Minor Hockey Talks - Hockey Forum

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 11:28 am

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:09 am

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 8:58 pm How true is it that OMHA will be bringing back U9AAA full ice next year?

I haven't heard anything personally. It would be smart if they did - but I think they are truly too stubborn to do it.

Don't they already move to full ice mid season?

IMO if they bump everything up earlier one year Klevr is dead. If they don’t do it this year then Klevr takes over everything high level up until U9. Once entrenched they will expand to older age groups and will succeed.

Hockey Canada needs to wake up because they’ve already lost BC and Alberta to these rogue leagues and risk losing Ontario and Quebec now too.

At some point you need to listen to your clients or risk losing them to someone that will provide what their seeking.

Half ice isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. Maybe it should end in u8 though. Kids get a bit too big after the U8 year. Before u8 it’s golden.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri May 03, 2024 11:21 pm

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 11:28 am

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:09 am

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 8:58 pm How true is it that OMHA will be bringing back U9AAA full ice next year?

I haven't heard anything personally. It would be smart if they did - but I think they are truly too stubborn to do it.

Don't they already move to full ice mid season?

IMO if they bump everything up earlier one year Klevr is dead. If they don’t do it this year then Klevr takes over everything high level up until U9. Once entrenched they will expand to older age groups and will succeed.

Hockey Canada needs to wake up because they’ve already lost BC and Alberta to these rogue leagues and risk losing Ontario and Quebec now too.

At some point you need to listen to your clients or risk losing them to someone that will provide what their seeking.

Half ice isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. Maybe it should end in u8 though. Kids get a bit too big after the U8 year. Before u8 it’s golden.

Should end half way thru u8

Guest wrote: ↑Sat May 04, 2024 6:15 am

Guest wrote: ↑Fri May 03, 2024 11:21 pm

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 11:28 am

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:09 am

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 8:58 pm How true is it that OMHA will be bringing back U9AAA full ice next year?

I haven't heard anything personally. It would be smart if they did - but I think they are truly too stubborn to do it.

Don't they already move to full ice mid season?

IMO if they bump everything up earlier one year Klevr is dead. If they don’t do it this year then Klevr takes over everything high level up until U9. Once entrenched they will expand to older age groups and will succeed.

Hockey Canada needs to wake up because they’ve already lost BC and Alberta to these rogue leagues and risk losing Ontario and Quebec now too.

At some point you need to listen to your clients or risk losing them to someone that will provide what their seeking.

Half ice isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. Maybe it should end in u8 though. Kids get a bit too big after the U8 year. Before u8 it’s golden.

Should end half way thru u8

I agree in general. BUT, there are still kids who are way to dominant to play with average kids at this age. Its ridiculous, I know, but the casual environment of U7 hockey in Timbits just let kids who are amazing have the puck for an entire game. So there needs to be somewhere to put those kids where at least the parents are going into it KNOWING they are going to be dealing with better kids. Plus the coaches are more dedicated to deal with it

U7 there is no MD for OMHA or GTHL, so having KSL and Timbits are really your two options (outside of the other rogue leagues, which are fine but for simplicity I will just lump them together with KSL) This immediately takes the best kids and takes them out of the system. Because its either play timbits with kids that do ice angles mid game or play real hockey. Easy decision likely.

By U8 you've got MD in most centers so, the players you've somehow retained in the home centers now have a choice again after the vast majority of the best ones left at U7. U8MD with half ice, no scores being kept, no rules, and small nets. Or real hockey. This is where last year you had some people who were totally against the rogue leagues and stayed in their home centre and were either bitter or just passive aggressive about KSL. Or you had some that stayed in their home centre because of the threat of being banned from hockey Canada. So, only some took the leap of faith as the guinea pigs and it ended up going really well for them. Now that people aren't afraid of a ban, the door has been pushed open and the tryouts were insane. Huge numbers of kids. Going forward if you weren't on the U7 KSL team, it will be difficult to get onto a U8 KSL team since they are likely to carry that roster forward.

U9 is when players start trying to figure out their best path to AAA hockey. Typically you want to play for a coach who will have a AAA team if you can. So, even though this is players last year of KSL they will likely have a small chance to go back to a home center if the coach of where they want to play AAA is there. However, it seems like almost every AAA centre is being given to a KSL coach. So, it seems like for the time being it will be sticking with KSL in most cases where they probably think its smarter to develop for full ice U10AAA.


In order for OMHA, GTHL to get their players back, they need to do MORE than just go to full ice. They need U7MD programing (and even still this might not be good enough since a lot of KSL teams are doing "development years" as year as U5 in some cases.

They need to go to Full Ice for MD and up (keep select as half ice)
they need to stop with the WOKE ideas of not keeping score to protect feelings
teach kids the rules of the game
full size nets U7 and up.

Now all of a sudden, you product is the same as KSL, the only difference is the extra travel in OMHA and potentially terrible match making. But again, you could do an A and B or T1 / T2 for MD just like KSL to help.

