There’s been a lot of talk about AAA expansion and whether it’s “watering down” the game. Honestly, that part doesn’t concern me as much as what’s happening underneath it.
Now that almost every organization has some form of AAA, we’re starting to see the real trickle-down effects and they’re impacting the majority of players, not just the top level.
What’s happening right now is less about talent dilution and more about roster instability. Early offers go out, players commit quickly, and then movement continues for weeks after. A player takes an A spot, then gets a late AA opportunity elsewhere and leaves. That creates a chain reaction: AA pulls from A, A pulls from B, and suddenly teams at the lower levels are left scrambling to fill rosters.
The biggest issue isn’t whether AA or AAA is slightly weaker than it used to be—it’s whether A and B teams can even exist in a stable way.
We’re already seeing situations where teams are sitting with 8–10 skaters heading into the season because a few players left late in the process. At that point, it’s not about development anymore—it’s about survival. Coaches aren’t focused on building players, they’re trying to piece together a roster. Kids end up with fewer reps, inconsistent teams, or worse, no place to play at all if a team folds late.
If everything were simply “watered down” evenly, you could argue it balances out. But that’s not really what’s happening. You can’t normalize a team that doesn’t have enough players to function.
Organizations are in a tough spot too. They’re trying to support top-end teams while still fielding A and B levels, but when the player pool is stretched and constantly shifting, those goals start to conflict. In some cases, it’s leading to too many teams chasing too few committed players.
This isn’t about blaming AAA—it’s about recognizing the unintended consequences of rapid expansion without enough structure around roster commitments and movement.
If this continues, we’re likely to see fewer total teams at each age group, more blended levels, and possibly some organizations struggling to sustain their lower-level programs. That’s where the real impact is—because that’s where the majority of kids play.
At the end of the day, the focus should be on creating stable environments where players can develop and enjoy the game. Right now, that stability is what feels most at risk.
