Minor Hockey Talks - Hockey Forum

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:01 am Ok, we live in Toronto proper, MD is right beside my house and there is a great training school
Any point in going for Klevr, GTA aces seems closest
Kid is U6 currently
Is there a point U7, maybe wait for spring teams

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:54 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:01 am Ok, we live in Toronto proper, MD is right beside my house and there is a great training school
Any point in going for Klevr, GTA aces seems closest
Kid is U6 currently
Is there a point U7, maybe wait for spring teams

Probably wait one more year before going full ice. U8 is probably a good time to introduce full ice. At 6 years old these kids are too small to understand all the rules and can barely skate.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 8:43 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:54 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:01 am Ok, we live in Toronto proper, MD is right beside my house and there is a great training school
Any point in going for Klevr, GTA aces seems closest
Kid is U6 currently
Is there a point U7, maybe wait for spring teams

Probably wait one more year before going full ice. U8 is probably a good time to introduce full ice. At 6 years old these kids are too small to understand all the rules and can barely skate.

That's not necessarily true at all. It 100% depends on your kid. If they are "immature" for their age, meaning they don't really listen well, they don't comprehend things typically, are more interested in roblox than playing hockey, etc. Do MD for a year, there is NOTHING wrong with it. And I mean "immature" in the most non-critical way possible. Some kids are just "more baby" at that age than others, and there is nothing wrong with it. No need to rush a kids childhood away.

However, there are tones of U7s this year that are playing hockey on teams in KSL that are successful in teaching them the full ice game. The more common it becomes for U7s to be on full ice, the more a kid who isn't playing full ice is going to fall behind their peers a bit. We are seeing that live with U8 and U9MD teams playing against KSL teams. They are getting destroyed. 2016 KSL teams destroying 2015MD teams.

The disclaimer with all of this though, the kids who are the top kids are going to succeed no matter where they play their U7, U8, U9 years. There is just a very low likelihood your kid is one of these kids based on just math.

Good luck.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 8:43 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:54 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:01 am Ok, we live in Toronto proper, MD is right beside my house and there is a great training school
Any point in going for Klevr, GTA aces seems closest
Kid is U6 currently
Is there a point U7, maybe wait for spring teams

Probably wait one more year before going full ice. U8 is probably a good time to introduce full ice. At 6 years old these kids are too small to understand all the rules and can barely skate.

That's not necessarily true at all. It 100% depends on your kid. If they are "immature" for their age, meaning they don't really listen well, they don't comprehend things typically, are more interested in roblox than playing hockey, etc. Do MD for a year, there is NOTHING wrong with it. And I mean "immature" in the most non-critical way possible. Some kids are just "more baby" at that age than others, and there is nothing wrong with it. No need to rush a kids childhood away.

However, there are tones of U7s this year that are playing hockey on teams in KSL that are successful in teaching them the full ice game. The more common it becomes for U7s to be on full ice, the more a kid who isn't playing full ice is going to fall behind their peers a bit. We are seeing that live with U8 and U9MD teams playing against KSL teams. They are getting destroyed. 2016 KSL teams destroying 2015MD teams.

The disclaimer with all of this though, the kids who are the top kids are going to succeed no matter where they play their U7, U8, U9 years. There is just a very low likelihood your kid is one of these kids based on just math.

Good luck.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Mar 20, 2024 12:35 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 8:43 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:54 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:01 am Ok, we live in Toronto proper, MD is right beside my house and there is a great training school
Any point in going for Klevr, GTA aces seems closest
Kid is U6 currently
Is there a point U7, maybe wait for spring teams

Probably wait one more year before going full ice. U8 is probably a good time to introduce full ice. At 6 years old these kids are too small to understand all the rules and can barely skate.

That's not necessarily true at all. It 100% depends on your kid. If they are "immature" for their age, meaning they don't really listen well, they don't comprehend things typically, are more interested in roblox than playing hockey, etc. Do MD for a year, there is NOTHING wrong with it. And I mean "immature" in the most non-critical way possible. Some kids are just "more baby" at that age than others, and there is nothing wrong with it. No need to rush a kids childhood away.

However, there are tones of U7s this year that are playing hockey on teams in KSL that are successful in teaching them the full ice game. The more common it becomes for U7s to be on full ice, the more a kid who isn't playing full ice is going to fall behind their peers a bit. We are seeing that live with U8 and U9MD teams playing against KSL teams. They are getting destroyed. 2016 KSL teams destroying 2015MD teams.

