tier !

[Guest]

I think it’s an exaggeration to say 1-2 of the kids on an A or AA team would be one of the “best” on a AAA team. Maybe above Bantam. But at PW or Sq I think maybe 1-2 could make team but they would be far from the best on the team. My sons play AAA at Sq and PW and they routinely practice with their A and AA counterparts during shared ice practices and, as someone above noted, the teams as a whole are not really comparable but there are a couple who usually stand out and couple definitely make the AAA squad. In fact, several actually DID tryout and make the teams for the upcoming season. And FYI, not every AAA parent is simply chasing an A. Just as you can’t pigeonhole AA or A kids as “not good enough”, you should think twice about AAA parent motivations. It could be the competition, the travel, the extra practice, their friends, or any number of reasons.

[Guest]

"Best" vs. "recruited by" are two vastly different categories.  There are plenty of PW AAA teams in this area which certainly leaves some open spots.  However, none of the "best" 2011s around are playing AA or A. 

I disagree. All teams are recruited. No one forms a team from only their rink. Of the players I listed 1/3 would play on atleast 2nd line of all but super recruited PHC teams! PHC recruited using Venom. Not all of the best players play AAA. How many AAA players get college offers compared to Tie II. It is very close, maybe 60/40. Dont be fooled by the letters!

Please give us some examples of Tier 2 players that got recruited to go play NCAA hockey?

Cat got your tongue?   No one??   Yes some Jr players wind up on club teams, not everyone can advance to the next level.  If you have a kid that is dedicated and has the possibility of making a NCAA roster as parents don't you give them the opportunity?  The only way to support your child's dream is to play AAA.  No NCAA scout is watching 18 tier 2.

[Guest]

My son played with 2 AA players from a team in Philly called Genesis. They are both playing in the USPHL on track for NCAA D3.

[Guest]

Cat got your tongue?   No one??   Yes some Jr players wind up on club teams, not everyone can advance to the next level.  If you have a kid that is dedicated and has the possibility of making a NCAA roster as parents don't you give them the opportunity?  The only way to support your child's dream is to play AAA.  No NCAA scout is watching 18 tier 2.

If your kid has a dream of playing on one of the 40 NCAA division 1 teams then shift your focus to getting them drafted in the USHL or ship them out to play HS hockey in MN and WI and stop worrying about playing PW AAA hockey right now.

[Guest]

"Best" vs. "recruited by" are two vastly different categories.  There are plenty of PW AAA teams in this area which certainly leaves some open spots.  However, none of the "best" 2011s around are playing AA or A. 

I disagree. All teams are recruited. No one forms a team from only their rink. Of the players I listed 1/3 would play on atleast 2nd line of all but super recruited PHC teams! PHC recruited using Venom. Not all of the best players play AAA. How many AAA players get college offers compared to Tie II. It is very close, maybe 60/40. Dont be fooled by the letters!

Please give us some examples of Tier 2 players that got recruited to go play NCAA hockey?

Cat got your tongue?   No one??   Yes some Jr players wind up on club teams, not everyone can advance to the next level.  If you have a kid that is dedicated and has the possibility of making a NCAA roster as parents don't you give them the opportunity?  The only way to support your child's dream is to play AAA.  No NCAA scout is watching 18 tier 2.

The discussion was not about 18 year old's. You should read the thread. This was about AAA before Bantam. No on is arguing about AAA once kids reach teenager. I contend there are 3-4 AAA players on each AA or A (if no AA team in rink) team. Out of those 3-4 players at say Igloo, Hollydell & Voorhees, I could field a team that is .500 or better for AAA. Not PHC AAA, but AYHL. I also contend that 1-2 players from these rinks would play at least 2nd line on 12U or 10U AAA team. I will also contend that some AA teams can beat bottom 90% of AAA teams 12U or under. PHC is the exception as the recruit from all over PA & NJ and create super teams! Remember transfer rules only apply to nationals eligible teams. 12U or under rules don't apply.

[Guest]

You are clueless...

"Bottom 90%" -  That is saying that a AA team would beat two of the four AY playoff teams.  Perhaps you mean bottom 10%, but that's not what you wrote.  Of course they could beat the bottom 10%.  Have you seen how bad the bottom 3-4 teams in the 2010-2012 AY were this past year?  Like really, really bad.  Go back and look at their box scores and see how many games those teams kept the shots within a 25 shot differential. 

This thread blew up when you (or someone else) said the "best kids" are not playing AAA, not a statement about a few AA or A kids playing 2nd or 3rd line on a middling AAA team. 

The question from someone about naming a NCAA player playing was not answered by someone being "on track" by playing on a USPHL team.  It was also aimed at D1, not D3.  Someone claimed a 60/40 split of NCAA kids coming from Tier II.  Yeah right.

You clearly don't know the 2/4 rule and how it applies.  Just look at what happened with Woodbridge recently. 

