france - division 1

[legiahockey 3]

hey everyone im wondering if anyone knows anything about the french 2nd league...known as division 1. good quality hockey? i see alot of players played in the qmjhl. is that a good league? im looking at a tryout here soon but am wondering if its worth even flying out there. thanks

[raganblink 82]

From what I've gathered the best players in that league are Canadians that were your 4th liners from the Q when they were in their juniors (age 21 and under. They were never drafted to the NHL, and probably got a tryout in ECHL or CHL but didn't make those teams so they went to France (because they speak the language) to play semi-pro. The average player would have played American Junior A, the 4th liners might have played Junior B but probably not.

It is really like an organized A league where you get paid to play (not a lot, but enough). If you played juniors at a decent level or ever played semi-pro you'll probably make the team. Try to find some youtube videos maybe? THat's probably the BEST way to find out the skill level of a league.

[kovyperron5727 0]

hey everyone im wondering if anyone knows anything about the french 2nd league...known as division 1. good quality hockey? i see alot of players played in the qmjhl. is that a good league? im looking at a tryout here soon but am wondering if its worth even flying out there. thanks

My guess is that it's just as good as your Polish league.. I'd look into German, Swedish, or Finnish league if I were you

[legiahockey 3]

thanks guys. im sure its a higher level. not to many high caliber jr players in my league. it would be a good step up and id have a job aswell. i'll check out youtube. also been checking into germany thnx

[automorph 0]

Germany is very good hockey....not as high as Finnish/Swedish

[Law Goalie 147]

Do you mean Division 1 or Ligue Magnus?

edit: nm, answered in first post.

I played with a guy on and off for a couple of years who had played in the French LM before coming to law school. He was a Pens' pick, went to camp, was offered an AHL spot, and turned it down because he decided he'd rather make comparable money with less work and more agreeable travel while living in Paris for a few years; also got to play on the Israeli national team, which his parents loved.

That's my sense of why most guys pick the French or Italian leagues (which, as you may observe, several NHLers did during the lockout). It's more of a lifestyle decision. I'm sure there are some guys who try to go a little higher and trickle down, but for the most part, you need to be pretty well committed to make that trip in the first place.

If you're not really committed to anything yet in your life, a couple of subsidised years living in France doesn't seem like any kind of a bad idea.

Is the team offering to pay for your travel and expenses during the tryout? Working vacations are great. :)

[kovyperron5727 0]

Do you mean Division 1 or Ligue Magnus?

edit: nm, answered in first post.

I played with a guy on and off for a couple of years who had played in the French LM before coming to law school. He was a Pens' pick, went to camp, was offered an AHL spot, and turned it down because he decided he'd rather make comparable money with less work and more agreeable travel while living in Paris for a few years; also got to play on the Israeli national team, which his parents loved.

That's my sense of why most guys pick the French or Italian leagues (which, as you may observe, several NHLers did during the lockout). It's more of a lifestyle decision. I'm sure there are some guys who try to go a little higher and trickle down, but for the most part, you need to be pretty well committed to make that trip in the first place.

If you're not really committed to anything yet in your life, a couple of subsidised years living in France doesn't seem like any kind of a bad idea.

Is the team offering to pay for your travel and expenses during the tryout? Working vacations are great. :)

Whats that guy's name? He played for Penn State didnt he? I remember reading an article about him i think

[Law Goalie 147]

Yeah, that was Alon.

I did, however, make a small mistake in saying that he played LM; he could have played there, but in fact opted to play for Tours in D1 for a year -- and loved it, so I suppose that's an even more direct recommendation for the OP.

Having said that, this was a guy who had a lot of options - in hockey, in grad school (his dad's a prof at UofT, so free tuition was on the table), and in business - and so taking ~20 months off to travel in Europe, subsidised by a little hockey, was a pretty low-risk move on his part.

[Duante2005 2]

What teams are you looking to tryout for and do you have any more info on the dates...I have a friend that played there a few years back and he was trying to connect me with the guys there to possibly play....

[Chadd 916]

Yeah, that was Alon.

I did, however, make a small mistake in saying that he played LM; he could have played there, but in fact opted to play for Tours in D1 for a year -- and loved it, so I suppose that's an even more direct recommendation for the OP.

Having said that, this was a guy who had a lot of options - in hockey, in grad school (his dad's a prof at UofT, so free tuition was on the table), and in business - and so taking ~20 months off to travel in Europe, subsidised by a little hockey, was a pretty low-risk move on his part.

There was a local guy that did something similar. Graduated from an Ivy league school and went to France for a couple years before going to grad school. He had a great time. Good hockey player too, great release on his snap shot.

[jkud 0]

I know a few guys who played in the Magnus League in France (highest division) and they were 80-100 pt scorers in the Q (Dominic Noel, Jonathan Bellemare, Michael Tessier, Carl Mallette, etc.). I got offered to play there two seasons ago, but decided to do my master's. It's a league where the top lines (usually imports) have pretty good talent, it is not rough at all, and the 3rd-4th lines aren't that strong. As a north american, you can't just try out there, you need to establish a contract with them prior to going. But if you can do that, then it is definitely a good league.

[jkud 0]

I know a few guys who played in the Magnus League in France (highest division) and they were 80-100 pt scorers in the Q (Dominic Noel, Jonathan Bellemare, Michael Tessier, Carl Mallette, etc.). I got offered to play there two seasons ago, but decided to do my master's. It's a league where the top lines (usually imports) have pretty good talent, it is not rough at all, and the 3rd-4th lines aren't that strong. As a north american, you can't just try out there, you need to establish a contract with them prior to going. But if you can do that, then it is definitely a good league.

[swede 50]

i you are at that skill level i´ll rather look in too Swedish hockey instead..

I know there are a few Swedish guys who play hockey in the French division 1, but most who move there are players who dont make the team in the Swedish 2 league (Allsvenskan), and instead of playing in the Swedish 3 league (Division 1) they move to the French 2 league, Romania, Hungary, Great britain or italian league.. Most study at the same time, so, not so hi-quality hockey..

If you still are under 20years old, u should really look in to Swedish J-20 Superelit, or U-18 Elit.. Most Swedish Elite teams does have both U-18 and J-20 teams.. It's the highest level of hockey you can play in Sweden as a junior player..