This is an idea that Ive thought about, and was wondering if anyone else thought it would work. Of course, it would involve the cooperation of the high school and club teams, and finding a compromise.

I would pair every tier 1 club team at the midget major level with 2 private high school teams. Similar to Lasalle - Minutemen, Delbarton - Colonials, CBA - American Eagles.

These club teams would not be limited to these schools, but being that they are open enrollment, there is a better chance they will have more talent. (Example, a kid from North Penn could play on the Minutemen). This would be a split season, with club in the fall, and high school in the winter. If a kid in the school would rather play juniors, he is free to do so. I think both Lasalle and Delbarton proved you can be successful at the midget major level with mostly kids from the same school.

Example;
Little Flyers - St Joes Prep, St Augustine
Jr Flyers - Hill School, Malvern Prep
Minutemen - Lasalle, GA
Comcast - Holy Ghost, Bishop Eustace
Mercer - Lawrenceville, PDS
Titans - CBA
Rockets - Seton Hall
Colonials - Delbarton, Mo Beard
Avalanche - Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco
Devils - St Peters

This would avoid many conflicts, and with a non affiliated coaching staff, it would take away politics.

Any thoughts?

quote:

a kid from North Penn could play on the Minutemen). This would be a split season, with club in the fall, and high sc

HGP fan, I think it is a great idea. But look at the kids who couldn't afford it. What is the lowest tuition? Isn't Holy Ghost almost $13,000 a year? Then factor in hockey and you could easily come close to $30,000 for the AAA level. On top of that, how many truly athletic players would not be able to play just from an economical standpoint? Look at some of the players on Judge, Ryan, Bonner, Roman whose parents can barely afford hockey and tuition. Each of those clubs has some talented players, but how many are playing AAA club hockey?

I'm all about equality. I wonder if Ryan will be able to practice every day now that Roman Bussetti is coaching and is the manager of the Northeast Skatezone, then what would that do to your idea? I think practice/ice time is the key to a great team.

If it was a split midget season, it would probably cost half as much. No tournaments out in the midwest. Probably have the Labor day in New England and Columbus Day tournaments only.

The same players from the parochial schools playing AAA now, would also be doing it with this set-up. Maybe more with lower costs, and shorter season.

As far as Ryan being better because of more ice time, your probably right, imagine if every high school team didnt have to compete with clubs and vice versa. High school games on weekends would be common.

My whole point with pairing private schools up with a tier 1 club team is that these schools are open enrollment, and have strong support from the school, if not total support. I think it would be good for midget AAA hockey because all those players that are playing tier 2 or not playing club at all due to either costs or travel, would have a chance to play a cheaper and shorter season. It would be good for high school hockey because it wont have to overlap with club, and they would have a more flexible schedule.

Those kids that dont want to play split season can go ahead and play for one of 3,000 junior teams in the district.

So what happens to the good public school kids that want to play tier 1?

Also something that is rarely taken into account with the split season is how do you think those teams would fare at nationals if they haven't been playing together or against tire 1 teams for months.

quote:

Originally posted by Jigga Beef:
So what happens to the good public school kids that want to play tier 1?

Also something that is rarely taken into account with the split season is how do you think those teams would fare at nationals if they haven't been playing together or against tire 1 teams for months.

Those public school kids can play split season midget AAA, or they can play juniors.

As for nationals, no midget major team has ever won nationals from this district, and I think the highest any have finished is 3rd. So my answer would be, probably the same as they do now. Beat the bad districts, and on good years make it to the quarters or semis, and get beat by the districts that are always there.

hgp i think you have proffered up an interesting option. in fact this is exactly what the vfmm team did this year at a cost of 1/4 of the usual jr. flyers price. they had a couple of early tournaments, 10 practices and one late tournament only because they had a high quality team. the vfmm organization was receptive because it was a nice profit for them with little outlay of resources. biggest obstacle would be having the hs coaches working together. as for public school kids you could allow open enrollment or even follow the minnesota model of districing. the result would be better midget and better high school hockey at a lower cost and convenience for the boys and their parents.

