Parent Information: What is Junior Hockey?

A primer on "what is junior hockey?" for parents.

What is Junior Hockey?  

1.      Junior hockey is played in the gap years between the year or two before high school ends and the time when a player starts college.  Junior hockey can result in your kid starting college a year or two (or even three years) past the time when they would normally have started college.  In other words, because they were playing junior hockey, players may delay entering college with their "hometown" non-hockey playing friends...this is a typical junior hockey scenario. 

If the above paragraph is a red flag to you, then turn back now, because it just might happen...if your kid get's lucky (there's always some luck involved in every nail-biting situation, isn't there?)...and if your kid is that good... 

However, if you have come so far as to inquire about junior hockey, you must be thinking that your kid shows something special in his/her talent on ice.  Maybe, you and your kid wonder if something bigger can come of this thing we call hockey.


2.      Why is skipping college directly out of high school typical (although not concrete) in junior hockey?  Well, that's the way it's been done for a long time.  Most NHL pros from the U.S. will tell you they played junior hockey; that they were billeted (lived away from home) with a host family during their late high school years and perhaps beyond.  Ask Mike Modano; he was billeted.  So was Darryl Sydor.  The list goes on and on.

• In the U.S., junior hockey is played by the top youth players who advance from playing at upper youth levels such as the Tier I Elite level.  Players may be as young as 16 but "age out" at 20-yrs. old.  In other words, junior hockey players are 20 & under (born as late as Dec. 31of the current season of competition).
• Junior hockey is a bridge that can lead to recruitment by a the highest level of US hockey (USHL) or a university or even a NHL farm team.
• Levels of Junior Hockey in the U.S. include Tier I (USHL); Tier II (NAHL) Junior A; Tier III - Junior A, B, C and D. Canada has it's own version of junior hockey.
• Junior hockey players do not pay to play hockey or all their gear (exceptions apply); the team does.
• We repeat, "Many junior hockey players are billeted, i.e. live away from home with a host family." Read "Billeting Your Hockey Kid" for more information about billeting on this website.
• Junior hockey teams play in arenas with fans who pay to watch them play.  Look at USHL Lincoln Stars or Tri-City Storm for examples of junior hockey teams with good teams and website. 
• Some junior hockey leagues are considered more prestigious than others.  In the U.S., the USHL is the Tier I junior hockey association, followed by Tier II NAHL followed by other junior hockey associations.

If you or your kid are interested in playing hockey at a level where universities are scouting for players - - playing junior hockey at the highest level possible is the road to take. 

Additionally, quality coaching, skill development, and higher competition levels are other benefits of playing junior hockey.

BE PROACTIVE if you wish for your kid (or yourself) to play junior hockey.  Go to pre-camp tryouts and combines as early as age 14 or 15.  Get seen, be noticed. YES, it will cost money to go to those camps but it may be the only way to be SEEN=Proactive.


Junior Hockey Leagues: 2013-2014

CHL (Canada)
CHL TIER 1
SPHL
USHL
NAHL
DEL
UKR
OJHL
GOJHL
OTHERS
(New junior hockey teams and/or leagues are occasionally created.)

RELATED READING: http://www.lakershockey.com/page/show/193046-understanding-junior-hockey

Parent Information: College Hockey Divisions

Admit it: you would pee your pants with joy if your hockey-playing son advanced to play NCAA men's ice hockey.  No "club" hockey at a university (not that there's anything wrong with that), but hockey in one of the two NCAA college ice hockey divisions.

First of all, let's get one fact straight:  In the U.S., there are 2 NCAA divisions of men's college ice hockey: Division I and Division III.  Don't ask us why there is no Division II, there just isn't.  Maybe there used to be a Division II and it was vanquished due to a hockey fight.  Who knows? 

Did you know that in 2013, Yale won the men's NCAA Division I hockey championship?  If you knew that tidbit, good for you...I think we have a real hockey fan on our hands.  Let's test your college hockey knowledge a little bit further:  Who won the men's NCAA Division III ice hockey championship in 2013?  If you said Wisconsin-Eau Claire, you're a winner; just like the Bluegolds. 

Division I and Division III men's ice hockey teams are divided into CONFERENCES and TEAMS.  There were 5 conferences with a total of 58 teams in Division I Men's NCAA Ice Hockey in 2013and 10 conferences for Division III men's ice hockey with a total of 74 teams in 2013.  Read more about D1 hockey teams and D3 hockey teams on the underlined links.

Most Interesting Names of D3 College Hockey Teams:

Amherst Lord Jeffs  (Named after Lord Jeffrey Amherst, of course).

Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers (Cobber="Pal").

