Spoken like a true elitist! Keep the kids out that just want to have fun. Competition is key as your kid is going to the NHL! All roads lead to beer league!
The only thing keeping kids out of hockey is the cost, the rising cost. good for hockey!
This is for every sport. Town league is good, but to play advanced level lacrosse, baseball, soccer is also very expensive. It is a money game now. Hockey is worse due to ice costs and equipment. Rinks could lower costs by having more house leagues/lite travel and limiting AAA to only top players. It would make all levels more competitive. Insurance costs, referee costs, energy costs, maintenance costs and labor costs all keep rising. It is a tough situation in all sports, not just hockey, but other sports have town league & town travel teams for the kids that just want to play to have fun. Everyone in hockey thinks their kid is going to get scholarship. It is more the parent mindset that allows rinks to charge high prices!