Obviously he is an outlier and most kids will not even play NCAA but it just shows what can be achieved by someone who specializes in a certain sport or other activity.

Jesus Christ. There are no Conor mcdavids floating around in these spring/summer tourneys. Someone nailed it earlier these tourneys are a chance for the parents to puff their chest out and act like their kids going to be the next mcdavid. They’re all going to get a rude awakening in a few years.

Sorry your kids got cut