Mass-Dartmouth Corsairs (Corsair means pirate.  Now you know).

St. Olaf Oles (This is hysterical..."Ole", pronounced "Oh-lee" is a common Norwegian/Scandinavian name and it is also my great grandfather's name!).

Williams (Mass) Ephs (named after founder Ephraim Williams).

Cost of Playing Travel Hockey

I dislike the term "travel hockey" because it seems pretentious.  Don't we ALL "travel" in some way or another to get to an indoor rink?  However, because of the various levels of hockey out there (another grandiose term..."levels of hockey") we're going to describe "travel hockey" as hockey that is NOT recreation hockey or house hockey.  We are not talking Junior hockey or Pro's but anywhere from a local travel team that plays in nearby rinks to Tier I teams that travel extensively.  The final amounts for each category get larger the more a team travels. Based on 2013/14 average prices.

GEAR
Gear is gear, or at least you would think so.  These costs are part of the amount due when you sign your youth to travel hockey. 

1. Travel hockey sweaters/jerseys are often intricate and cost anywhere from $100-150 each.  You need home and away color jerseys so figure $300 for travel jerseys.
2. Breezer covers (that cover hockey pants) are usually required for travel hockey.  Approx. $40.
3. Hockey bags are usually team-specific with travel hockey logos/names and run about $100 each.
4. Helmets must be purchased to match the team's colors.  If you have a blue helmet but the team wears red helmets; time to pay for a new helmet.

SIGN-UP FEE
Sign up fees are based on many factors, including ice time, which costs $.  Exact practice and game times will be calculated prior to joining a team.  If ice time in your area costs the current average of $300/hr., each player on the team pays their proportionate share in advance when contracting to join a travel team.  Therefore, cost of ice time is included as part of the amount due when you sign your youth to travel hockey. 

It can cost as little as $3,000 per season (coach pay, coach travel, ice time and tournament fees) to play on a local travel team in an average town.  The higher the level of competition, the higher the sign up fee's will be; as much as $10,000 to $12,000 per year BEFORE personal travel expenses are included.  The higher level of hockey that you play = more $$ to pay.  (Because more practice and therefore ice time is required and coaches may be paid more.)

COACH PAY
Often, the cost of coach pay is included as part of the amount due when you sign your youth to travel hockey.  Some travel organizations give the coach a stipend and/or salary while others just pool payment as a group for all or part of the coach(es) air fare expenses.  Sometimes an equitable portion of coach travel is included in fees of the beginning of the season payment parents make to the hockey organization and sometimes parents have to kick in a little bit more cash later down the road if the team travels more than anticipated due to winning tournaments, etc.

PERSONAL TRAVEL EXPENSES
Flights, baggage fees, hotel rooms, rental cars are additional costs of travel and ARE NOT included in any payment you make when you sign your youth to travel hockey.  We do not include food because hey, you're going to eat regardless.

TOURNAMENTS
Most travel hockey teams plan which tournaments they will attend at the beginning of the year.  Typically, such decisions are based on majority-rule by parents and tournament prices are often included when you sign your youth to play travel hockey.  If a team does well in tournaments, however, they may advance to the next level and require a "surprise" injection of funds from parents.

CONTRACTS
Parents are required to sign a contract when their kid signs up to play travel hockey.  Those contracts are legally binding and usually require payment in full before the season starts.  It is rare to get a refund, but a partial refund could be negotiated if circumstances are valid. 

Billeting Your Hockey Kid:Info. for Parents

The definition of "billet" is:  Lodging for a soldier, student, etc., as in a private home or nonmilitary public building.  In the hockey world, "billet" means a family takes in a hockey-playing teenager or two during hockey season. 

Youth hockey players (about 15-20 years old) may seek to play on teams that are higher-ranking than their current home team or in a league or division above the one they are currently in.  Often, that means a teen must leave their home and travel many states away to lodge (billet) with a family.

Billet families volunteer for the job and a billeted kid usually has their own room and lots of private time.  Billet families do not get "paid" per se, but parents of a player who billets typically pay an arranged sum of $300 or so per month to the billet family for food, etc. 

Parents should set up a debit-card account for their billeted kid to use for buying incidentals.  Many banks offer high school checking accounts with debit cards.  Parents can monitor everything that goes on in the count via the Internet; think of it as a good way for your kid to learn how to handle money.

Many NHL hockey players, such as Mike Modano, were billeted in their teenage years.  Read more at USHL: Where will I live?

Youth who billet and are still in high school may attend local schools in the town in which they billet, returning to their hometown school when the season ends.  Alternatively, some hockey kids who billet take certified classes online.  Some school districts offer online high school classes for a fee while others do not.

