Yukon Joe
Registered User
I feel like I start a lot of threads here, but since this is such a slow forum I think it's worth it to try and generate more traffic.
Out of the blue my kid (12yo, playing U13AA) asked about attending a hockey school for next year.
Does anyone have any experience with dedicated hockey schools - that is where hockey is part of the overall school curriculum (and not something that is done outside of school). Did you find it was worth the money? Was there noticeable development from going to that school? Were the academics still appropriate?
Just to clarify - in Edmonton at least there are two different kinds of "hockey schools". First you have the Hockey Academies, which are privately-run, can cost like $30k, and that winds up being your hockey team for the year. Northern Alberta Xtreme (NAX) and Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) are Edmonton-areas examples. They've been very successful at getting kids drafted into juniors at least. We aren't really looking at these kind of schools, but would appreciate any feedback.
The other kinds of schools are existing Public (or Catholic) schools that incorporate a hockey component. There is an additional cost (around $5k), you're on the ice practicing about 3x2hr a week or so as part of school, but you win up playing for a hockey team separate and apart from that. Vimy Ridge and Louis St Laurent are Edmonton-area examples.
Vimy Ridge is where my kid is now asking about, but this should be a more general discussion if people are up for it.
I'm very sceptical do be honest. It's not like we're not already paying several thousand dollars for him to play hockey - would another $5k make any meaningful difference, or would it just burn him out of the sport? This kid loves hockey far more than I do, but there has to be a limit at some point? And I'm worried about the academics - getting a good schooling is going to be much more important for him during is life than being a slightly better hockey player.
The parents I've spoken to have wildly divergent views. Mostly just think whatever decision they made was great, that is the kids going to hockey schools think they're great, the parents who didn't send their kids to hockey schools think they're terrible, but I did recently talk to a hockey mom who regretted sending her kid to one of those schools.
Out of the blue my kid (12yo, playing U13AA) asked about attending a hockey school for next year.
Does anyone have any experience with dedicated hockey schools - that is where hockey is part of the overall school curriculum (and not something that is done outside of school). Did you find it was worth the money? Was there noticeable development from going to that school? Were the academics still appropriate?
Just to clarify - in Edmonton at least there are two different kinds of "hockey schools". First you have the Hockey Academies, which are privately-run, can cost like $30k, and that winds up being your hockey team for the year. Northern Alberta Xtreme (NAX) and Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) are Edmonton-areas examples. They've been very successful at getting kids drafted into juniors at least. We aren't really looking at these kind of schools, but would appreciate any feedback.
The other kinds of schools are existing Public (or Catholic) schools that incorporate a hockey component. There is an additional cost (around $5k), you're on the ice practicing about 3x2hr a week or so as part of school, but you win up playing for a hockey team separate and apart from that. Vimy Ridge and Louis St Laurent are Edmonton-area examples.
Vimy Ridge is where my kid is now asking about, but this should be a more general discussion if people are up for it.
I'm very sceptical do be honest. It's not like we're not already paying several thousand dollars for him to play hockey - would another $5k make any meaningful difference, or would it just burn him out of the sport? This kid loves hockey far more than I do, but there has to be a limit at some point? And I'm worried about the academics - getting a good schooling is going to be much more important for him during is life than being a slightly better hockey player.
The parents I've spoken to have wildly divergent views. Mostly just think whatever decision they made was great, that is the kids going to hockey schools think they're great, the parents who didn't send their kids to hockey schools think they're terrible, but I did recently talk to a hockey mom who regretted sending her kid to one of those schools.
