Juan
Registered User
bert said:I think a prep school for an elite 14 or 15 year old is a better situation then tier 2 jr A. Just as much development, the competition is basically the same with a higher stress on skill and less physical play. So they still develop at a good physical rate while improving there skill. Canada should start some prep schools and put them in a tier 2 circut.
Shattuck St Marys isnt the only elite prep school. Mark Morris the former Clarkson Golden Knights coach, coachs Northwood Prep in Lake Placid New York. They beat Shattucks this weekend winning the Culver Military tournament. They went 10-1 against jr a competition this season. While having a much younger team then the jr teams. If I had a kid I would send him to one of these institutions. Not only is hockey stressed but so is academics.
I have seen Northwood play a couple of times in each of the last 4 seasons. They had an uncharacteristically good season this year. Traditionally they have been roughly on par with Canadian private schools like UCC or SAC, which I would characterize as high end midget programs.
In any event, none of these schools would have anything to offer hockey-wise to a player like Crosby. Frankly, I doubt he got very much out of his experience at Shattuck (as his 3+ PPG would attest) other than the opportunity to use the on-campus rink whenever he wanted. Like I said in my original post, it was a place for him to "park" for a year, nothing more.
Of course, neither Crosby nor Esposito would have ever even heard of Faribault, MN had the Tavares rule been in effect in the CHL at the time.
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