The disclaimer with all of this though, the kids who are the top kids are going to succeed no matter where they play their U7, U8, U9 years. There is just a very low likelihood your kid is one of these kids based on just math.

Good luck.

That someone can refer to 6 year olds as ‘immature’ and then try to backpedal by saying they’re not being critical is incomprehensible to me. They’re kids. Little ones at that.

Every parent will make the best decision for their kid. Don’t get caught up in the FOMO race. My kid played U7 non-Klevr last year and was on a competitive U8 Klevr tier 1 this year - knowing what I know now, I would not have put him in Klevr at U7, even though he’s ’mature’ (whatever that means), can skate and has a high level of compete. I can see how it works for some, but I think he had more than enough challenge (and fun!) in U7 learning to play on a team and handling the puck; competition was great during weekly games plus he loved having his name on his jersey. Klevr tournaments are fun and exciting, however they can also be pretty intense due to the level of competition and depending on the coaches (and parents). Also unless you’re on a team committed to regular exhibition games, playing tournaments a month apart is not as much fun for kids that age. Klevr is also not cheap. Most teams were between $3-3.5k+….others topped $5k. You can decide if the added cost is worth it - it doesn’t leave much room for any supplemental training.

I would also caution that you will get advice from Klevr and non-Klevr team owners on this forum. I suppose everyone has their own agenda and bias - so take my advice for whatever it’s worth! I think ultimately if you find a team or coach that you and your kid really like, go for it if you have the resources to spare. But if you think your kid will fall behind if you don’t join Klevr right away, he won’t. As an earlier poster suggested, you can always revisit for U8 or U9.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Mar 20, 2024 12:35 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 8:43 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:54 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:01 am Ok, we live in Toronto proper, MD is right beside my house and there is a great training school
Any point in going for Klevr, GTA aces seems closest
Kid is U6 currently
Is there a point U7, maybe wait for spring teams

Probably wait one more year before going full ice. U8 is probably a good time to introduce full ice. At 6 years old these kids are too small to understand all the rules and can barely skate.

That's not necessarily true at all. It 100% depends on your kid. If they are "immature" for their age, meaning they don't really listen well, they don't comprehend things typically, are more interested in roblox than playing hockey, etc. Do MD for a year, there is NOTHING wrong with it. And I mean "immature" in the most non-critical way possible. Some kids are just "more baby" at that age than others, and there is nothing wrong with it. No need to rush a kids childhood away.

However, there are tones of U7s this year that are playing hockey on teams in KSL that are successful in teaching them the full ice game. The more common it becomes for U7s to be on full ice, the more a kid who isn't playing full ice is going to fall behind their peers a bit. We are seeing that live with U8 and U9MD teams playing against KSL teams. They are getting destroyed. 2016 KSL teams destroying 2015MD teams.

The disclaimer with all of this though, the kids who are the top kids are going to succeed no matter where they play their U7, U8, U9 years. There is just a very low likelihood your kid is one of these kids based on just math.

Good luck.

That someone can refer to 6 year olds as ‘immature’ and then try to backpedal by saying they’re not being critical is incomprehensible to me. They’re kids. Little ones at that.

Every parent will make the best decision for their kid. Don’t get caught up in the FOMO race. My kid played U7 non-Klevr last year and was on a competitive U8 Klevr tier 1 this year - knowing what I know now, I would not have put him in Klevr at U7, even though he’s ’mature’ (whatever that means), can skate and has a high level of compete. I can see how it works for some, but I think he had more than enough challenge (and fun!) in U7 learning to play on a team and handling the puck; competition was great during weekly games plus he loved having his name on his jersey. Klevr tournaments are fun and exciting, however they can also be pretty intense due to the level of competition and depending on the coaches (and parents). Also unless you’re on a team committed to regular exhibition games, playing tournaments a month apart is not as much fun for kids that age. Klevr is also not cheap. Most teams were between $3-3.5k+….others topped $5k. You can decide if the added cost is worth it - it doesn’t leave much room for any supplemental training.

I would also caution that you will get advice from Klevr and non-Klevr team owners on this forum. I suppose everyone has their own agenda and bias - so take my advice for whatever it’s worth! I think ultimately if you find a team or coach that you and your kid really like, go for it if you have the resources to spare. But if you think your kid will fall behind if you don’t join Klevr right away, he won’t. As an earlier poster suggested, you can always revisit for U8 or U9.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Mar 20, 2024 3:10 pm Yah its a tough one for sure...
Funny enough GTA Aces are having an open house tryout next week for 2018's
Thinking hard about it now!