Minor Hockey Talks - Hockey Forum

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:27 pm Hi everyone, new hockey parent here. I have a son who is born in 2019. The landscape of minor hockey has changes drastically since my playing days. I'm a bit confused as to where I should be looking to place my son next season. We are in Durham and initially had him enrolled in our local "learn to play" program as our Centre did not have a Timbits program for his age group. We found this to be a complete waste of time, as a 50 minute ice time session at 7 a.m. turned into half an hour of bag skating and the kids being kicked off the ice ten minutes early so volunteer instructors (14-16 year old, lower level players) could take slap shots. We declined the to reregister for the winter session and have been going to stick and puck. At these skates we have been speaking with parents who plan on having their kids play in the KSL and my son has the opportunity to skate with two separate teams this spring. I have seen some of these teams practice and the talent of players and coaching seem to be excellent, especially compared to the local house leagues. I have also been told that registration for these teams can be up to $5000. My son wont be 5 until December, so this seems like a bit much.

It is not my intention to cause a shit storm, as I've read the Klevr thread and have seen that there are mixed feelings on this subject. I was really not a fan of the house league set up, coaching, or political agenda set forth by Hockey Canada in all of their literature my wife and I were forced to read before being allowed to enter the arena. On the other end of the spectrum, I would love to provide my son to have opportunity to good coaching and competition. However, I'm a little intimidated to put my four year old in a tryout, pay the hefty price tag and have him potentially loose playing time because of his performance at such a young age. His ability is not a concern Its the surrounding factors.

What is this level of hockey like for children of this age?

Does anyone have any experience being at this cross road or have any advice they can offer?

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:27 pm Hi everyone, new hockey parent here. I have a son who is born in 2019. The landscape of minor hockey has changes drastically since my playing days. I'm a bit confused as to where I should be looking to place my son next season. We are in Durham and initially had him enrolled in our local "learn to play" program as our Centre did not have a Timbits program for his age group. We found this to be a complete waste of time, as a 50 minute ice time session at 7 a.m. turned into half an hour of bag skating and the kids being kicked off the ice ten minutes early so volunteer instructors (14-16 year old, lower level players) could take slap shots. We declined the to reregister for the winter session and have been going to stick and puck. At these skates we have been speaking with parents who plan on having their kids play in the KSL and my son has the opportunity to skate with two separate teams this spring. I have seen some of these teams practice and the talent of players and coaching seem to be excellent, especially compared to the local house leagues. I have also been told that registration for these teams can be up to $5000. My son wont be 5 until December, so this seems like a bit much.

It is not my intention to cause a shit storm, as I've read the Klevr thread and have seen that there are mixed feelings on this subject. I was really not a fan of the house league set up, coaching, or political agenda set forth by Hockey Canada in all of their literature my wife and I were forced to read before being allowed to enter the arena. On the other end of the spectrum, I would love to provide my son to have opportunity to good coaching and competition. However, I'm a little intimidated to put my four year old in a tryout, pay the hefty price tag and have him potentially loose playing time because of his performance at such a young age. His ability is not a concern Its the surrounding factors.

What is this level of hockey like for children of this age?

Does anyone have any experience being at this cross road or have any advice they can offer?

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:36 pm At that age I think the most important thing is fun. You're not creating a superstar at 4 years old.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:47 pm

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:36 pm At that age I think the most important thing is fun. You're not creating a superstar at 4 years old.

Well, obviously.

But guess what - the kids that are better at 4, are usually better at 5, and usually better at 6 and now all of a sudden they are playing on top teams with better coaching, more access to better training, etc.

Then from there, the gap keeps widening and widening. Of course nothing is guaranteed, and kids come from out of no where somewhere - but this is a game of odds and your odd of being a good hockey player at 10 or 11 years old, is increased by being one of the better kids at 5 or 6.

Don't be one of those twats that lives and dies by your kid being the absolute best and killing his love for the game before it even starts - But at the same time, to pretend it doesn't matter at all is naïve and just plain wrong.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:27 pm Hi everyone, new hockey parent here. I have a son who is born in 2019. The landscape of minor hockey has changes drastically since my playing days. I'm a bit confused as to where I should be looking to place my son next season. We are in Durham and initially had him enrolled in our local "learn to play" program as our Centre did not have a Timbits program for his age group. We found this to be a complete waste of time, as a 50 minute ice time session at 7 a.m. turned into half an hour of bag skating and the kids being kicked off the ice ten minutes early so volunteer instructors (14-16 year old, lower level players) could take slap shots. We declined the to reregister for the winter session and have been going to stick and puck. At these skates we have been speaking with parents who plan on having their kids play in the KSL and my son has the opportunity to skate with two separate teams this spring. I have seen some of these teams practice and the talent of players and coaching seem to be excellent, especially compared to the local house leagues. I have also been told that registration for these teams can be up to $5000. My son wont be 5 until December, so this seems like a bit much.

It is not my intention to cause a shit storm, as I've read the Klevr thread and have seen that there are mixed feelings on this subject. I was really not a fan of the house league set up, coaching, or political agenda set forth by Hockey Canada in all of their literature my wife and I were forced to read before being allowed to enter the arena. On the other end of the spectrum, I would love to provide my son to have opportunity to good coaching and competition. However, I'm a little intimidated to put my four year old in a tryout, pay the hefty price tag and have him potentially loose playing time because of his performance at such a young age. His ability is not a concern Its the surrounding factors.

What is this level of hockey like for children of this age?

Does anyone have any experience being at this cross road or have any advice they can offer?

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:47 pm

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:36 pm At that age I think the most important thing is fun. You're not creating a superstar at 4 years old.

Well, obviously.

But guess what - the kids that are better at 4, are usually better at 5, and usually better at 6 and now all of a sudden they are playing on top teams with better coaching, more access to better training, etc.

Then from there, the gap keeps widening and widening. Of course nothing is guaranteed, and kids come from out of no where somewhere - but this is a game of odds and your odd of being a good hockey player at 10 or 11 years old, is increased by being one of the better kids at 5 or 6.

Don't be one of those twats that lives and dies by your kid being the absolute best and killing his love for the game before it even starts - But at the same time, to pretend it doesn't matter at all is naïve and just plain wrong.