First Year Midget Hockey Advice

arizonaamaturescout

Registered User
Jun 3, 2010
16
0
Arizona
Hello guys i am asking anyone for good advice and tell me what i should do.This year is my first year of Midget hockey I HAVE THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR OF MIDGET HOCKEY. i made my local AAA team but there are two goalies me and another goalie this AAA team is doing very high exposeure tournaments such as the NAPHL Future Prospect Tournament, Bauer International Invite, 30th Annual Richmond International Midget Hockey TOURNAMENT AND SUCH.But my parents think i should play for a midget aa team i have also made were i would be the only goalie and only do local tournaments and a few out of state tournaments.SO TELL ME WHAT SHOULD I DO PLAYY AAA AND SHARE HALF THE NET TIME AND DO HIGH SCOUTING TOURNAMENTS OR PLAY AA WERE ID BE THE ONLY GOALIE. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO
 

jgherbert57

Registered User
May 13, 2010
7
0
Texas
Hello guys i am asking anyone for good advice and tell me what i should do.This year is my first year of Midget hockey I HAVE THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR OF MIDGET HOCKEY. i made my local AAA team but there are two goalies me and another goalie this AAA team is doing very high exposeure tournaments such as the NAPHL Future Prospect Tournament, Bauer International Invite, 30th Annual Richmond International Midget Hockey TOURNAMENT AND SUCH.But my parents think i should play for a midget aa team i have also made were i would be the only goalie and only do local tournaments and a few out of state tournaments.SO TELL ME WHAT SHOULD I DO PLAYY AAA AND SHARE HALF THE NET TIME AND DO HIGH SCOUTING TOURNAMENTS OR PLAY AA WERE ID BE THE ONLY GOALIE. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO

No one can really tell you whether to play AA/AAA look at your skill set, if you made the AAA team then you are good enough to play the higher level of hockey. This will only increase your skill set. What does your heart really tell you? If it is to move on to a heigher level of hockey then you have answered your question. If your parents are willing to support that, then the other thing to consider is the big picture what is the cost for the team, travel, food, etc.. What does the team cover cost wise? were do you want to go in hockey, college etc... Good luck hope this helps some....
 

arizonaamaturescout

Registered User
Jun 3, 2010
16
0
Arizona
No one can really tell you whether to play AA/AAA look at your skill set, if you made the AAA team then you are good enough to play the higher level of hockey. This will only increase your skill set. What does your heart really tell you? If it is to move on to a heigher level of hockey then you have answered your question. If your parents are willing to support that, then the other thing to consider is the big picture what is the cost for the team, travel, food, etc.. What does the team cover cost wise? were do you want to go in hockey, college etc... Good luck hope this helps some....

thank tou for the advice
 

YYCBlueliner

Registered User
Mar 18, 2010
6
0
Hello guys i am asking anyone for good advice and tell me what i should do.This year is my first year of Midget hockey I HAVE THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR OF MIDGET HOCKEY. i made my local AAA team but there are two goalies me and another goalie this AAA team is doing very high exposeure tournaments such as the NAPHL Future Prospect Tournament, Bauer International Invite, 30th Annual Richmond International Midget Hockey TOURNAMENT AND SUCH.But my parents think i should play for a midget aa team i have also made were i would be the only goalie and only do local tournaments and a few out of state tournaments.SO TELL ME WHAT SHOULD I DO PLAYY AAA AND SHARE HALF THE NET TIME AND DO HIGH SCOUTING TOURNAMENTS OR PLAY AA WERE ID BE THE ONLY GOALIE. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD DO

My son recently finished 2 years of playing Midget AAA, He could have played Jr A last season but elected to play out his final year, the reason was for greater exposure. As it ended up he had a good year had fun and when the dust settled he had 3 BCHL, 1 SJHL, 3 AJHL, 1 NAHL and 1 WHL team requesting his services. He really wants to go to college so the WHL Team was disqualified,(he was previously listed with a WHL team), so now the delima on where to play. All teams play in leagues that are pretty even in skill level, maybe some differences in style of hockey. Well to make along story short it boiled down to exposure, exposure, exposure. Need I say more. If you have the skill to play at a higher level then play there and take every opportunity to advance your game. You only have a short window to make your mark and as each year passes the funnel gets smaller and smaller, esspecially with goalies. My son choose the NAHL as the exposure within this league is very high and he only wants to play 2 years at JR A. We have had people question his choice and tried to rank the leagues against each other, no one can do this and get a fair evaluation as within each league your have your strong teams and then you have your week teams, on any given night your strong teams could compete against each other as well as your week teams could compete against each other. So bottom line is do what you feel is right and good for you and your family, set a plan in place with goals and bench marks so have something to strive for, and most of all never second guess your choice, imbrace it, live it, and believe in it.
 

KingLB

Registered User
Oct 29, 2008
9,034
1,160
Well since you didn't mention MWEHL I assume its not PF Changs (or Jr coyotes or whatever now) but maybe AZ Mission....first thing you should do is talk to your coach...where do you stand? Are you the starter or the back-up, if your the back up does he plan on getting you games during these tournaments, and how many games are you guys gonna play this year (there aren't many teams in the region to play unless you take alot of trips to Cali/Colo). Also how well connected is this coach, many times AAA isn't only about getting seen its about who you know....lots of kids don't get tendered or drafted but can get invited to main camps (basically equivalent to getting drafted/tendered) because of a coaches recommendation. If your coach has these it only adds to his value.
 

