Should I consider Tier 1?

[Guest]

Where is he playing now?

[Guest]

Spend your money and time on skating skills and win or lose just play with a team that keeps it very, very fun. If you need more development, go to clinics and get skating lessons (yes, without seeing your kid, I can guarantee he still needs skating lessons...everyone around here does).

By 16, so many of the kids who were "monsters" at 8, 9, 10 yo are either burned out, done with hockey due to injuries, or finding out that their prowess at whatever level team A, AA, AAA, AAAAAAAAAAA is meaningless when kids now all 150-200 lbs are slamming into each other.

Do not start spending money and then making this more important than it is because now you've spent money. It's an endless feedback loop that only puts pressure on the kid.

And make sure your child is playing other sports and involved in other activities and friend groups. Don't allow him to play hockey year-round at this age, no matter what he says he wants to do. One injury can take this sport away for a long time or for good. Tier 1 too early means hockey is going to take up a lot of time.

[Guest]

Stop. Just stop. Find a program near where you live that has quality coaching, a reasonably good mix of games/practice and, most importantly is someplace where your very young child will be comfortable and have fun.  Stop worrying about the NHL, college hockey, juniors, elite travel teams..... Give your very young player a solid foundation - his abilities will get him to the right level.  Eight year-olds traveling for hockey is simply idiotic....

[Guest]

Well if your kid is good why not but be sure to get on a decent team. If your AAA team can only win against AAA teams with losing records then your paying an extra $4+ grand a year for a pretty locker room.

[Guest]

Look man , I ain't falling for no banana in my tailpipe

[Guest]

After 10+ years, my son is ready to hang up playing travel hockey. We’ve experienced house, tier 2, and tier 1. It’s sad to think about but that decision rests solely with him. 😢

IMO, the main reason to play tier 1 is to advance your hockey career, be it playing in juniors, scholarships for D1 college, professionally at some level, and etc. Playing tier 1 will possibly give you exposure to other opportunities.

The next question you have to ask is how realistic is it? In this area, it’s like less than 0.5%.

There are 4 main characteristics that a successful player must have: Skill, Size, Smarts, and Heart.

Everybody focuses on Skill and think if the player is the fastest or can shoot the hardest that’s his ticket. It’s only one piece of the pie.

If your son won’t reach at least 5’10 on offense or 6’ on defense forget about it. Johnny Gaudreau comes around once in a million. 

Your son has to have the ability to recognize a thousand options and choose the best one in milliseconds and understand the team concept. Some kids try to shoot the puck from behind the net and bank it off the back of goalie’s head even though three guys are wide open in front. It’s about the team scoring rather than personal glory.

One of the most overlooked is heart. Sounds corny, but he should love the game. He should want to be the best and put in the work to get there.

Very few players possess all of these characteristics and parents don’t like to admit it. IMO, stick with tier 2 and have your son enjoy the game for what it is. It’s easy to get sucked in and try to keep up with others. In the end, kids either quit before they graduate from high school for various reasons or graduation from high school ends their hockey career. Can you imagine taking the money you would have spent and placed into a 529 or college savings account?

[Guest]

I would add that when factoring in cost, double the fees and that’s the amount you will at least pay. A tournament weekend will run you $700 - $800 - food, hotel, gas, turnpike fees. Even regular season games require staying over. When you see $7,500 for the fees, it’s really like $15,000. Just being honest. It’s a serious consideration.

[Guest]

5’ 10” on offense? How big is the kid who just won the Hobey Baker?

[Guest]

There’s always that possibility of finding a diamond in the rough. Look at the sizes overall rather than finding that one player who is smaller than your own kid. I agree that size is a big factor.