Important descision, opinions please!

[indaslot 0]

My son played Midget AAA hockey in Quebec this year as a 15 yr old playing with 16 and 17yr olds.He was a dominant player in the league,finishing first overall among rookies.He is a projected top 5 first round draft pick for the upcoming Major Jr.Draft.Now comes the problem:he is being pusued by many teams and also has at least 6 offers to top Dl U.S.universities.As he wants to play NCAA and not Major Junior,we are caught in "the Canadian developement Model" which in Quebec means that he must either return to Midget AAA for a year or go to Major Junior.Midget AAA will be very diluted next year.He will be playing with 92's and 93's instead of 91's and 90's and all of his fellow draftees will report to Major Junior as most Quebecers do.There is no Tier 2 Jr.open to 16 yr olds here and we would have to move as a family out of province for him to play.After this year, he can play in the USHL Tier 1 league in the States, but the same model restricts him next season.The other option is prep school for a year.This is where your opinions come in.Prep school plays a much shorter season, usually 25-30 games though I have found one that plays 42.The boys there will be older and faster.In Midget, he will play 70+games and practice daily from August to April.He will be double shifted and played in all situations.He will have plenty of exposure to U.S colleges in both places,and he already attends a prep school here, so education is equal. Now,which do you guys think will be better for his development? Way more ice time with his own age group,or the 42 game situaton (no set league and no playoffs)?.It is basically 1 yr we need to fill before the USHL? (BTW he is 6'2 and 205lbs so does not need to "fill out")Sorry for the long post.My son wants us to make the choice and we cannot decide.Any opinions or feedback would be appreciated.And sorry again for being so long winded!

[Chadd 916]

If he's getting good coaching and improving his skill set with the local midget team, one more season there isn't going to hurt him. Take advantage of having him home for one last season and spend some time together. It sounds like you won't have that opportunity again for a while.

[adam14 182]

let him pay one more year midget, that way he can improve aspects of his game that arent perfect, skating shooting etc. plus like chadd said, spend quality time with him.

[chippa13 1844]

I would say to keep him home for another year. My guess is that his leaving the decision up to you folks is his way of saying he doesn't want to leave home just yet.

[Kevin 5]

If he does indeed have "at least 6 offers to top Dl U.S.universities," then he should ask these coaches/recruiters what they think is best for his development.

Prep school hockey for a year worked out well for Sidney Crosby.

[indaslot 0]

If he does indeed have "at least 6 offers to top Dl U.S.universities," then he should ask these coaches/recruiters what they think is best for his development.

Prep school hockey for a year worked out well for Sidney Crosby.

ANYTHING would have worked for Sidney Crosby, LOL. But Shattuck St.Mary's is a different sort of prep school (think HOCKEY FACTORY)that now plays under the umbrella of USA Hockey and plays 70+ games but is now closed to Canadians unless they obtain a release from Hockey Canada, a major hassle.I could ask the coaches, that's an idea.

[chippa13 1844]

Isn't he technically too young to be approached by college folks, according to NCAA rules?

[Kevin 5]

Northwood Prep. in Lake Placid also plays more games than most prep. schools, including games against Jr. teams.

[BigDipper 0]

I left home to play junior 'a' when I was 15, in tenth grade. I chose the major junior route. After combining junior hockey paired with my family moving to a different province I ended up in 6 different high schools which screwed my education. Being a talented hockey player is a very hard burden to deal with. It opens a lot of doors, but can close them very fast as well. My honest personal advice is this. You have not be negative, but realistic. Hockey will end for your son someday. It's a given fact. Whether it be two years from now or even if he had a 20 year career playing pro, it will end. The best thing to do is to always have an option for your son. Which, is education. A very big misconception nowadays is players thinking that NCAA is a viable option, a "given" one. If you will. NCAA is a very hard league to skate it. I am not doubting your son's abilities by any means. However you have to keep in mind that certain choices just may not work out. Major Junior has come a long long way since previous years. They now offer education packages. For every year you skate in the CHL, the league will pay for a year of university within Canada after your junior hockey career. Canadian university hockey is very very good, and a so are the schools. I don't feel prep school is a highly viable option. Neither is the USHL. Your son could go play in CJHL and be scouted just as much. However. Being his age. Your son is still immature and has a lot of growing to do. Keeping him another year of midget hockey would be the best idea. He will get prominent scouting from the Q and schools, and develop himself, not only as a player, but as a leader, and as a person. NCAA is a great option. and so is the quebec league. Both have thier pros and cons. But ultimately have him play another year of midget. AFter that, depending on his draft status and interest garnered from schools, gauge what is the best. For now. I think that is your best option. Worry about the present. And during the upcoming season, you will have a better feel of what will be best down the road. And so will he.

Isn't he technically too young to be approached by college folks, according to NCAA rules?

no. they cannot speak to him in voice. However, they can send one letter per year, showing interest. anything above or beyond that is in violation.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

Isn't he technically too young to be approached by college folks, according to NCAA rules?

no. they cannot speak to him in voice. However, they can send one letter per year, showing interest. anything above or beyond that is in violation.

Exactly. Coaches were using text messages and now that is considered illegal.

[chippa13 1844]

That could make it rather difficult to get the coaches opinions on this situation.

"Blue horseshoe loves prep school."

[wildebeest 0]

Prep school. Then he can break the vicious cycle of not being able to correctly use punctuation and spacing.