Plenty of teams bring in players from beyond a 20 mile radius of their rink, not just PHC.  Oh and by the way, PHC is going to be in the AY next year.

I will give you credit, there are absolutely Tier II kids who could play Tier 1.  Not at the pace you suggest and certainly not immediately entering Tier I in any sort of dominating fashion.

[Guest]

You are clueless...

"Bottom 90%" -  That is saying that a AA team would beat two of the four AY playoff teams.  Perhaps you mean bottom 10%, but that's not what you wrote.  Of course they could beat the bottom 10%.  Have you seen how bad the bottom 3-4 teams in the 2010-2012 AY were this past year?  Like really, really bad.  Go back and look at their box scores and see how many games those teams kept the shots within a 25 shot differential. 

This thread blew up when you (or someone else) said the "best kids" are not playing AAA, not a statement about a few AA or A kids playing 2nd or 3rd line on a middling AAA team. 

The question from someone about naming a NCAA player playing was not answered by someone being "on track" by playing on a USPHL team.  It was also aimed at D1, not D3.  Someone claimed a 60/40 split of NCAA kids coming from Tier II.  Yeah right.

You clearly don't know the 2/4 rule and how it applies.  Just look at what happened with Woodbridge recently. 

Plenty of teams bring in players from beyond a 20 mile radius of their rink, not just PHC.  Oh and by the way, PHC is going to be in the AY next year.

I will give you credit, there are absolutely Tier II kids who could play Tier 1.  Not at the pace you suggest and certainly not immediately entering Tier I in any sort of dominating fashion.

I am not clueless. I ref multiple levels of play. I mainly did 12u & 10u AAA & AA games with a few A games in there. I see the kids on more teams than you do. Voorhees and 3-4 10U Flyers youth kids that would make 90% of AAA teams, Igloo had 3-4 kids on AA team, and Holydell had 2-3 kids on A team. If all those kids played FE 11u last year, they would have had a winning record. The top AAA teams are awesome, but do not discount other players whose families choose not to play AAA. There is a ton of talent at 12U or below that is not playing AAA. This is all I am saying. AAA means noting until puberty hits! I have been refing for 20 years and have seen too many good AAA players fall off once puberty sets in. Nothing matters until the kids hit 14 or 15!

[Guest]

I 100% understand your perspective.  You certainly know those kids better than most AAA parents in the area would.  None of those kids would be among the "best" AAA players in the area though.

And no one in this thread has argued that being a AAA player at SQ/PW guarantees anything once Bantam hits.  Not sure why that and the "all roads lead to beer league" topic keeps coming up.   

That Flyers Youth A National team perhaps just underperformed with all of those stars on it.  Perhaps that's where the difference is...coaching at AAA is so much better than at A/AA in South Jersey.  Just imagine if Beach had remained at Voorhees how dominant of a A National team they would have had.

[Guest]

I 100% understand your perspective.  You certainly know those kids better than most AAA parents in the area would.  None of those kids would be among the "best" AAA players in the area though.

And no one in this thread has argued that being a AAA player at SQ/PW guarantees anything once Bantam hits.  Not sure why that and the "all roads lead to beer league" topic keeps coming up.   

That Flyers Youth A National team perhaps just underperformed with all of those stars on it.  Perhaps that's where the difference is...coaching at AAA is so much better than at A/AA in South Jersey.  Just imagine if Beach had remained at Voorhees how dominant of a A National team they would have had.

I think FY National did not underperform. 3-4 players do not make a team. That is why I believe what I wrote about 3/4 per team. Coaching is a big part of it, but ice time is the biggest factor. AAA kids are on the ice 3-4 x/week and off ice 1x/week with games on weekends. AA & A do not get this, unless they were at Pennsauken this year. Pilots Major improved so much in 1 year due to 3x/week on ice with some getting 7 hours on ice in a week. I am being told that Pilots players are so far advanced over WC, Voorhees, Aston and Igloo 1st year squirts at tryouts. Ice time #1, then coaching. Guy really made those Pilots kids into players this year.

[Guest]

Everyone loves to pick on FE 11 but it’s an unfair comparison. Half the kids on that roster were 2012s leftover from Venom 2012 A8. Beach left the cabinet kinda bare when he took the 2011s and NEHL 2012s to PHC. Still…if those kids had been able to play in their own birth year they would have done much better.
There are definitely kids at AA and A that can hold their own at ANY of the AYHL teams. Not a lot but enough. A team of AA/A kids from SJ playing in AY could absolutely break even record wise. Watched Jr Flyers 2012s beat Haverford AA by only 1 and they were the class of that birth year. The talent is absolutely there to be competitive at the very least. My son is pretty good and might get a AAA slot however, will still play A (or maybe AA) until he’s confidently ready to compete for a spot on a AAA team.