Jump to content
  • Join us — it's free!

    We are the premiere internet community for New York Rangers news and fan discussion. Don't wait — join the forum today!

IGNORED

Youth/Minor/Development Hockey


Puck Head

Recommended Posts

I think he's saying it's more important to understand what program they go to NCAA from, which I agree with.

 

What I need is a degenerate to break it down by U11 affiliation. 

  • LOL 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, MuddyInTheMiddle said:

 

The vast majority of players do not go straight to the NCAA after graduating high school, and usually do a year of juniors or prep school before starting their freshman year in the NCAA. Given that you are eligible to be drafted at 18 years old, that is why you see decidedly more draft picks coming from the US Juniors(or Canadian Juniors).

 

2 minutes ago, Dunny said:

I think he's saying it's more important to understand what program they go to NCAA from, which I agree with.

 

What I need is a degenerate to break it down by U11 affiliation. 

What I'm saying is the rules around NCAA eligibility are changing and you are going to see more Canadian kids going to college, so the dynamics will change. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
2 hours ago, Albatrosss said:

I wish. Miss it 😢 

My boy's AAA team has boot camp next week from 8AM-5PM Tuesday through Thursday, and then a practice on Tuesday & Thursday night that week.

 

It makes me smile thinking that he is going to be too tired to be up until midnight playing video games next week. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Albatrosss said:

Retired. Bastard hasn’t skated since 

 

Sorry to hear!

 

My kid ended up making Tier 1 for the first time this season(14U Major), and I know this season and next will play a large part in determining whether there is any future in this.  

 

FWIW, when I say "future in this", I am not talking about NHL or even NCAA. For me financial aid for prep school is my equivalent of him being an NHL draft pick.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, MuddyInTheMiddle said:

 

Sorry to hear!

 

My kid ended up making Tier 1 for the first time this season(14U Major), and I know this season and next will play a large part in determining whether there is any future in this.  

 

FWIW, when I say "future in this", I am not talking about NHL or even NCAA. For me financial aid for prep school is my equivalent of him being an NHL draft pick.   

Everybody says their goal is scholarships, but if we put the amount of money we spend on hockey into a 529, we could have paid for college two times over. 

  • Keeps it 100 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, Pete said:

Everybody says their goal is scholarships, but if we put the amount of money we spend on hockey into a 529, we could have paid for college two times over. 

 

Preach it brother! 

 

Between tuition, Spring hockey, equipment, lessons, travel, and the myriad of other minor expenses; I have probably averaged 10K over the last 7 seasons. This season is looking like ~18K now that he is playing Tier 1.

 

So by that math, 88K in the hole across his youth hockey career; would definitely have been better used in an investment account if college was the only objective.

 

To me the game has given him so much already. He has learned teamwork, how to get along with people you don't necessarily like, how to manage disappointment, physical fitness/dieting, hard work and probably another half dozen countless life lessons that will serve him well.

 

It has also created a some great family memories, and while going to Utica, NY or Harrisburg, PA may not be most people's ideal of a family vacation, my wife and I have loved every moment of it. In addition to up through 10U, the horse play at the hotel pool has made some great childhood memories for him as well. So trying to rationalize it in $$ is kind of futile.

 

When all is said and done, if he follows the majority trend to only play beer league as an adult, and I have sunk $120-130K into it for the benfits that I have laid out above; I'm good with it.

 

      

Edited by MuddyInTheMiddle
  • Like 1
  • Applause 2
  • Keeps it 100 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

58 minutes ago, MuddyInTheMiddle said:

 

Preach it brother! 

 

Between tuition, Spring hockey, equipment, lessons, travel, and the myriad of other minor expenses; I have probably averaged 10K over the last 7 seasons. This season is looking like ~18K now that he is playing Tier 1.

 

So by that math, 88K in the hole across his youth hockey career; would definitely have been better used in an investment account if college was the only objective.

 

To me the game has given him so much already. He has learned teamwork, how to get along with people you don't necessarily like, how to manage disappointment, physical fitness/dieting, hard work and probably another half dozen countless life lessons that will serve him well.

