Edina Lakers

From A Hockey Father and former College Player

THE BEGINNING

I felt we had a lot to look forward to beyond high school hockey. My son wanted to play college hockey and we held out the hope that maybe even a Division 1 scholarship would be possible. We planned to showcase his talents at the Great 8, sign up for exposure tournaments and then wait for the invitations to come. We were looking forward to the next step.

We knew that because my son was not drafted or tendered by the USHL that this level was probably out of reach at the time. USHL does not have ‘open’ tryouts and he did not receive serious contact from a Division 1 college or a USHL team. In fact, we learned that over 50% of the players joining a USHL team have already committed to a D1 school before joining.

Like most families, the NAHL is the place we thought we belonged and wanted to be. We believed that my son was surely good enough to play at this level. We started receiving the invitations to the NAHL open tryouts and Tier 3 invite camps in late April after playing in the Great 8 tournament. We planned to attend as many NAHL camps as we reasonably could. It seemed very likely from all the invites we had that we could catch on with a NAHL team since my son is a very skilled player and, surely, all these letters of invitation were proof of a high level of interest.

We had a file folder to set aside the Tier 3 invitations, as there was no way we could see him playing at this level. Sound familiar?

THE TRYOUTS BEGIN

We decided to attend an additional open exposure camp during the Memorial Day weekend in Kansas City. A total of 3 players from Minnesota were there along with 157 other players from other states. Although my son played very well during the camp, we were very impressed by how many great players there were from all over the country, especially since we all think Minnesota players are superior. There will be a lot of competition to come.

Our next stop was an open NAHL camp in the Twin Cities. The veteran players were there and it was obvious who they were, whether it was noticing their helmets, their size or their ability. They were bigger, stronger, faster, and more disciplined. And to top it off, the team was only looking for a total of 5 or so players to bring to their invite only camp. The other 75 players in attendance ($200 per player) left disappointed and we were among them. My son skated very well against the veterans and he had gotten the attention of an assistant coach. Close - but no cigar. We were encouraged by the attention and moved on to the next camp to see what would come. We love this game and my son and I believed he was good enough to play in the NAHL.

The invite letters continued to come in and we continued to file the Tier 3 letters in the Tier 3 file. We attended 2 more open NAHL camps with the same results.

THE DECISION

We had spent about $2,000 on tryouts. We could no longer afford to fish in the ‘open camp’ waters with no results. The teams had limited openings on their roster for the next season and were looking to fill specific positions with certain size or types of players. We realized that we had a decision to make regarding the file full of Tier 3 teams that had contacted us.

We decided that my son would play in the Tier 3 MNJHL here in the Twin Cities. He was able to live at home, began Junior college courses part time, work part time, and continue to pursue his dream of playing college hockey. We were not sure of what to expect regarding the league, but the facts showed that players did move up from the MNJHL to the NAHL or Division 3 college hockey and we were going for it.

AFTER THE EXPERIENCE

Our experience with the MNJHL was more than we expected … positively. The level of the players in the MNJHL varied by team but I was shocked at the all around level of play throughout the league and especially the league’s top teams. All of the teams had guys that could flat out play and, along the way, a number of the league’s teams sent players up to the NAHL or had players committing to D3 colleges. My son had a great season and he developed his game in all aspects. He was and still is dedicated to his team and coaches and they were and are still committed to him. The coaches and staff of his team are helping him find his way to the next level while developing him physically and mentally. We expect he will get where he wants to go in the end.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY

Having navigated the system, I offer the following for those to come.

I now realize that not being drafted or tendered by a USHL or NAHL team meant that my son was not likely to get a chance to play in either league last season. He is most likely to have a chance to play at the Division 3 level and he will still have to have at least 2 years of experience in junior hockey to play for any Division 3 or larger ACHA college club program.

We spent a considerable amount of time and money on these camps and open tryouts. My son needed to get bigger and stronger to compliment his skill and ability. If you find that your son is not drafted, tendered, or invited to a NAHL ‘invite only’ camp, you are in the same situation as we were a year ago. If your son is committed to pursuing a college hockey career, you will have to consider the Tier 3 MNJHL. When your son is ready to move up to the NAHL or get a D3 commitment, his Tier 3 coaches will get him the opportunity. I have seen it for myself and we are looking for our chance this next year.

P.S. If you are interested in learning more about the complex world of Junior Hockey, check this out: www.navigatingjuniorhockey.blogspot.com or you can follow the feed below: