AAA hockey for my son?

[wickedwrister 0]

For those of you who replied last year when I put my feelers out about travel hockey for my son; thank you.

Here is a quick rundown to catch everyone up.

My son was a 7-8 year old dominating the house league. He was scoring at will, was faster than everyone else by 2x, ect.. I moved him up to Squirt for the Spring even though he had another year as a Mite, and again he dominated. After talking with some other parents (and getting some good advice here) I decided to put him in travel on a very competitive Mite AA team. For those not in the States, AAA hockey starts at the Squirt level for the most part. Anyway, he had another really great year and has come even further in his development.

My quandary for this Spring and next fall is...Do I put him in AAA Squirt? He has the talent (his coach said so, not just proud papa) to play AAA and the chance to get on one of the best AAA programs in the country. My point here is not to brag about my son, but to ask if he will miss out on anything by waiting a year or two play AAA. Or, is AAA hockey a necessity for him to progress later in his "career"? His current coach played 4 years at a highly regarded Division I school and told me that he never played AAA growing up even though he had the chance. One of his asst. coaches was NHL drafted and never played AAA either. This was 20 years+ mind you, so maybe things have changed? Cost is an issue, but I do not want to deny my son any opportunities to be gained and would make the sacrifice if need be. What are your thoughts?

[Patrick67 1]

If he's dominating Mite AA, then AAA Squirt is a natural progression. Gives him a chance to be an average/good player against others in his own age group.

Makes him a better player and just as important, a better team player.

Seen quite a few kids develop bad habits by constantly been better than everybody else, makes for arrogant players in the end.

No wonder, when every game he makes 4-5 goals, and all the parents tell him how good he is...

And when that kid finally get's to a level where he can't skate through/over everybody, he snaps, because he is going to have a hard time tackling the "sudden" adversity.

The younger a kid is when he finds out, he is not God's gift to hockey, the better IMO.

Alot of really gifted player's I've played with, "snapped" when they turned 16-17. And ended up quitting hockey.

[althoma1 574]

If he was one of the best players in the AA league this year moving him up should be a definite consideration. Scoring should be a challenge and if there's no challenge it's hard to develop and get better. At the same time if he's going to get hardly any playing time on the AAA team that could also hurt his development - your best bet would be to have your son try out for the AAA team and if he makes it talk to that coach and see what he thinks your sons role would be on that team. If you're satisfied he'll at least get a regular shift then it probably makes sense for him to play on that team. If the coach of the AAA team says that your son will see only fourth line duty as his top lines are already set then he may be better off staying in AA another year trying to improve enough that he can get a regular AAA shift.

You can take this all with a grain of salt as I've never played elite level hockey, but if it was my kid I'd want him to play somewhere where he was challenged enough to improve and was also given the ice time to do so. Playing somewhere where every night is a cakewalk is bad, but playing somewhere where you're only getting a few shifts a game is just as bad...although I don't know if they shorten the bench that much when kids are only 7 or 8 years old.

[Jim A 4]

Wicked, not much AAA in the 80's ..in fact there was even a saying "AA is for father's" ..at times when teams would just add the extra A to get kids to play for their squad instead..

Will he enjoy Squirt AAA? Has he played against those kids before? Will he ride the bench? Could he use another year in AA to gain skills..will he be constantly playing age catchup with kids (play for a year, be a year behind, play for a year, etc)

[wickedwrister 0]

I guess I should clarify here. When I moved him to AA this year he fit in very well. He is 9 now and has a great attitude about losing as well as winning. He is one of the best kids on the team, but because there are others that can handle the load; the scoring is spread among three or four kids instead of one. The problem is that the lines are diluted in that the best kids are not on the same line. This in turn puts it back on my son to do more himself on a shift because some can't keep up. My hope for AAA would be that he would be on a team where EVERYONE could hang with each other so that he could become more well rounded on the ice.

[#94 3]

The main concern you will want to concider is playing time. I don't know if you are able to literally ask the coaches about what kind of playing time your son will recieve, but something like that would be a good idea.

Also, would your son be able to move down to AA hockey if he/you are not happy?

From what I've gathered, I'd say move him up to AAA...

[wickedwrister 0]

The main concern you will want to concider is playing time. I don't know if you are able to literally ask the coaches about what kind of playing time your son will recieve, but something like that would be a good idea.

