Minor Leagues

[Rocket 0]

Hi,

I´d be interested in showcasing my skills to a MinorPro team of an upmarket

Minor League (i.e ECHL, CHL)

How can I get into contact with those teams. (Writing E-Mails...)

Does anyone know about OPEN Tryouts or PRE Tryouts I heard about Rookie camps.

Does anyone know anything about that for the upcomin` 07-08 season.

I read about the SPHL having open tryouts. But are there in ECHL, CHL , too??

I´d be happy about any advice!

[chippa13 1844]

You need an agent but the odds are pretty good if you haven't heard from a team in any of those leagues that they probably aren't interested in you in the first place.

[MattyBoy 1]

i kno that in major league baseball you can get in contact with a team and request a tryout and they have one or two days a year where they bring every person who contacted them to come and tryout... not sure if it works the same in the nhl, the only way you would be able to find out was to go to a teams website and try and find a way to get in touch with them

[Alias81 0]

What league are you playing in currently it might be worth getting an agent if you haven't already got one, agents are a great help and will help you get a better deal and they obviously have lots of contacts and can show you your options for the coming season.

[Rocket 0]

What league are you playing in currently it might be worth getting an agent if you haven't already got one, agents are a great help and will help you get a better deal and they obviously have lots of contacts and can show you your options for the coming season.

I´m 23 years I have AA,A experience

The only thing I need is a tryout...

[Project824 0]

I´m 23 years I have AA,A experience

The only thing I need is a tryout...

AA and A what?

[Jim A 4]

teams like the Long Beach Ice Dogs, etc (ECHL) used to have open tryouts before training camp, typically it helped fund the training camp later on that week..$100 for a shot to make it on to the next round

[Rocket 0]

teams like the Long Beach Ice Dogs, etc (ECHL) used to have open tryouts before training camp, typically it helped fund the training camp later on that week..$100 for a shot to make it on to the next round

Sounds like "napping" and looking for fools

but regardless, do you know whom to contact for those "napping" ;)

AA and A what?

I played junior AAA, and senior A, AA

[Viking 1]

Where do you currently play?

[Rocket 0]

Where do you currently play?

Europe comparable to SPHL two years ago comparable to UHL, maybe CHL

[lamplighter 0]

are you on hockeydb.com?

[Project824 0]

ECHL is tough to break into as a "tryout" since more than 3/4 of the league is NHL property of some sort. Take into account also that there are on average about 100 some odd undrafted Major Jr. players each year who have run out of eligibility; probably about the same number of Tier II Jr. A's with no scholie or w/o the grades to get one; and another couple dozen undrafted NCAA players who come out, and those spots go quick. Keep in mind the ECHL only dresses 9-10 F, and 6 D, so the roster is already small.

At 25 playing Sr. A, you'd have to be damn good for a UHL, CHL or SP team to want to make the investment to bring you over (I'm not talking about travel, but the expense and paperwork of "hiring" a European).

An agent won't do you much good below the AHL level unless you're on a two way or just down for conditioning. Agents who have enough pull to get you a spot or training camp generally won't deal with hockey below the AHL because it's not profitable. Agents who will deal with players at the low minor league level generally aren't very good. Most unsigned or undrafted players at ECHL, UHL, CHL, or SPHL get into camps because their previous coaches have connections or relationships; as well as their coming from respected junior teams/universities.

Your best bet is just to email some teams through their websites. You likely won't get a response from 80% of them, and of the 20% you do, it'll be a secretary sending you a form letter either stating they aren't interested, or information on their "fundraiser" tryout. The fundraiser tryout is generally a collection of local men's league heroes who will be paying to play hockey the rest of their lives; one or two roller hockey players who are lucky none of the real pros are on the ice; a handful of college club hockey players who can range from very good at the top end, to worse than the roller hockey players at the bottom; and one or two guys that played NCAA D3 or a rare D1 guy. In all my years playing and coaching at that level, I have only seen or heard about 10-15 players make it out of a fundraiser, and of those 10, only 1 has made a team.

Unless you can somehow get a commitment for a full training camp, it's probably not a good situation to come into, unless you're really just itching to take a vacation to some backwoods southern US town.

[chippa13 1844]

Where do you currently play?

Europe comparable to SPHL two years ago comparable to UHL, maybe CHL

Ok, I'll do it. Bull-hockey puck.

[Doctor Hook 0]

I just saw a new league, it's semi pro but may be worth checking out. NEHL. North Eastern Hockey League. google it if interested.

[Louie 28]

There is also the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League.

[warrior37 0]

louie, is the mid-atlantic roller hockey?

[Kevin 5]

I just saw a new league, it's semi pro but may be worth checking out. NEHL. North Eastern Hockey League. google it if interested.

I know nothing about this league. However, it can't be that good since neither of the top two scorers are listed in the internet hockey database. I think there's better talent in my no-check men's league--two ex NHLers, one ex DI All American, a few AHL vets, many DI vets, and a number of ECHL and Europe vets.

[Gongshow11 1]

kevin worst league out there. 50$ a week...its basically sr. a with fighting

[Sven 1]

Rocket, where (team, league) re you playing at the moment?

http://hockeyweb.de/artikel.php?r=10&nv=3I2&a=28093 - Read this.

[flymonty3 0]

best bet would be to try and play in the LNAH (www.lnah.ca) or one of the quebec Sr. AAA leagues that pay players. In the us minor league system, teams are restricted on how many visas (H2B in the past, rumor is most of the "AA" levels are switching to P-1 visas which are easier and cheaper to get...) they can apply for on their annual petition. Factor in the fact that even canadians are subject to these working visas, and the fact travel costs are way too expensive for these teams operating on tight budgets, and that they can only roster 18-20 skaters per game, and you have to be a damn good euro player with a very legit resume to even have a chance at sticking on a roster. (I have seen fairly good swedish players with good numbers for top swedish Allsvenkan teams, or Germans who have good bundesliga or even average DEL experience struggle to compete in the ECHL or UHL, they are just lost on the smaller ice, different systems, etc...)