Parents will have an abundance of options:

U5/U6 - Timbits or Development through a non-OMHA team
U7 - Timbits
U7 - Select (Half ice)
U7 - MD or KSL (Full ice)
U8 - Timbits
U8 - Select (Half ice)
U8 - MD or KSL (Full ice)
U9 - Timbits
U9 - Select (Full Ice)
U9 - MD or KSL (Full ice)

After 2 or 3 years, the home centres will retain more of their talent and it will probably even itself out.

so I'm a new hockey parent and appreciate the info provided here.
and I do think ksl is great option.

omha unofficially announced competitive pathway program (cpp) which is a more formal select program. every club has advertised this on their website.

my son is u7 and already plays for rep soccer academy and Ontario soccer don't keep score until u12. I don't agree hockey u7-u8 should.keep score and kids should be losing 10-0, 20-0.

I agree elite ppl should join ksl however my son is great skater (played house league for two yrs where no select team existed) and I considered trying out but do feel it's a cash grab. also I don't want to join AAA since hockey is not his primary sport and the way some of u guys bash each other I have no interest in joining elite status. my son will tryout for U8 MD and I will test the rep waters before things get crazier by u10.

anyway hockey environment is pretty nuts compared to rep soccer and bball which I have experience in. you guys just need to cool off (the parent bashing is insane) and follow some youth sports social media accounts that promote multi sport athletes and not burning out your kids. but I understand, there is pathway to nhl moreso than NBA and FIFA in Canada...

anyway good luck y'all but think more long term development about your kids (and not just winning) and be careful of burnout

Guest wrote: ↑Mon May 06, 2024 11:36 am so I'm a new hockey parent and appreciate the info provided here.
and I do think ksl is great option.

omha unofficially announced competitive pathway program (cpp) which is a more formal select program. every club has advertised this on their website.

my son is u7 and already plays for rep soccer academy and Ontario soccer don't keep score until u12. I don't agree hockey u7-u8 should.keep score and kids should be losing 10-0, 20-0.

I agree elite ppl should join ksl however my son is great skater (played house league for two yrs where no select team existed) and I considered trying out but do feel it's a cash grab. also I don't want to join AAA since hockey is not his primary sport and the way some of u guys bash each other I have no interest in joining elite status. my son will tryout for U8 MD and I will test the rep waters before things get crazier by u10.

anyway hockey environment is pretty nuts compared to rep soccer and bball which I have experience in. you guys just need to cool off (the parent bashing is insane) and follow some youth sports social media accounts that promote multi sport athletes and not burning out your kids. but I understand, there is pathway to nhl moreso than NBA and FIFA in Canada...

anyway good luck y'all but think more long term development about your kids (and not just winning) and be careful of burnout

I read until you said Soccer and vomited. Your opinion is useless if you think the way Ontario does Soccer is the "ideal way to model hockey after"

Biggest complaint by parents is that by the time they are playing by the full set of rules, kids in Europe are being selected to go pro.

And yes, your silk wearing, falling over because another player touched him, son - is best to not be in any serious hockey anyways. thanks for doing everyone a favour.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon May 06, 2024 2:21 pm

Guest wrote: ↑Mon May 06, 2024 11:36 am so I'm a new hockey parent and appreciate the info provided here.
and I do think ksl is great option.

omha unofficially announced competitive pathway program (cpp) which is a more formal select program. every club has advertised this on their website.

my son is u7 and already plays for rep soccer academy and Ontario soccer don't keep score until u12. I don't agree hockey u7-u8 should.keep score and kids should be losing 10-0, 20-0.

I agree elite ppl should join ksl however my son is great skater (played house league for two yrs where no select team existed) and I considered trying out but do feel it's a cash grab. also I don't want to join AAA since hockey is not his primary sport and the way some of u guys bash each other I have no interest in joining elite status. my son will tryout for U8 MD and I will test the rep waters before things get crazier by u10.

anyway hockey environment is pretty nuts compared to rep soccer and bball which I have experience in. you guys just need to cool off (the parent bashing is insane) and follow some youth sports social media accounts that promote multi sport athletes and not burning out your kids. but I understand, there is pathway to nhl moreso than NBA and FIFA in Canada...

anyway good luck y'all but think more long term development about your kids (and not just winning) and be careful of burnout

I read until you said Soccer and vomited. Your opinion is useless if you think the way Ontario does Soccer is the "ideal way to model hockey after"

Biggest complaint by parents is that by the time they are playing by the full set of rules, kids in Europe are being selected to go pro.

And yes, your silk wearing, falling over because another player touched him, son - is best to not be in any serious hockey anyways. thanks for doing everyone a favour.

I also find it hilarious that anyone would look at soccer Ontario for how things should be done when Soccer moved to the private leagues WAY before minor hockey. All the best players are playing for academy's that are outside of the Soccer Ontario rules. They literally just proved that KSL is the way to go.

OMHA U9, just saw that one of the teams announced T1 U9MD.

Does this finally mean they are doing full ice?