kovyperron5727 0 Report post Posted June 15, 2009 Hey,I opened up an email last week from a recruiter from UMBC, an ACHA college. He is trying to interest me in playing hockey and going to school there. The team has a pretty impressive record and he says that hockey is "treated like a D1 sport at UMBC." The reason I bring this up is because I wanted to know if anyone is familiar with UMBC. I want to play in a pro league one day and I was wondering if I should try to play Jrs within the next two years and hopefully get even better offers or if I should go for this. Im only 17 btw, and I am just entering my senior year. Anyone replies or info is much appreciated, thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mxihockey 0 Report post Posted June 15, 2009 Wait to see if you get more offers. I think every kid on my prep team got a letter from them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
usahockey22 0 Report post Posted June 15, 2009 That's a D2 club team, and it looks like they had a pretty good season last year. However, if your goal is to play professionally, you will have a hard time going that route via club hockey programs. You should be looking at Juniors and/or NCAA programs if you really want to focus on your hockey career. Good club hockey is still competitive and fun, but it is basically the end of the line for your hockey career. At least if you go that route you should try to play at a more highly ranked (academically) school than UMBC, so you've got a more marketable degree after graduating. A couple of schools with both good club hockey and good academics would be Penn State and Illinois. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lampliter87 8 Report post Posted June 15, 2009 Yeah I would wait. Sounds like you're pretty good, so play a year or two of juniors and see what happens. A senior in high school is, ironically, a little early to make any commitments. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JJ Thompson94 0 Report post Posted June 16, 2009 I play ACHA div II and even though some of the teams and players are pretty good and most teams take it pretty seriously, it's really the end of the line after you graduate. It's time to get a real job and join a beer league. If you really have a chance to play more serously it's really not your route. My buddy went to Community college and played JR. A in the AJHL. He now is going off to play NCAA DIII. But even then after DIII, he sees himself hanging up his competitive laces and probably joining the masses in an office. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
interpathway 9 Report post Posted June 16, 2009 I went to UMCP (Maryland College Park) and our team played ACHA D 1, but was not treated or even known about by students well. UMBC always seemed to beat UMCP and I know their team is very strong. You might want to hold out, but if you decide to go play Club somewhere UMBC is a great choice. Not my favorite school though. I'd still take UMCP and their hockey over UMBC and their own. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sickwilly 37 Report post Posted June 16, 2009 I think you'd have fun, but I agree with the other posts that say it's not a route to playing pro. Probably should look into playing in the best junior league you can. Good luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gongshow11 1 Report post Posted June 16, 2009 to play pro, you cannot play acha anymore...unless by the time you are done a single A leage starts up, but even after this past year the AAHL (new single A, 1 yr old) is established and will weed out ACHA players and make way for pro AA cuts and NCAA DIII players looking to continue hockey. Playing pro from NCAA DIII in AA pro ranks is almost near impossible as well, so Single A pro aka SPHL, AAHL, EPHL is the way to go. I know as of now AAHL and EPHL hold open tryouts but 4 years from now i dont know. People might make fun of these two leagues but look at the call up lists, there were plenty of good players in both of these leagues Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DEATHTRON 19 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 One of the guys I play with on my 4on4 team plays for UMBC, he went to marcus highschool. Hes a good hockey player, but like others have said...ACHA hockey is most likely the end of the road.Zach Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kovyperron5727 0 Report post Posted June 19, 2009 One of the guys I play with on my 4on4 team plays for UMBC, he went to marcus highschool. Hes a good hockey player, but like others have said...ACHA hockey is most likely the end of the road.ZachI think I know who you're talking about. His name is Drew right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kovyperron5727 0 Report post Posted June 21, 2009 Yup.I remember hearing about him all the time when he played for Marcus. That kid could have gone to a D1 school easily. I guess he went for his major instead of hockey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trooper 8 Report post Posted July 15, 2009 I've coached ACHA for the past seven years and we used to play against UMBC. They do not treat it like a varsity sport and I believe they are in the middle of a coaching change right now. Here's what I see- a lot of kids want to play Jr. A or pro, most don't have a clue about their ability. You need to have someone who knows what they are talking about evaluate you and give you an honest assessment of your ability. We get a ton of players who tell us they aren't playing club because they are going to Jrs only to call in September when it's too late looking for a place to play because they didn't get picked up.There are a ton of ACHA teams that are at a very high level. Teams like Penn State, Illinois, Lindenwood, and others are made up of a quite a few NAHL, USHL, and EJ kids. My advice is, find a place you can play, and if it's only ACHA, find a school you will like for both hockey and the academics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