LcandCompAlum91

Registered User
Aug 15, 2010
11
0
miami florida
since hockey is a very political and money oriented sport,especially on ceasers and compuware, I would suggest, seeing how "genuine" this coach really is. I've been on alot of teams especially on the cleveland barons and compuware, where the better goalie has sat, because the worse goalie got buddy buddy with the coach.


Money is your biggest asset. If you have alot of it, and you are a mediocre goalie, you will get ahead.

And def play aaa. I dont care if you play one game, its better skill wise than aa, and you will be practicing with other aaa players.

Once you play down, you never are fully able to get back to a better level or your full potential.

What is the name of the team in az?
 

showtime8

Registered User
Jun 30, 2010
11,554
1,145
Toronto, ON
I think that YYC Blueliner had the best idea. I'd say you stick around and play both years of your midget eligibility. That way, you could always bank on being the starter next year if the other goalie moves on and you will likely have more people offering you scholarships/CHL spots.

Just my opinion though. You goalies are a different breed all together.
 

StrBender

Registered User
Mar 7, 2005
258
143
North Shore, MA
I have a nephew playing in his second and last (18) season in the NAPHL. All the teams roster at least two goalies. For league play, they have 5-6 four day matches were all the teams gather. So at the end of the season they will have played all the teams once. The scouting is as good as it gets. AAA is expensive, and the travel makes it hard to attend a regular HS. My nephew and most of his teammates go to school on line. It's not perfect but most of their schools wouldn't allow them to miss school "For Hockey" :shakehead Bunch of loosers :sarcasm: If you hope to play in college then you will need to still play after midgets. Playing two seasons of AAA may get you on a better Jr roster. My nephew has to make a roster in the USHL/NAHL/BCHL etc. for next season or he's off to college (D3). If he can't play for the cost of billeting then he has to move on. Even if he received a 2/4 his parents at best, would maybe break even. If he was 4/4 material he would already have a deal in place like some of his friends. It can be tough and sometimes cruel, but if it was easy were would the challenge be ;)

I would say,

1. Have Fun!!!
2. What are "Your Goals" for the future and are they realistic?
3. The higher the level you play at, the harder it will be to "have fun". You will be feeling some of the same pressure as a Pro with out the $$$$ :( But some players love that.
4. Keep asking those with experience any questions you may have. But remember, you need to filter out any questionable advise. There are a lot of disgruntled people out there. Even more so when it comes to goaltenders. They all think it's easy. :shakehead
5. Did I say "HAVE FUN"

Good Luck

Hope this helped :D
 

brymel

Registered User
Feb 9, 2007
630
0
My son was a second year midget major this season. He's a forward, and at the end of last season we were sort of in your shoes...what do to? He ended up being drafted by a Tier III junior B team, so we took a shot and that is where he is playing this season. He's not on a great team, but he plays tons and has improved tremendously, largely because he is playing with 18 to 20 years olds. He has a fantastic coach who has spent a lot of time with him. He made the League's All Star team and was the youngest one there. It was hard to send him away at the age of 16, but he survived and is better for it. I would seriously give Juniors a look. AAA Midget Majors are not necessarily where the great talent is especially after your first year of MM eligibility. The really good players are playing Juniors either in the US or Canada. Go to some showcase events. The Monster Showcase in St Louis is a good one. It's in April this year. It's not too expensive and there are tons of scouts from all levels there. Good Luck to you!
www.monstershowcase.com
 

MadHockey

Registered User
Sep 29, 2009
31
0
Highest Level?

When my son was in his last year midget playing AAA a WHL team came calling. However being realistic he decided to play SJHL. His reasoning was he would be a fourth liner on the WHL team and thought that would hinder his further development. I did not really agree with this as I was of the mindset one must play at as high level as possible. In my sons case things turned out well as a 19 and 20 year old in the SJHL he played a tonne of minutes in all game situations. This without a doubt made him a better player than playing limited minutes at a higher level. Result was a decent college career and semi pro. His entire game improved greatly due to coaching and the amount of minutes played. in his Jr days. For a player who was a late bloomer this was the right route.
 

Rally Donkey

Registered User
Aug 13, 2009
387
0
Chatham, Ont
Hockey Advice for Parents and Players

One of the best series of articles I've read on hockey development was called "Navigating Hockey." The articles were written by an anonymous parent whose kid made it to the NHL I think there were 3 or 4 in the series going from youth, to midget, to junior and I think there was one on scouting and drafts. I just did a search and found one, but it's not free anymore. It's definitely worth the $0.99. Here's the link and description:

Navigating Youth Hockey

A parent's perspective on making the best choices for children involved in competitive youth hockey. Whether your goals are to play college hockey, major junior or make it to the NHL, there are myriad choices and the right combination of choices is not as vast as one might think. Understand the decision making process, options, and factors that will help you achieve your goals and make your child's hockey experience the best that it can be. Part one in a series of articles that progress from mites to midgets.

Good luck. I'll see if I can find the other ones.
 

Quixote

Registered User
Sep 7, 2013
19
0
One of the best series of articles I've read on hockey development was called "Navigating Hockey." The articles were written by an anonymous parent whose kid made it to the NHL I think there were 3 or 4 in the series going from youth, to midget, to junior and I think there was one on scouting and drafts. I just did a search and found one, but it's not free anymore. It's definitely worth the $0.99. Here's the link and description:

Navigating Youth Hockey



Good luck. I'll see if I can find the other ones.

The original series of articles came from a blog which has been edited and distilled into a book which will be released on Amazon 6/25/15. It's geared more toward American parents and players, but has some good stuff for everyone: Navigating Youth Hockey: The Definitive Guide for Parents and Players.
 

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