Minor Hockey Talks - Hockey Forum

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 2:51 pm

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 2:41 pm You have no clue who will be a top player at 11, 13, 15. You clearly have no older children and are basing this on no facts. There's no historical data to base this on. Teams that promote AAA training and mentality at a younger age which obviously will result in more skill at young ages. Whether or not your kids can stand the test of time is nowhere near proven. Half the 2015s will be burnt out in 2 years and they're already starting to fade. The skill gap closes. You can skate little Johnny 20 times a day but come u14 AAA (if he can hang on that long), that advantage will diminish and athleticism, IQ take over.

As a parent with older kids playing real AAA G hockey, I'll give you some advice, stay humble and don't be ignorant. Karma catches up.

I've been at this age group multiple times. Kids who are on the ice the most, have access to quality training and work hard move ahead very quickly. Puberty changes everything. Athleticism doesn't always translate at older ages. No one has hit a real growth spurt at this age. I've seen "athletic" kids quickly get bypassed by 12.

Also, size difference is a non issue at 7-8. Yes there will be bigger, smaller kids at the age but it's not exposed like it will be soon. The size gap only increases in the years to come, especially with contact.

IQ at 7-8 is not real IQ. Hockey doesn't resemble real hockey at this age. You can think it does but it simply isn't. The plays are not advanced enough and you have tons of time to make decisions vs even 3 years from now. Again, stay humble as the rankings do change. I do hope your kids stays at the top but historically, the top kids rarely stay at the top throughout. Pace your kid. Literally no one remembers or cares who was the top dog at this age. It's irrelevant. May not seem like it because you're in it right now but you'll look back down the road and understand.

Enjoy the ride. It's fun and you'll look back and miss these days. Burnout is real, requirement for high level hockey is real, puberty and body contact are real. This is diaper hockey boys

Genuine question from someone who hasn’t been through it. My kid will be playing AAA next year. He’s on the ice a lot, but needs to be to keep developing and keeping up with the kids around him who are also on a ton. How do you keep developing them if they’re not on the ice a few times per week, but also avoiding the burnout you mentioned?

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 11:15 pm Okay scout. You don't wanna start this convo. Former coach got forced out despite him trying to save face. Core of his single A team that paid to be there by Asian man scrambled to OMHA after the hammer fell. I am assuming you're one of those single A parents that is butt hurt.

I don't know about the new process but good for them running a true process because they would have been in trouble with the other guy who loved pay-to-play.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 11:15 pm Okay scout. You don't wanna start this convo. Former coach got forced out despite him trying to save face. Core of his single A team that paid to be there by Asian man scrambled to OMHA after the hammer fell. I am assuming you're one of those single A parents that is butt hurt.

I don't know about the new process but good for them running a true process because they would have been in trouble with the other guy who loved pay-to-play.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 9:06 pm

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 8:39 pmToo smart, must be GPT

Ya probably but can still be good information, the 35-40% of kids from U10 still playing AAA at U16 feels right…helps reinforce not taking all of this too seriously

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 10:29 pm Is there any way small size kids can prepare for U12?

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Apr 03, 2025 9:07 am

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 10:29 pm Is there any way small size kids can prepare for U12?

There are a lot of schools out there that teach physical play in preparation for contact.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Apr 03, 2025 9:47 am

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Apr 03, 2025 9:07 am

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 10:29 pm Is there any way small size kids can prepare for U12?

There are a lot of schools out there that teach physical play in preparation for contact.

Any recommendations?

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 11:15 pm Okay scout. You don't wanna start this convo. Former coach got forced out despite him trying to save face. Core of his single A team that paid to be there by Asian man scrambled to OMHA after the hammer fell. I am assuming you're one of those single A parents that is butt hurt.

I don't know about the new process but good for them running a true process because they would have been in trouble with the other guy who loved pay-to-play.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Apr 03, 2025 10:10 am Why do some parents insist that they go to every AAA skate just to be told your child isn't AAA calibre yet? There is plenty of time to continue to develop in AA. We have seen strong AA player parents take their kids 100 km away just to chase the letter. How likely is it to make a AAA team in the G at tryouts? Not liklely, OMHA I'm not sure...