I know LNAH teams are less restricted when it comes to salary caps, roster sizes and more or less rules in general. If you can deal with the nightly side show going on with multiple brawls, then you can try to prove yourself there and if you are good enough try to get a shot in the SPHL next year...

What I dont understand is if you have played in decent euro leagues, why do you want to make $225-$300 US/week BEFORE taxes in the SPHL or a few bucks more in the central as opposed to playing in a decent european league and making good money? I know average leagues like the Italian series A2 is paying up to 20,000 Euro net per season for good players with EU passports, and that league is by no means amazing, but even places like Belgium are paying guys up to 1500 Euro/month plus housing and a car if they are worth it and players with club hockey experience and/or Jr. "B" are putting up 85 points in 30 games to tell you how good that league is....

Your best, and probably only chance to get even a camp spot in the US is to hire an agent (start looking here: http://www.phpa.com/main/agents/agent_list.php) but expect to pay about 500.00 US up front to have one of them work for you....

[Rocket 0]

best bet would be to try and play in the LNAH (www.lnah.ca) or one of the quebec Sr. AAA leagues that pay players. In the us minor league system, teams are restricted on how many visas (H2B in the past, rumor is most of the "AA" levels are switching to P-1 visas which are easier and cheaper to get...) they can apply for on their annual petition. Factor in the fact that even canadians are subject to these working visas, and the fact travel costs are way too expensive for these teams operating on tight budgets, and that they can only roster 18-20 skaters per game ............. etc.

Are those "open tryouts" SPHL/ UHL teams are holding rackets?

or is´it worth to try out one of those things. If I understood you properly it is a "collusive gamble" ??

[Rocket 0]

I have seen fairly good swedish players with good numbers for top swedish Allsvenkan teams, or Germans who have good bundesliga or even average DEL experience struggle to compete in the ECHL or UHL, they are just lost on the smaller ice, different systems, etc...)

That´s a thing which has etablished in hockey. Points do not always tell the whole story! Everyone is trying (me included) to aestimate a league´s level by comparing the production of points made by some players who played in both leagues. Thats not possible!

In Europe i.e players often start joining (playing maybe 20 gams) a senior team aged 17, 18 so the stats say in season 96/97 this player was dressed 20 times and notched maybe 3 Assists and 4 penalty minutes, his stats probably won´t improve that much until he is 21,22 when he has finished his basic shooling ==> this is a bad player because his numbers are not the greatest ;) :lol:

I talked with a cech coach some weeks ago. He told me about Havlat (earning 6 000000$ now) His father was coach of his junior team. Another player (I forgot his name) was always much better than Havlat (skills,points, everything). Havlats father as coach had more connections. The end of that story Havlat (Nr. 3 or 4 in that team) became draftet and became a NHL superstar. The other one´s playing in Germany´s lowest division as import player earning maybe 250$ a week

I thought scouting to be more important in North America than in Europe. I thought if you perform well on the ice during tryouts you get your chance (no matter what happened before) but according to you it doesn´t seem to be that way over there, either !!

[jptwofive 0]

Hey figured I would throw in my .02

I played 4 years after school, ECHL, UHL, CHL. Stopped playing in 99-00. A few observations, not sure how many are still valid...

Some teams at the UHL or CHL level will go through guys like crazy. An agent might be able to find a team that is looking to bring in a guy to pay the bare minimum for a few games and see if they work out. You would have to wait until the season started and then try to find a team. If you try the agent route, they should be able to tell you right off the bat 4-5 options they have for getting you into a camp somewhere at any level. I have not looked at this stuff since I was finishing school, but are there still "free agent" camps? I went to one in Niagra Falls for a few days and made contacts with Dan Belisle who was with a Colonial team (Dayton Ice Bandits I think) at the time and the assistant coach in Johnstown at the time Scott Allen. If you can find a reputable camp where they have scrimmages and a few minor leagues coaches attend, that is worth a shot.

Getting a legitimate try-out with a real chance of making a team in these leagues is pretty hit or miss. Many teams have a very good idea of who is coming back and a few guys jumping leagues that there are really only a handful of slots available. In the ECHL, there is very, very little chance of just catching on somewhere and sticking.

I had an "agent" for the first couple of years. They really did not do too much for me. He suggested that I walk out on the first contract I was offered and wait a few weeks to see what teams in the Coast needed and then go from there. I promptly walked back into the coach and GM and signed. Figured it was better to play than not play and went against the advice of my agent.

Not to discourage anyone from pursuing a dream, but the U/C/SPHL level of life is not easy. If you are one of those guys who find their way into the last couple of spots on a team, you are going to be making little $ and always wondering when the team wants to let you go. Those contracts were and still are I believe binding for 24 hours at a time. You get a notoriously cheap owner and they will constantly be looking for ways to cut payroll and expenses from the bottom third of a team.

Again, just my .02

[Razr 2]

What league are you playing in currently it might be worth getting an agent if you haven't already got one, agents are a great help and will help you get a better deal and they obviously have lots of contacts and can show you your options for the coming season.

I´m 23 years I have AA,A experience

The only thing I need is a tryout...

you're dead to hockey. I'm 20 and cant get anywhere! I'm an '86 and Last year was my last to play juniors and I missed it because I didn't have enough cash to drop at season's beginning.

kevin worst league out there. 50$ a week...its basically sr. a with fighting

where at???

[Gongshow11 1]

NEHL