Europe hockey leagues

[stevo_323 0]

Hey everyone,

I'm to old for juniors now, and I need to play hockey! Skill level is 1st/2nd line junior B, or 4th line Junior A, I am looking at leaving canada and playing in europe, england, france, etc, I want to hear from you guys who know your stuff. What league do I have a shot at playing in?, I have no shortage of dedication in terms of gym time, off ice work and basically doing whatever is asked of me, is ECHL too good? am I better off looking overseas?

Thanks guys

[starsfan71 9]

Hey everyone,

I'm to old for juniors now, and I need to play hockey! Skill level is 1st/2nd line junior B, or 4th line Junior A, I am looking at leaving canada and playing in europe, england, france, etc, I want to hear from you guys who know your stuff. What league do I have a shot at playing in?, I have no shortage of dedication in terms of gym time, off ice work and basically doing whatever is asked of me, is ECHL too good? am I better off looking overseas?

Thanks guys

I would say ECHL is too good.

The English leagues are pretty easy to get into, I went to a few games when I was there this summer, the players didn't seem out of your range at all.

[stevo_323 0]

I would say ECHL is too good.

The English leagues are pretty easy to get into, I went to a few games when I was there this summer, the players didn't seem out of your range at all.

are you refering to the league called simply "elite league" in england?

[chuffy 2]

are you refering to the league called simply "elite league" in england?

No just england, Edinburgh Capitals play in that leauge and, as of next season, so will the Breahead Clan (Glasgow) & The Dundee Stars

Theo Fleury played for a bit with the Belfast Giants one season.

Breahead Clan has only started to put their squad together:

http://www.braeheadclan.com/

[sickwilly 37]

I don't know much about the leagues overseas, but are you close to any Senior League teams where you are? I had a blast playing in one of the leagues in NB (until I got too old). It might be a great way to keep playing competitive hockey if Europe doesn't work out or if you choose not to go.

[twolinepass 0]

Knowing nothing about the talent levels or how to even get on a team I would play in Europe over the ECHL if I had the chance. Get paid even if its just a little bit to live in a different part of the word has to be awesome.

[dw91 0]

Personally, I'd try to consult with someone who has played in Europe before, or get an agent. I've talked to guys that have played in Germany and Switzerland, and there's a lot more to going over there and playing, besides just being good enough for the level of play in a certain league. I'm looking to go play over there either while I study abroad, or after I get my Civil Engineering degree, so I've done a marginal amount of research.

[BarDownGinos 3]

You have to get in contact with teams, and sell yourself to them. They aren't going to waste an import slot on a player without worthy credentials, which pretty much means you're looking at the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th level teams throughout Europe. Go to Eurohockey.net and look under the "Playing in Europe" tab. It'll give you a lot of the information you are looking for.

[PJaeggi97 0]

Alright going to give as much input as i can about the subject as my father is American and played in Switzerland and I now play in Switzerland myself.

It is very tough to get a chance in Europe. Your American and unless you are incredibly talented most teams will pass on you because your considered an import. Also when bringing imported players they have to pay the league X amount of money. Also going to be tough on the language barrier so there is also another con. And finally, European players have every day jobs like anyone else and it will be tough enough finding a job with this economy let alone being of foreign decent.

My father was scouted by ex-coach of the LA Kings Andy Murray. Asked him if he wanted to go play in Europe with him. Through those years he made many friends that are coaches or GM's now. I was born in Switzerland but live much of my life in America. However i have dual citizenship and also speak both languages fluently

Hope this helps

Patrick

[Kezetto 0]

You could try in the United Kingdom and could prove maybe a little easier than going somewhere els because of the language barrier.

You could contact teams in leauges like ENL (English National Leauge) EPL (Eglish Premier Leauge) and so on.. Thoes are some of the leauges just under the Elite Leauge So you could compare them to the British version of the minors.

There are a few players from America/Canada in the Elite Leauge There a few who played for Cardiff last year who came from the ECHL.

My best advice for the momet would be contact many teams in the UK and tell them about yourself?

Anyway hope this helped a little :D

[Hockeyman9621 0]

What were your Jr. B stats this year? How did your team finish? I know very talented players who have trouble finding teams after junior hockey, whether europe or north america. It sounds like you need an insane amount of commitment to improving your game if you want to play semi pro. You should be in the gym every day along with runs and plyos 2-3 times a week. I'm not trying to put a damper on your goal, but I'm trying to be realistic so you know what you need to do. Good luck

[Hradsky 1]

What were your Jr. B stats this year?

Yeah man, link us to your HockeyDB profile!

[BarDownGinos 3]

It really just depends on what your end goal is and how far you're willing to go. If you're trying to go to Europe and make good money to play and see how high you can go, then you have a long road ahead of you, that's bluntly, probably impossible. If you want to go over for the fuck of it to delay getting a real job and have some fun then there's probably a lovely low-paying 3rd or 4th league somewhere for you. A lot of guys go to France or Holland and play while studying abroad, that may be an option for you. There have been guys who've gone as far as Serbia to play pro it all depends on how bad you want it. If you're willing to go to the ends of the earth there is probably a place in "pro" hockey for you, but you have to do your own leg work. You also might want to get in touch with the guys at 37 Hockey, www.37hockey.com They're a agency that's run by a former ACHA player and his bread an butter seems to be the lower level European leagues, he might be a good person to have this conversation with.