DVHL 16AA Teams 2019-2020

[Guest]

How would 17 and 18 year olds get in? USA hockey team landing page rosters are required to enter.

[Guest]

Surely you understand that a kid born in early 2003 could be up to 23 months (almost 2 years) older then a kid born in late 2004, correct?

[Guest]

No I don't. I don't get how if the oldest are 2003 how can a 2004 be up to 23 months difference? That's almost 2 years. I've never heard any of our parents describe birth years like that.

[tree408]

No I don't. I don't get how if the oldest are 2003 how can a 2004 be up to 23 months difference? That's almost 2 years. I've never heard any of our parents describe birth years like that.

January 1, 2003 vs December 31, 2004, it's a lot of months in between.  I agree it's an odd way of looking at it but it's why people talk about an early birthday versus a late one, growth and maturity, etc.

[Guest]

Thank you. I would've ever known that, I guess I should probably talk to my husband more. 

[Guest]

The reason the Blazers are getting so much heat is because what they are doing is unheard of. Not sure another DVHL team has ever gone to Nationals and played A the next year.

[Guest]

No I don't. I don't get how if the oldest are 2003 how can a 2004 be up to 23 months difference? That's almost 2 years. I've never heard any of our parents describe birth years like that.

January 1, 2003 vs December 31, 2004, it's a lot of months in between.  I agree it's an odd way of looking at it but it's why people talk about an early birthday versus a late one, growth and maturity, etc.

That is the extreme example. You might have 2 kids in any given game that are that different in age. I really don't equate age with skill when comparing kids in the same age level. Ultimately, it comes down to how good the kids are. You are basically saying that a Jan 03 is better than a Dec 04 because he is older.  Last season Delco had 2 16AA teams, one all 03 and the other was mix with an 02 majority. Guess what, the 03s made the playoffs and the other team barely won 3 games.
I don't get the obsession with pure birth years lately. I get keeping the kids together for continuity, but the way people jump around from club to club, what's the point. Pick the best players and play the season.

 

[Guest]

To your point I understand this very well. Our kids thankfully haven't jumped around because they've been with the same players for almost all of their years playing. Last year my oldest played AA and they frequently matched up against AAA in non leagues and tournaments, beating many of them handily. There's rarely if ever any roster spots on my older kids team. When there were open spots they were usually filled with AA or AAA players from outside the club. It's funny how it works too, 1 kid from AAA team shows up and does nothing at tryouts while 50 other players bust their ass trying to make the team. They don't know they have no chance and wind up with angry dads when the one kid who didn't do anything made the team and all of the others were bypassed. At least that's how it was until their team and another merged. There are almost 100 players at some of the levels in their club. And for the AA teams once this season is over I think it's a safe bet all of the other teams best players from around the league will be pruned and none of the home team players will get a sniff of filling vacancies on the AA teams. That's how the landscape has evolved. If an AA team is good they're not going to select players from their own club unless they're phenoms, and rarely do the phenoms play on A level teams. Pretty much all of the new blood is from other teams who the coaches have been in contact with all season recruiting. That's the state of youth hockey these days.

[tree408]

You are basically saying that a Jan 03 is better than a Dec 04 because he is older. 

No, I was explaining how there could be a 23 month age difference on the same team.  Others will argue that early birth dates are better than late because kids are bigger and more coordinated, more mature, etc , and that may be true when looking at 12 and 14U but I don't put much stock in it at the older age groups.

[Guest]

I don't agree with that mindset. The kids at this point are 15 years old and are in their third year of hitting. Most have played AA or AAA already and they're playing midget AA because of that. Their talent level exceeds the fundamental level at A. Some of the meat heads at A National don't care about anything but the physical play so I don't see how playing at AA versus A National differs in this specific are of physicality? Players still vary in size from tiny to gigantic at either level and body checking doesn't differ from A to AA. The only thing different is talent level. If your 04's are AA talent and they're playing A then yes that's sandbagging. They'll run into the other teams that are sandbagging. There are always 2 or 3 who are doing it. The Haverford Hawks and Wissahickon Warriors are two of the biggest offenders.