When your kids are younger, it is likely that you would never dream of billeting them.  The thought of your kid leaving home to play Tier I or Junior/Professional hockey may appear to be a distant, far-fetched concept.  However, if your kid has the talent, is fairly mature, and really desires to reach toward their highest potential in the hockey world, billeting may be in their future.  Do not guilt-trip kids with tales of how you dread their departure.  Instead, celebrate their achievements and encourage them to reach for the stars. Remember, your kids are just a text or Skype away.

Playing Tier I Hockey

Let's be blunt.  If you want your kid to get "seen" by scouts and coaches from various leagues and colleges in the U.S. (such as the NAHL, USHL, Colleges, etc.) playing Tier II youth hockey is not a step in the right direction.   Playing Tier I youth Hockey, on the other hand, offers greater opportunities for those who wish to play at the highest level of hockey they possibly can.  Speaking from the point of view of someone in the U.S., this blog addresses a lot of questions parents and kids may have about playing Tier I youth hockey, playing at higher levels in juniors, youth hockey, and more.

A list of Tier I teams can be viewed at Pointstreak http://www.pointstreak.com/hockey/ .  If your kid plays on one of these teams, they will typically have several opportunities to be seen during games by scouts,  coaches, assistant coaches, etc. 

If your kid makes a Tier I team, you have taken ONE STEP forward to getting your kid moving toward his hockey goals (pardon the pun).

Tryouts for Tier I hockey teams are generally posted on team websites.  An application is usually found on team websites as well.  Most Tier I tryouts are in June but there are some exceptions.  Fill out the application and pay the registration fee.  ANY kid can tryout during Tier I hockey team tryouts unless a team has restrictions.  You should let the coach know via their email address on the website that your kid is interested, feel out the situation, and tell them a little something about your kid.

"Wait," you say, "I don't live near a town with a Tier I hockey team."  Do not despair; if your kid is an older teen and you do not live within distance of a Tier I team, all is not lost.  You can billet your kid.  Read "Billeting Your Hockey Kid" on this blog for more information.  Note: Billeting is not as bad or scary as it seems.

During a season of playing Tier I hockey, your kid may impress a scout or coach.  If so, your kid's coach may be contacted by a scout or coach about your kid.  Also, a scout or coach could contact the parent OR THE KID directly via telephone, email, text, or letter.  There are some rules about who a kid can't talk to based on their age but that info. can change so look into it on the USA Hockey website if you have questions.

Ideally, your kid could invited by a scout or coach to come to a "hockey combine" which is a lot like a hockey camp but it usually has a purpose for kids to pre-tryout for teams in the NAHL, USHL, etc.  

Typically, a player must be INVITED to a hockey combine.  More on that under "Hockey Combine" on this site.  Hockey combines usually cost a few $100 to "register" plus airfare, transportation and lodging if necessary.  Drills and games will take place in a combine which is an ideal way for coaches to see your kid perform among his peers.

I will cover the various options that can occur after Playing Tier I Hockey in another segment titled "After Tier I Hockey: The next step to playing hockey."  

As a Tier I primer, please note the following details about playing Tier I Hockey.

• Tier I hockey is referred to as "amateur" hockey.  Each team is organized by birth year.  In other words, if your kid is born in 2002, he plays in the age group for ALL KIDS born in 2002 (i.e. Pee-wee, Bantam, etc.)  Whatever year of birth from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, EVERY KID on a Tier I team is born the SAME YEAR.  So, obviously, half the team could be in one lower grade in school than the other half who could be one grade higher.  Each team has a wide variety of birth DATES but not birth YEARS. 
• Generally speaking, Tier I teams play others Tier I teams in their region.  For example, teams in Rocky Mountain Region play other Rocky Mountain Region teams.  LA Kings play Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars Elite, Las Vegas Storm, and so on.
• Tier I Hockey games are played "tournament style".  Using the Rocky Mountain Region again as an example, here is how "tournament style" Regular Season hockey games work for Tier I hockey:

1.  Dallas Stars Elite will fly to L.A. approx. twice a year and play L.A. two games.  The Phoenix teams will also have traveled to L.A. during same time and Dallas will also play two games against Phoenix.  Teams may even play each other three times, depending on their schedules.
2. These regular season games usually take place on weekends but players often must travel on Fridays to get to their destination.  This can lead to missing a lot of Fridays at school; half or full days.
3. Paradoxically, the L.A. team flies the following month to Dallas and plays Stars Elite two times and Phoenix again two times.  The cycle is repeated until 20 games have been played.  Then it's time for Regionals and Nationals.