Also, would your son be able to move down to AA hockey if he/you are not happy?

From what I've gathered, I'd say move him up to AAA...

I would imagine that he would play on the 1st or 2nd line, but that's just a guess. His current coach said that he has his spot on the AA team no matter what happens.

[lando_8 0]

ww, good question...

I'm not sure of the cost of AA/AAA hockey in the US, but I know here in Canada it is quite expensive and I'm sure that would be a big consideration IMHO. That aside, I would also want to do everything in my power to let my son play at the highest level of hockey as long as:

- he is having fun

- he is continuing developing skills (strong coaching staff, decent ice time)

- in a good team environment (good coaches, kids, parents)

I know with politics in hockey, here in Canada anyway, my concern if you were to "keep" him in AA (as it seems clear that he has the skill to play AAA) would be a couple things. Assuming that the AAA team has more practice ice, tournaments, etc would be that over the next couple years some of the kids that are behind him now may catch up to him with the extra ice time, growing bodies, etc. making it harder to make the cut down the road. With hockey politics being what they are, when selections come up there can be limited space on those teams, especially if the team has already been together for a few years and certain slots are already held by key players. (ie coaches sons, key sponsors sons, etc)

I know registration numbers are up in the US over the last 20 years so I can only assume that it will become harder and harder to get into the top echelon of minor hockey and the sooner you can get your foot in the door the better.

I tend to agree with #94 and would lean towards the AAA route.

Hope this helps and good luck!

[Chadd 916]

I know registration numbers are up in the US over the last 20 years so I can only assume that it will become harder and harder to get into the top echelon of minor hockey and the sooner you can get your foot in the door the better.

Actually the raw numbers are going down in parts of the US and the percentages are slipping in the US and Canada.

- he is having fun

- he is continuing developing skills (strong coaching staff, decent ice time)

- in a good team environment (good coaches, kids, parents)

That's the key right there. No matter where he plays, those are the most important things. Generally you will get a higher quality coach at the higher level who is capable of running a better practice and that's often the biggest advantage of moving up to AAA.

[lando_8 0]

Actually the raw numbers are going down in parts of the US and the percentages are slipping in the US and Canada.

Sorry, I thought I had heard this somewhere...perhaps it included girls hockey although I could be completely off the mark?? I know in our association once this year is over and the '89 year born kids are gone, our numbers will be way down but the girls hockey is growing each year.

[Shagel 0]

if you want him to improve theres 2 questions you need to ask yourself

1. will the switch benifit his attitude towards hockey (ex people on the team making it not as much fun)

2. wil his coach respect his age and still treat him the same as the rest of the group

[Langenbrunner15 0]

Id say move him up to AAA but makesure what everyone else said is true...will he be getting regualar ice time? Having fun? etc.

The only draw back in lower level hockey is that if you are the best and you could be on the AAA team and be atleast avergae or higher, your attitude to do better will decrease. I am playing on a lower leveled team that I should be playing, dman politics in kids hockey sucks. The A team calls me up when they need me(im the B team). I feel that I don't need to get that MUCH better when im the best on the team. I always like the feel there is one person that I have to surpase to be a thte top of my game.

[warrior37 0]

dave, look into victory honda, kensington valley, west michigan warriors, detroit trackers, capital centre pride- all good aaa teams and theyre not as expensive as the big 3 (caesars, honeybaked, and compuware)

[Hkydog 0]

All of the above comments need to be taken seriously and objectively. The one thing that no one has mentioned thou is how many returning players are on the team that your son will tryout for. If there is a large numdber of returning players then the possibility of him being on the first or second line will not be good. The coach knows the returning players and in all probability will already have his lines set in his head before tryouts even happen. This is especially true in the older age levels. One question for you is what does your son want to do? Pushing him up when he is happy where he is with his friends can cause problems. Just something to think about. I always tell people who ask how many slots are open based on what I have for returning players.

[echi24 1]

at this age it is really developmental, but the fundamentals and just the overall experience of AAA is alot more competitive and takes a more serious approach. also you should consider that in reality, if you son continues playing hockey into his teens, he will be playing against the same guys each year, players will move teams or quit hockey altogether, but in general you play against the same kids every year. building realtionships at a young age will make for a more natural progression, especially when the speed of the game really picks up around minor bantam

[wickedwrister 0]

hkydog,

There are no players yet. There is no 97 AAA team until this Spring. Like I said, in the US AAA does not start until Squirts.

