Quality in youth hockey

[Guest]

What this person said.  Coaching is most of the battle and hopefully you'll end up with some good teammates (parents that is).  They can sink the ship even with good coaching.

[Guest]

Every rink has + & -. No one will be 100% happy at any rink. Find a coach your kid likes, learn everything you can from them, then find another coach and repeat. That is all you can ask. Most important thing is kid must practice at home on their own. Only doing things at rink will not make kid best player they can be. Kid has to want it to work at game to get better.

[Guest]

Feel free to contact me -I’m happy to share my experience as a first time hockey parent. Not sure why the LOL

[Guest]

From my time in youth hockey(20yrs) I found that if the club likes you and your kid they will work great with you. If you or kid is disliked than they could give two shits about developing your player. Most fall into the middle were your player is just there to fill the roster with the hope they will get better by just practice but nothing extra.

[Guest]

There is a lot of program bashing on this platform. But I am curious, are there any programs where development and love of the game come before profit and politics? I’m not looking for the generic “BlackBear” bashing because those rinks are all ran by different hockey directors. I am more locking for any resource to make a kid better at hockey is provided with in reason and not based on the bottom line.

Find another sport. Hockey is BS now. Since BB came in, nothing but far travel at all levels. BB loves the stupid Showcase events where you get the pleasure of traveling 2-3+ hours away, paying $200+/night to sleep in a crappy hotel, play games against teams you have already played multiple times and are located only 45min to 1 hour from your home rink and usually play the games in a shithole BB rink! Hockey is a complete money grab. The only good you get is practice if you can find a good rink and good coaches. Corporate greed has ruined this sport!

[Guest]

agree, The Bear has killed any good vibes about travel hockey

[Guest]

I'm not a hug fan of BB but to say they killed youth hockey is false. If rink owners want to sell they are going to sell to anybody without a care if it stays a rink or not. I'd rather BB buy a rink and keep it open rather than it close and become something else like the Rink in White Hall and others. We were in Pittsburgh and played at 2 BB owned rinks and they were in much better shape than the ones in our area of PA and NJ.

As for paying $200 to stay in a crap hotel for a showcase, that is on your team manager/club. 3yrs of AHF showcases and not once did our team stay in a showcase recommended hotel. Showcases are not stay to play and hotels are not required.

As for prices my AHF non bb player fees 12U is $2850 and 16U $3050(no tournaments included), closes DVHL team 12U $2978 & 16U $2972(no tournaments included) and closes AHF BB club 12U $2750 & 16U $2995(2 tournaments included).

[Guest]

First off that is a steal. That includes two practices per week and off-ice with a real trainer? And an on ice skills session every other week? Because frankly... I do not believe those prices even for a non BB rink. Those are some 2003 tuition prices.

[Guest]

A steal is right. Who gets on ice skills sessions every other week because my kid's teams definitely do not. Neither one has had a skills session this year let alone every other week. We have the same coaches doing pretty much the same drills since the season started.  The BB rinks also get 2 practices per week and as far as a real trainer, that is questionable. I've watched their gym sessions, not impressed. What you have is nice, but we go to actual real trainers in a real gym. The only real plus that you failed to mention is having medical at home games, which are volunteers from St Lukes getting in their required hours (according to them). I remember getting 2 non-league ice slots a tournament included, we lose both, but fees still go up. I will give Steel Ice one thing over the rest; they have the best kept rink.

Was BB around for them to have those fees in 2003? Looks like 2023 fees. I have friends that play in a BB owned rink and guess what, their fees are the same as ours here in Lehigh. Add tournament cost and we are higher.

[Guest]

The fees mentioned look like they maybe Genesis 2024-25, LVPY 2024-25 and Palmyra 2023