AAA for a peewee goalie or just stick with AA?

[adaminnj]

I have a 10 year old goaltender who has been working very hard and getting attention around the rinks he plays at. Recently we have been getting asked where is he going to play next year and I have been responding "I don't know tryouts have not happened yet". I have since talked to a few people in the know and I have realized that Tryouts in the GTA (Toronto) are just a cash grab and that there are tones of kids playing AAA that really should not be playing at that level.

Anyway the last talk I had with one of the in the know folks I know is that AAA is not that important until the kids get to be 14 or 15 and that there are a bunch of kids that get burned out before they ever hit Bantam and end up quiting hockey until they get older and start playing beer league.
I don't want to burn out my son but he has been asking to play AAA.
So I told him that he could do the tryouts this year but I don't want him thinking that he will get a spot based on his tryouts if no mater what he dose on the ice will get him a spot. My son has a goalie coach who is telling me that "he has the mind of a goalie and he should start looking at playing AAA".

Part of this post is to vent and part of it is to hear some ideas how to move him into AAA without having to pay off a coach or a team.

What ever happened to earning a spot on a team?
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[Iplayhockehh]

Peewee level rep is almost always politics. Let your kid play AA until bantam. I mean I can understand your child's mindset that he needs to/wants to play in AAA, but putting him in an AAA system that is as messed up as you stated would just be a mistake. It would probably end up killing his passion as the environment would probably be quite toxic.

 

[Wilch]

Peewee level rep is almost always politics. Let your kid play AA until bantam. I mean I can understand your child's mindset that he needs to/wants to play in AAA, but putting him in an AAA system that is as messed up as you stated would just be a mistake. It would probably end up killing his passion as the environment would probably be quite toxic.

Never knew it was this bad in these children's league

 

[Marotte Marauder]

Peewee level rep is almost always politics. Let your kid play AA until bantam. I mean I can understand your child's mindset that he needs to/wants to play in AAA, but putting him in an AAA system that is as messed up as you stated would just be a mistake. It would probably end up killing his passion as the environment would probably be quite toxic.

Never knew it was this bad in these children's league

You should see how bad it is in Illinois. Lotsa heavy hitter parents have kids on teams where they definitely do not belong. It has become all about the $$$$.

 

[Gino 14]

If there's a way to separate you from your money, there's someone out there to take it from you. For the most part it has nothing to do with the kids and everything to do with the money.

 

[RJ8812*]

Peewee level rep is almost always politics. Let your kid play AA until bantam. I mean I can understand your child's mindset that he needs to/wants to play in AAA, but putting him in an AAA system that is as messed up as you stated would just be a mistake. It would probably end up killing his passion as the environment would probably be quite toxic.

I agree with this.

 

[hockeymass]

Youth hockey in my area is absurd. Kids playing on state champion varsity teams are stuck on midget B teams because they haven't been in the program long enough, while the A team is 90% plugs and gets blown out constantly.

 

[AIREAYE]

Agree with everyone here, be careful. I've heard from a few coaching buddies at that level that most of the higher level teams are already preselected and that tryouts are basically just a show. Politics abound.

 

[Moncton man]

Is your son happy on the team he is on now? If he moves up is he guaranteed to play as much as he is now or would he possibly be behind someone that gets a larger share of the ice time?

Unlike other areas on the team, if he struggles he's more likely to sit rather than move down a line if he was a forward for instance.

What experience do you have with the coaching staff on a number of issues? a) instruction b) tournaments they select the team to enter (here i mean do they pick tournaments that your team can succeed in rather than simply picking them based on prestige of the tournament where your team won't stand out or perhaps struggle) c) deportment and rapport with the players

I think all of these things should be a consideration more than AAA vs AA. I think more parents get hung up on the level that their kids play at especially when teams get fielded that aren't as strong as the level they are playing at but get to hold their heads high because their kid is playing at a more "impressive" level of hockey.

 

[adaminnj]

Is your son happy on the team he is on now? If he moves up is he guaranteed to play as much as he is now or would he possibly be behind someone that gets a larger share of the ice time?

No he is not happy playing where he has been forced to play because of politics this season. So with that said we do need to make the move up to at least AA. He is very strong and the two |AA teams we where talking to both offered an equatable split. one team offered a 40/40 split with 20 being used as coaching tool to get the boys to work harder. the other offered 50/50 and tournaments are the coaches decision. This year I will expect the same deals from any team he signs with.

Unlike other areas on the team, if he struggles he's more likely to sit rather than move down a line if he was a forward for instance.

See above.

What experience do you have with the coaching staff on a number of issues? a) instruction b) tournaments they select the team to enter (here i mean do they pick tournaments that your team can succeed in rather than simply picking them based on prestige of the tournament where your team won't stand out or perhaps struggle) c) deportment and rapport with the players

There is the big problem I don't know any of the coaches and I don't have to many contacts that can offer advice on specific coaches but I am getting info on organizations mostly in the GTHL. The kid will have to do the tryouts for out home center to get the release to play in the "G" as an import. The import issue this year is what killed us for the team we wanted him to skate on.

I think all of these things should be a consideration more than AAA vs AA. I think more parents get hung up on the level that their kids play at especially when teams get fielded that aren't as strong as the level they are playing at but get to hold their heads high because their kid is playing at a more "impressive" level of hockey.

I am so not hung up on the A vs AA vs AAA, but I keep getting approached and spoken to about where and for who he will be playing and that "he should be playing AAA". It has just been recently that anyone has told me that letter chasing at this age is more for the parent than the kids development.

Again
What ever happened to earning a spot on a team?
​

 

[adaminnj]

Update:

He will be playing AA based on the advice of one coach and one skate. There is some AAA interest but lots of AA interest. And I think that since the kid is still on the small side of his age and still has some maturing to do. AA is the best fit for next year.

Thanks for the responses from everyone and giving me the outlet to vent.

The evaluating coach had the best line I have heard from anyone about moving to AAA. "Hockey development is not a sprint, it's a marathon."