 

It has also created a some great family memories, and while going to Utica, NY or Harrisburg, PA may not be most people's ideal of a family vacation, my wife and I have loved every moment of it. In addition to up through 10U, the horse play at the hotel pool has made some great childhood memories for him as well. So trying to rationalize it in $$ is kind of futile.

 

When all is said and done, if he follows the majority trend to only play beer league as an adult, and I have sunk $120-130K into it for the benfits that I have laid out above; I'm good with it.

 

      

Yeah, the money definitely doesn't make sense. And we definitely try to rationalize it with "the benefits" But a lot of that stuff he's going to get in school, from the 10 or so kids who live on our block, and through much cheaper sports like soccer. 

 

We got a trip to Hershey out of it last season, but Hershey is something we would have done anyway. 

 

But I'm resigned to the fact that we do it because he likes to do it and it keeps him busy. But I'm not going to pretend there's some other benefit that's exclusive to hockey and he can't get it anywhere else haha. 

 

The one thing I will say though is that the dads on his team are much better than the dads on his soccer team who are mostly a bunch of accountants and granola crunchy hippies. Quite a few of the dads just hang out on their own and get together every couple weeks. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Pete said:

Yeah, the money definitely doesn't make sense. And we definitely try to rationalize it with "the benefits" But a lot of that stuff he's going to get in school, from the 10 or so kids who live on our block, and through much cheaper sports like soccer. 

 

We got a trip to Hershey out of it last season, but Hershey is something we would have done anyway. 

 

But I'm resigned to the fact that we do it because he likes to do it and it keeps him busy. But I'm not going to pretend there's some other benefit that's exclusive to hockey and he can't get it anywhere else haha. 

 

The one thing I will say though is that the dads on his team are much better than the dads on his soccer team who are mostly a bunch of accountants and granola crunchy hippies. Quite a few of the dads just hang out on their own and get together every couple weeks. 

 

Largely I think you are right; but disagree with what I put in bold above. Not worth debating minutia.

 

The net-net is that yes, there are certainly far less expensive ways to ingrain those life-lessons I outlined; having said that, I wouldn't necessarily do it much differently id I had the chance to do it over, as the ride so far has been a blast.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While my son has never played ice hockey, let alone travel ice like so much of you here, he has informed my wife and I that he doesn't want to play his fall hockey season and instead wants to try sucker...I mean soccer.  I'm so excited and cannot wait to go watch kids play one of the most boring sports on the planet!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

While my son has never played ice hockey, let alone travel ice like so much of you here, he has informed my wife and I that he doesn't want to play his fall hockey season and instead wants to try sucker...I mean soccer.  I'm so excited and cannot wait to go watch kids play one of the most boring sports on the planet!

I'll never understand the worldwide following of soccer. It is so much running with so little going on. Very very boring. I'll get flack for it but between soccer and baseball, I don't know which is more boring.

 

I give y'all credit investing so much in the best sport on the planet. I plan to invest the same in my kids lacrosse. He has a proclivity for it and the equipment is cheaper. Prolly look back later and wish I bit the bullet for him to get on the ice. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, MuddyInTheMiddle said:

 

Largely I think you are right; but disagree with what I put in bold above. Not worth debating minutia.

 

The net-net is that yes, there are certainly far less expensive ways to ingrain those life-lessons I outlined; having said that, I wouldn't necessarily do it much differently id I had the chance to do it over, as the ride so far has been a blast.  

Yea, I don't regret anything, I wouldn't do it differently. It's an expensive sport and that's that, but I limit what I spend. We'll do a clinic here or there, but rarely a private, will never do spring or summer programs again as they're largely a waste of kids showboating and puck hogging, etc. 

 

I know people doing 3-4 privates a week because "scholarship", and your kid is on my kid's team so I know the level and you're not getting a scholarship (college).

 

I also think we are really lucky to live on a black with so many kids, so through that and soccer and school he gets a good sense of community and lessons learned about patience, adversity, having to co-exist with people you don't like.

 

We get most of that just on our block, not everyone does.

Edited by Pete
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, jsm7302 said:

I'll never understand the worldwide following of soccer. It is so much running with so little going on. Very very boring. I'll get flack for it but between soccer and baseball, I don't know which is more boring.

 

I give y'all credit investing so much in the best sport on the planet. I plan to invest the same in my kids lacrosse. He has a proclivity for it and the equipment is cheaper. Prolly look back later and wish I bit the bullet for him to get on the ice. 

