And Mandell is right, Junior hockey in this area is glorified Midget Major. Especially all these Junior B and C programs. No offense, but we don't have the talent to support the amount of Junior teams we have in this area.

quote:

Originally posted by hhfan:
hgp -- How about Jr. Flyers, MJHL, or Minutemen, MJHL? Or the Empire League teams? Wipe them out, too? How about the NAHL? All you are suggesting is that Pennsylvania kids not hope to play college hockey, as reality currently exists. And I know that's not your intent. So, what's realistic?

No, I just said, my personal opinion is I dont see the point in giving up high school hockey to play in AJHL. Its one thing if you aspire to play D-3 or ACHA D-1 hockey, but your not going to get there any easier by giving up your junior and senior years of high school hockey. Lets face it, if your playing in the AJHL at 19 or 20, and aspire to play NCAA D-1 hockey, the odds are stacked extremely high against you.

Rocco Carzo and TJ Brennan would be in the same spot now if they played AJHL or if they played on Bud's team. TJ Brennan got a major junior tryout through the One Hockey Tournament. Even if Carzo played on Bud's team and didnt get a chance at the USHL this year, Im sure he would have an opportunity next season. He had a great selects last summer, and Bud is a USHL scout.

Bottomline, it was their choice though. This is just my opinion.

Let's run through a short list of players from this area that managed to make a DI NCAA team, and how they got there:

Ryan Gunderson (Vermont) - Mercer Chiefs Midget AAA
Paul Worthington (UMass Lowell) - Green Mountain Glades Junior A
Chad Kolarik (Michigan) - US U17 National Team
Steve Mandes (Harvard) - US U17 National Team

Shockingly, there are no local junior programs on ANY of their resumes. The way that hockey works right now, the only leagues that good DI NCAA programs look at are top tier junior programs, of which there are NONE in this area. Play high school, play Midget AAA, and when you graduate, if there aren't any concrete offers, then you do what Worthington did and go play juniors in Vermont, or what Brian O'Neill is currently doing and play in Chicago. Those are the places you get noticed - not here.

Hockey in this area is getting a better rep, but it doesn't mean playing juniors for the Little Flyers or Minutemen or Titans or whoever is going to get you anywhere without still going to another higher level junior program.

i have to agree with cicvi with one additional option- new england prep hockey. they still are the largest provider of college level players and also provide a wonderful education. this last point is a huge draw versus junior hockey, especially in high school aged boys. i truly wish pa high school hockey had a future other than just fun yet i do not see that ever coming true. As for local junior teams i believe they are a waste of time and money and quite frankly are part of the problem rather than part of the solution. if you are playing in the met,aj or empire after high school then you will most likely be playig club hockey in college. however, if the boys in high school stayed within the midget major system then the local league would rival the midwest midget major league at an affordable cost and with the opportunity to play high school hockey. maybe then a split season be more attractive.

This is an interesting twist in the topic, from best players by year to Jrs/prep school/college.

The bottom line is what is the end goal of the individual player. Is it a free ride for College, is it a shot at pro hockey???? Is it just to play as long as you can before reality hits and you have to find a job????

Agreed that youth/hs hockey in the area is not going to get you there, you need to go to a higher level. But what is the cost vs the end goal. Local Jr programs that start at $5K a year and up??? Agreed, playing B locally may or may not be a waste (C definitely is), it may give you an opportunity to be seen by the better junior leagues, but as someone said, if you are not in those better leagues before you are out of HS, you're probably not going anywhere. NE prep schools, yes good education, but at up to $40K a year for anywhere from 2 to 5 years, if a pro hockey career is not your end goal, what is it gaining you, that $$$$ could pay for a lot of good colleges (where you could still play club hockey). Hockey scholarships are not plentiful, if your end goal is a free ride on Hockey, you got to put up a lot of cash to get a chance at it (at least in this area). There is always chasing the dream. If mom and dad can afford to let jr chase the dream, so be it. But when you think about it, for most it just doesn't make a lot of sense.

ralphy --- The topic has moved over to the Billeted Players topic line. I think your analysis is pretty much on target, with one exception. That being that a HS player who is also playing in one of the area Junior leagues CAN move on to a higher level Junior league, and then on from there. Yes, he might need connections, a break, whatever. But, I agree...the true dead end to a kid's aspirations is to simply play HS hockey through his senior year, without supplementing it with something , AAA, Junior, you pick.

snipe, many of the boys who list juniors as their last team are grads of prep who are made to play an extra year of junior to "season" for college. junior impact is increasing, but really only the ushl, some ej and nahl no real ajhl met or empire.