[Hidious 0]

May i ask your son's name and what team he plays for? I've been following Midget AAA a lot this season, my local team particulaly: Les Cantonniers.

I'd understand if you'd rather not share this information.

[shooter27 116]

I'm a fairly recent product of the New England prep system so hopefully you'll find what I have to say helpful. I would highly recommend the prep system. I went to prep around the same age, played 3 years and had a phenomenal time and developed a ton. There are a ton of really good, "old-school" coaches in the prep ranks who stress playing the game the right way, with respect for other players and the right attitude. In addition, I grew so much as a student in my time playing prep school hockey. Even in the first year I learned things, particularly about studying and writing, that proved to be invaluable in college. Obviously you're pretty set on sending him the USHL route after next year, but remember there is a long history of top prep kids making the jump straight to DI so I wouldn't rule out the idea of letting him stay there.

I hear your concern about playing fewer games so let me shed some more light on that. The Founders League teams (Avon, Deerfield, etc.) are the ones that only play 25-30 games. ISL teams (Lawrence Academy, St. Seb's, etc.) and NEPSHC teams (Cushing, Exeter, etc.) usually play closer to 40 games. Also a lot of prep teams allow their players to play split-season Midget AAA with teams around New England. In these cases the kids will play about 15-20 games with a Midget AAA team in the fall (before the start of the prep season)and have the opportunity to play in Regionals and Nationals at the Midget level after the prep season. Whether or not this is allowed varies from school to school.

Anyway, hope that helps, good luck.

[Zamboni 6]

"Shattuck St.Mary's is a different sort of prep school (think HOCKEY FACTORY)that now plays under the umbrella of USA Hockey and plays 70+ games but is now closed to Canadians unless they obtain a release from Hockey Canada, a major hassle"

Call HC, they are more accomadating than you would think. You will be called back by a real person in position to make decisions-may get some guidance on your sons options. The HC residency regs are more to keep hometown hockey alive, have players play where they live....not to restrict player movement of this sort.

[hockeyismylife 0]

Isn't he technically too young to be approached by college folks, according to NCAA rules?

no. they cannot speak to him in voice. However, they can send one letter per year, showing interest. anything above or beyond that is in violation.

Exactly. Coaches were using text messages and now that is considered illegal.

Yes, but if the player initiates contact it is alright.

[indaslot 0]

Wow- great responses and thanks to you all. "Hidious", I would prefer not to mention my son's name, only because anything that leaks out will be on the Quebec forums and there is already more there than I would like. When I want good feedback, I always turn to Mod Squad where I usually have some great advice within 5 minutes of posting. I do know all about the Q education options as well as all the preps, split season teams etc. No one option is necessarily wrong, its just that 16 is very young to make such choices. BTW, college coaches cheat and they do contact players all the time, by phone and email. They are in a race with the CHL and you can't blame them. I know of 93's who have D1 commitments already.

[shooter27 116]

Given that it sounds like you have a large number of good options and not a "bad" choice in the bunch, I'll ask a pretty basic question. What does your son want to do? I had a great experience at prep because I wanted to go, I don't think I would have had the same experience staying at home and playing AAA or going to play juniors. I know other people who had the opposite reaction, preferring to play AAA or go the junior route and they had experiences that they enjoyed as much as I did, and we all managed to make it to the college ranks. IMHO, you son is going to have a better experience where he feels most comfortable. If he feels he was "forced" (which I'm not saying you're doing, I just can't find a better word) to go a certain route it may show up in his attitude, work ethic, or development (both personally and athletically).

[indaslot 0]

He is not too keen on playing a second year of Midget because it was challenging to play with older guys this year and will obviously be easier next year. He would like to play Junior , with the 70+ games and playoffs, but he can't because of the restrictions here. It will be a year of compromise and he is very concerned about not improving if he A) plays the "fewer games"/ interupted by school breaks kind of hockey you get in prep school or B) plays a less challenging level of Midget that he played last year. I suspect that in the long run, it won't matter much, but it seems like a big deal this year. The bottom line is, he wants to play the best level of hockey that he can without losing his NCAA eligibility and wants his parents to find him the best option.

[shooter27 116]

What about one of the Tier 2 US Junior leagues (NAHL, EJHL)? Do they have the same age restriction as the USHL? Just another alternative.

Hopefully you didn't take my previous post in the wrong manner, didn't mean for it to be critical in any way but now that I read it again I could see how it would be taken that way.

[indaslot 0]

No,I didn't see anything critical in your post and I thank you for the response.The problem again is, he would need a release from Hockey Canada to play in the U.S.Basically,the door is closed for 1 yr and the options are prep or repeat Midget AAA.

[Dougie8 0]

Sorry if I missed something, but what is the age restriction to play Jr. in Quebec? In B.C. I know you can play as a 16 year old, and I actually played a few games being AP'd with a Jr B team as a 15 year old.

[indaslot 0]

You can play Major Junior at 16 but if you don't choose CHL you have to be 17.Basically, your NCAA eligibility is not their concern.

[-brady2 0]

I have a friend going to a prep school in ontario and he absolutely loves it. I think it might be a good idea to stay in the midget AAA league, because he can work on all the other aspects of his game and become a more proficient scorer, unless he slacks off at the lack of competition.

I thought prep school hockey wasn't as good as midget AAA hockey though?

[shooter27 116]

New England Prep falls somewhere in between Midget AAA and the USHL. Not sure where the Canadian prep teams fall though.