Lacrosse will ultimately be more expensive because it's year-round, legitimately, but it's a great sport.

 

Soccer is fun when the kids are young, lots of action and lots of goals. As they get older, you probably appreciate it more if your kid is playing it and you learn the "game within the game".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

While my son has never played ice hockey, let alone travel ice like so much of you here, he has informed my wife and I that he doesn't want to play his fall hockey season and instead wants to try sucker...I mean soccer.  I'm so excited and cannot wait to go watch kids play one of the most boring sports on the planet!

How old is he? My kid's 9 going on 10 and it's still fun because the fields are smaller.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not about them going to the NHL, or even the SPHL. It's about celebrating the athlete they are right now. He's playing in his NHL, he just doesn't fully understand it yet. 

 

Youth hockey was fukin cheap when I was a kid, but even at the travel level it was absolutely bare bones. Now.. well fuck. All matching custom team equipment. An entire wardrobe worth of new swag every year. 6 hours of ice a week. Nearly every game is broadcast across the planet on LiveBarn. An August to June schedule. Multiple team building adventures, coach is a former NHL'er. He's already made it, the money just flows backwards in this scenario lol

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Dunny said:

It's not about them going to the NHL, or even the SPHL. It's about celebrating the athlete they are right now. He's playing in his NHL, he just doesn't fully understand it yet. 

 

Youth hockey was fukin cheap when I was a kid, but even at the travel level it was absolutely bare bones. Now.. well fuck. All matching custom team equipment. An entire wardrobe worth of new swag every year. 6 hours of ice a week. Nearly every game is broadcast across the planet on LiveBarn. An August to June schedule. Multiple team building adventures, coach is a former NHL'er. He's already made it, the money just flows backwards in this scenario lol

 

 

Well, that's the point, right? Dropping $10K on a hobby isn't nothing, but doing it because you're hoping to get anything out of it...I'm pretty realistic. All roads lead to men's league.

 

So keep your private lessons, endless clinics, all the extra shit the program tries to rope you into (Spring Hockey is laughable, summer 3v3 touneys are laughable, etc.) That's money that you spend when your kid is going to do something with it because he's not getting the teamwork, comraderie, fun, doing that shit. He gets that from the program....And he could get it from a $300 soccer season rather than a $4500 hockey season.

 

We just came from powerskating because my dad wanted to get it for him. He hated every second to the point it looked like he may cry LOL. He wants pucks and to fuck around with the boys.

Edited by Pete
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/16/2024 at 6:44 PM, jsm7302 said:

I'll never understand the worldwide following of soccer. It is so much running with so little going on. Very very boring. I'll get flack for it but between soccer and baseball, I don't know which is more boring.

 

I give y'all credit investing so much in the best sport on the planet. I plan to invest the same in my kids lacrosse. He has a proclivity for it and the equipment is cheaper. Prolly look back later and wish I bit the bullet for him to get on the ice. 

Agreed.  Its a stupid sport, in my opinion.  Boring.  As.  Fuck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I'm back in to soccer big time. It's just fascinating stuff. There's 15 real leagues. Players moving all over, plus the international angle is fukin awesome. 

 

Would never let my kids play it, tho. lol.

 

Hockey is back with a vengeance this week. So much drama to come before teams are picked. I can't get enough of it, and we've removed ourselves from the entire equation! I'll still be up at the rink tonight to watch the U8s, U9s, and U11s. I don't want to miss a thing. Who looks like shit, why is that kid playing up, and most importantly, what are the moms wearing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Dunny said:

I'm back in to soccer big time. It's just fascinating stuff. There's 15 real leagues. Players moving all over, plus the international angle is fukin awesome. 

 

Would never let my kids play it, tho. lol.

 

Hockey is back with a vengeance this week. So much drama to come before teams are picked. I can't get enough of it, and we've removed ourselves from the entire equation! I'll still be up at the rink tonight to watch the U8s, U9s, and U11s. I don't want to miss a thing. Who looks like shit, why is that kid playing up, and most importantly, what are the moms wearing?

what could they possibly be wearing in the North Pole?

Big Girl Underwear GIF by bloommomtribe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...