Paid for OHL draft

OHL4Life

Registered User
Sep 6, 2017
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I would hazard a guess that this year is not the only time this has happened if that was the case. I wonder how often this does happen and what happens to the dough? Money set aside for incidental expenses when encouraging a player to "report"? :naughty:

Half assed kidding, but minor hockey does have a disturbing side to it at times, pretty much like everything else it seems like.
there were at least 3 kids with one team that everyone knows about last year. thats probably what westhead was tweeting about, all three gthl kids to the same ohl team.
 

Guy In Burlington

Registered User
Mar 17, 2022
121
102
I can think of a local example, where a dad with mucho deep pockets funded ice for an entire AAA organization each year, then bought an ownership share in an OHL team, a Jr. B franchise, and a minor league team, so his kid could play at the highest level. Money was no object. Hard to say no to that.
Guy’s name rhyme with Lou Simon?
 

HockeyPops

Registered User
Aug 20, 2018
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The advantage for hockey is the high profile hockey athletes typically only need to pay for their hockey development until they are around 16. After that, the programs they are participating in will cover all/most expenses Including high profile coaching and off ice development. So, if you look at it as total cost to reach “level X,” then it probably isn’t as costly for hockey overall.

When do the high performance kids parents start dumping trucks of cash into hockey? I think that is around PeeWee (11-12)? How many programs at Atom that the higher profile kids parents are spending $20k per year at age 9-10? To me, it is around age 11 that the separation happens and the higher profile traveling teams start to collect $15k+ to cover the budget.

So, hockey parents are paying the big bucks for the AAA level kids for around 5 years. If they were Golfers, Tennis players, Equestrian athletes etc, the time periods where the money for development is spent is much longer, probably in the 8-10 year range.

That said, I am sure there are parents out there dumping loads of cash into their kids development at earlier ages than 11 but it really isn’t necessary to do so. That is completely optional. Most boys don’t really start to turn the corner and physically mature until around grade 5/6 and most later than that. I know some kids are great on the ice at a much earlier age but developing talent at age 7 with private coaching is usually money down the drain. They can let the kids be kids and start to get serious when the sport itself starts to get serious and that is at 11 or so.
Pretty sure it happens well before peewee. The Brick tournament is Atom age and they start tryouts for those teams like 2 years in advance of the tournament. So probably Novice.
 

OMG67

Registered User
Sep 1, 2013
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Pretty sure it happens well before peewee. The Brick tournament is Atom age and they start tryouts for those teams like 2 years in advance of the tournament. So probably Novice.
I get there is AAA but are they paying $15k+ per season for registration/tourney fees at age 7?
 

WarriorofTime

Registered User
Jul 3, 2010
28,979
17,143
This has been happening for years I think. Even without money exchanged there is always politics. Look at the later round over the years and the names drafted are often tied to the team (owners, coaches, scouts, etc sons). Heck it even happened in last years NHL draft with the Pens. They drafted Matt Devlin (Raptors PXP voice) son in the 6th round. He was on no rankings list. He's playing in the BCHL this year and has 11G in 51 games. You can't tell me he was deserving of that pick over probably 100s of others
The Red Wings took Kris Draper's kid in the 7th round of the NHL Draft a few years back. Like Father, Like Son: Kienan Draper drafted by the Red Wings

Frequently a healthy scratch for Michigan his Freshman year (which is his D+3 year, he was a 2020 pick), and is basically a developmental player at the NCAA level (finished with 1G, 0 A and appeared in 23/41 games), not an NHL prospect. But you know, good bloodlines and what not.
 

WarriorofTime

Registered User
Jul 3, 2010
28,979
17,143
The advantage for hockey is the high profile hockey athletes typically only need to pay for their hockey development until they are around 16. After that, the programs they are participating in will cover all/most expenses Including high profile coaching and off ice development. So, if you look at it as total cost to reach “level X,” then it probably isn’t as costly for hockey overall.

When do the high performance kids parents start dumping trucks of cash into hockey? I think that is around PeeWee (11-12)? How many programs at Atom that the higher profile kids parents are spending $20k per year at age 9-10? To me, it is around age 11 that the separation happens and the higher profile traveling teams start to collect $15k+ to cover the budget.

So, hockey parents are paying the big bucks for the AAA level kids for around 5 years. If they were Golfers, Tennis players, Equestrian athletes etc, the time periods where the money for development is spent is much longer, probably in the 8-10 year range.

That said, I am sure there are parents out there dumping loads of cash into their kids development at earlier ages than 11 but it really isn’t necessary to do so. That is completely optional. Most boys don’t really start to turn the corner and physically mature until around grade 5/6 and most later than that. I know some kids are great on the ice at a much earlier age but developing talent at age 7 with private coaching is usually money down the drain. They can let the kids be kids and start to get serious when the sport itself starts to get serious and that is at 11 or so.
I’ve seen full bells and whistles professionally made video packages for 9 year olds where they’ll talk about all the coaches that a kid is working with already at that age. It’s definitely earlier than that. Kids are already at the Brick by the time they’re 10, they certainly aren’t only getting serious around that time. Parents will go deep into six figures cumulative before a kid hits Juniors.
 
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