quote:

Originally posted by crusader:
hgp i think you have proffered up an interesting option. in fact this is exactly what the vfmm team did this year at a cost of 1/4 of the usual jr. flyers price. they had a couple of early tournaments, 10 practices and one late tournament only because they had a high quality team. the vfmm organization was receptive because it was a nice profit for them with little outlay of resources. biggest obstacle would be having the hs coaches working together. as for public school kids you could allow open enrollment or even follow the minnesota model of districing. the result would be better midget and better high school hockey at a lower cost and convenience for the boys and their parents.

I totally agree.

As far the "exposure" argument, that Im sure someone will bring up. Coaches and scouts get looks at the majority of their players in the spring and summer anyway at the showcases, and keep tabs on them during the year. Theres plenty of regional scouts in this area anyway, and if your that good they will know about you, and get your name out there.

jiggabeef,

your concern about nationals is valid. i will tell you from my experience, that almost all the tier 1 teams at mm nationals were all-star teams carrying boys from all over the country and internatinal kids(canadian,swede,norwegian and even south africa). To think that a local team can consistently compete at this high level is unrealistic. i have heard that usa hockey is also concerned about the gross inequity evolving at the mm level (i.e shattuck, midfarfield) .either way the experience will always be a positive one and like the movie hoosiers you just never know.look how close the vfmm team came this year.

hgp,

good point. the exposure question is always a concern yet like you stated, if your good enough they will find you. in fact, i think it is on this point that the district can offer more assistance. yes they have their festival teams, but their record of selection and assistance are spotty at best. however, the simplest way to increase the exposure in this area is to improve the quality of hockey at the older age groups, and your proposal is a decent start in that direction.

One problem atleast with the NJ teams and high schools. My understanding of the NJ State rules is that a high school coach can not have any contact with high school players (ie coach a midget team) before the school season begins. This would require that the NJ high school coach having his players being coached by another person. I am sure there are ways around it but the egos of coaches teaching their way will come in to play.

quote:

Originally posted by Hawk:
One problem atleast with the NJ teams and high schools. My understanding of the NJ State rules is that a high school coach can not have any contact with high school players (ie coach a midget team) before the school season begins. This would require that the NJ high school coach having his players being coached by another person. I am sure there are ways around it but the egos of coaches teaching their way will come in to play.

You are correct--in New Jersey at least--the "out of season" contact rules would keep the HS head coaches from coaching their own players in the fall (sports season immediately before Winter). Its not a problem for PA schools at the moment, since we aren't in the PIAA anyway--witness Wally's dual hats.

Since many of these hypothetical short-season teams would combine players from several schools, having a "neutral" head coach might not be a bad idea to avoid perceived conflicts of interest.

More and more NJ midget teams are moving to a de-facto split season: Flyers Youth U18 AA, Titans U18 AAA are looking at heavily front-loaded schedules, if not adopting a pure split season concept.

The last I looked, +80% of the Met League (MJHL) rosters were "midget-age" players. So what it may come down to it letting the marketplace decide if you want a short-season/HS hockey life or a long-season "junior" life. Vote with your feet and your wallets.

Yea, I actually put in my original post to have a neutral coach.

I believe that I read somewhere else that the Atlantic District WILL NOT have a U-18 AAA / MM division following this season.

I believe there are only four (could be wrong) organizations committed to 08-09 AAA (MM) play.

AAHA cited the "growth" of junior hockey as being one of many culprits.

There is another option - roster a high school as a Midget team as well. Play some independent games on weekens, hit a few of the better early season tournaments, and see what happens. Of course, certain players may be "in-eligible" for age reasons but....

quote:

Originally posted by hasbeen15:
I believe that I read somewhere else that the Atlantic District WILL NOT have a U-18 AAA / MM division following this season.

USA Hockey wont let that happen.

I think you could use the three West Chester Schools to form another "AAA" organization