[echi24 1]

what i hate most about rep minor hockey is that (at least in toronto) alot of teams force players to pay in excess for a surplus of equipment. most AAA teams require players to all sport the same helmets, gloves, pants, and require uniforms like full leather jackets, track suits, hats, and really alot of optional goods, and rebuy these items every year. many players playing are very well off, and can afford it, and should enjoy that luxury, but it forces alot of players to stay down at the AA level, despite their skill. i see AAA teams of kids in novice that are all sporting 8000 helmets, synergy 1300 gloves and all, and it really annoys me. but if this isnt an issue where your son is playing, consider yourself lucky. if he is happy where he plays now, she should continue to develop, and teams will come to him and take notice

[wickedwrister 0]

teams will come to him and take notice

That's just one of the reasons why I am undecided. I have always heard this. On the other side of the coin, I don't think we would be in this situation had I not brought him to AA. Yes, all of the AAA teams here have the same pants, helmets, and gloves. As far as the rest, the team he is on now bought the running suits and hats as well as practice jerseys and socks. The flip side of that was that every parent was responsible for $300 minimum of sponsorship money. If you could not find it you had to cut a check. We got lucky and have friends that own a company to sponsor. All of our tournys were paid for as well as entertainment for the players at each one so.......

[chilaxin12 2]

I'd move him up, I never was really any good at hockey until I hit highschool, than I began to get better than most of my teammates and was starting to get confident, but at my age, I would much rather have played teams and worked my ass off and lost, than have been able to play lazy and won. You should want your son to have to push himself in order to get better, than just be a sandbagger and play at a level where he can dominate and not really further his development.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

All of our tournys were paid for as well as entertainment for the players at each one so.......

Sweet...strip clubs? :)

[hockechamp14 0]

let him play at the highest level he can, as long as he's having fun

[Nick23 0]

let him play at the highest level he can, as long as he's having fun

You hit the nail on the head there, i have had the chance to move to teams at a higher level but i felt i wouldn't have fun because of the kind of people that associate with it. And from where i am, i have been noticed, and eventually i will have to move on. Just like you son, maybe yoou should ask him what HE wants to do. I may be way off but so far it sounds like what YOU should do. At the end of the day he might want to take up soccer, so talk to him, tell him whats available, how he can develop, but if he wants to stay at AA for another year, let him. Because if he is good enough, he will get noticed wherever he is.

[wickedwrister 0]

Yes, you are "far off" as it's not about me at all. As far as my son goes, hockey is life. If there is no snow on the ground he is rollerblading in the driveway practicing. If there is snow, he is in the basement practicing. He stick handles all the time in the house. I never have to ask him to do any of this. He watches every Red Wing game (Go Wings!) from begining to end and will analyze the plays out loud after a particularly good one. It's almost unhealthy. If he did not do well in school (thank God), I would not let him indulge the way he does. I know he can play AAA. The question is/ was... is it really all that and will he gain that much more going as a 9 year old?

[Hkydog 0]

If what you say that this is a new team with no players right now then you need to look at who the coaches will be and who setup the team. What is their level of experience coaching at that level what is their philosophy. All too often someone decides that their kid needs to play AAA and has the "power or influence" with the assoc. to start a AAA program. The fact that there isn't currently a team at that level would give me pause. Usually the parent that starts a team for his kid has more negative effect than positive, and the kid is over his head. Within coaching circles there are a great many horror stories about this type of team, the one setup for a specific player. Do some research about the team. You are making a great leap of faith that this "new team" will be good. If it were an established team then I'd say go for it but watchout for player burnout. You son's current coaches seem to have the skills to develop him but you are now going into the unknown with a new team.

[Hkydog 0]

Another thing just came to mind. Travel and competition, if cost is a concern, you need to think about travel. If there are not enough teams in the local area for you to compete against then you will be traveling. Not sure how many teams there are at the squirt AAA level but the requirement to find good competition may cause you to be on the road quite abit. You need to take into consideration the level of competition that your son is currently playing against. I guess what bothers me the most is your statement that there are no 97 AAA teams yet. What is the projected number of teams? If there aren't enough AAA teams you could find yourself playing against AA teams just to have someone to play for the cost of AAA.