Minor Hockey Talks - Hockey Forum

Your kid literally JUST turned 4 last month. Let him have fun, sign him up for house league and make sure he actually likes hockey first before looking into super leagues and all the development bs. Is he even potty trained fully yet?

Don't fall into the trap. 4 Is too young to do any aggressive planning.

Just join a local league. Let the kid enjoy it. Most kids want to quit after a few times on the ice - make the child commit to finish his/her season and then revisit their enjoyment. Until the kids are 6, it is mostly for fun. Unfortunately there are select & rep teams starting as early as 6 and they want to train the kids "so they don't fall behind" - don't fall for the trap. Let the childs determine their level of compete and love for the game. If they have fun, they learn to enjoy the game, compete harder and even improve.
Stay away from the teams and coaches trying to train your child until they U9 - as that year the kids begin to be identified for their talent. After a couple of years, if the player is talented - they progress and get noticed. Once they hit the U12/U13 years - some kids hit puberty early and develop a few years ahead of others - they get noticed for their production - don't be fooled by the 15 year old body on a 12 year old kid - as the size and strength of players evens out by around U15/U16. Enjoy the game - and having fun will be the best indicator of success for your child.
At U16 where it is the draft year (into Junior) the children and parents become quite funny - at times not talking to each other or worse yet, not listening to the coach - and trying to put on a show for the scouts & agents. This is a team game - figure out how to be a good teammate and team player - the rest will figure itself out. Note, you are 1 of 10 players on the ice (not including goalies) and you will only touch the puck for a minute or two per game - figure out how to play off the puck and you will enjoy the game so much more - both as a player and parent.

Get mental help

Remember it’s your kid that’s playing and Not you. Only keep him in competitive hockey if he or she enjoys it. Pay your fees and trust the coaching. Remember that they can’t hear you from the stands when screaming at them to skate or move the puck-common occurrence with parents and coaches. Try not to get sucked into the politics and be careful what you say to other parents. An independently run team with No parents involved would be ideal, but the power of money always takes precedence. Unless your kid is genetically superior or a naturally really good skater, don’t waste your time with this and just play select or house league. Less than .5% remember that number.

Golf. It’s just as expensive but much much better. Trust me.