POLL: AHF Alternate Showcase League Failing Or Winning?

[Newsalerts]

The AHF, "Atlantic Hockey Federation"
It's been less than one and a half months into the inaugural launch of the supplemental showcase league introduced by Black Bear Sports Group, an addition to their rink-owned and/or operated youth hockey programs and things don't seem to be going as planned.

The objective is if you're a club or youth hockey association playing out of Black Bear owned and/or operated rinks your teams have to play in their flagship supplemental league known as the "Atlantic Hockey Federation" or "AHF". The new early-stage supplemental league is promoted and advertised as a more competitive showcase, touting their program as "elite". However, all signs indicate it's anything but.

Early reports indicate that it's a very unevenly matched platform pitting teams who have no business playing each other against one another unlike the much more well-known and established Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League, or "EJEPL". While the EJ also has its pitfalls and complaints, teams playing each other aren't seeing consistent football score blowouts similar to tournament play where higher-level teams register to play down in lower-level slots so they can demolish their opponents. Parents have been reporting common scores to be in the range of 15 - 0 on a regular basis.

Is there really a need for a secondary, less effective supplemental league where parents and players know they will often travel to be blown out and demoralized? A league in which some parents have no interest in adding 12-16 inconsequential games to their kid's already busy youth hockey schedules. The EJEPL is at the very least voluntary.

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[Guest]

Definitely not. The travel time to rinks, including NJ shore and Maryland are challenging and frustrating as the teams being played are not necessarily competitive. Lots of blow out scores which is hard on player morale

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[Guest]

not what was advertised, our club went AHF. after 5yrs here we will be going to a club in the a different league. Got a couple of options that will only add about 10-20mins to the drive to the rink, leaning towards LVPY.

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[Guest]

The worst part is that half the teams are already in your DVHL or NJYHL division so you are just playing the same teams over again. The EJ suffered from this as well, but at least there were teams from further north and south that are outside of the DVHL and NJ. I assume they'll add more teams over time, but for now it is kind of a waste. Obviously the Black Bear teams didn't have a choice, but I'm shocked that a club like the Haverford Hawks joined.
I know some people like it because it makes scheduling your non league and tournaments a lot easier, but you are also locked into just playing those teams and you aren't left when many other dates to play anyone else.

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[Guest]

AHF gives my “elite” B player a chance to be showcased in front of pro scouts so he can be be confident that he’ll be drafted into the NHL. No other league will promote his outstanding skills and his personal info via press releases and social media quite like AHF does.

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[Guest]

this whole "bring your own iPad" and you have to do score keeping at showcases is just clearly a penny pinching money grab.  EJ teams wanted to be in...with Black Bear...teams have to be in it. Scheduling has been a joke...come on you can't schedule times more than a week out?

Competition is all over the map.  Unless they expand to 10 more teams next year our club should get out of it. 

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[Guest]

This poll feels like sour grapes from the owners of the EJ....

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[Guest]

We only played NJ NY and Maryland teams in EJEPL when our son played. I can't remember playing other DVHL teams when we were in it.

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[Guest]

This poll feels like sour grapes from the owners of the EJ....

or  not.

This league is in direct comp with NJYHL thats who they are going after.

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[Guest]

Be careful what you wish for.  They have enough teams to leave the NJ

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