Youth hockey gives too much power to one person

Tryouts. Evaluations. Whatever you want to call them, it’s an agonizing process. Pro, youth, juniors – take your pick – each level of hockey has its own stress points. And the processes can vary widely.

This is my third year of being a youth hockey parent in the St. Louis area. And with my oldest daughter entering her first year of squirt (10u) hockey, it’s the first time I’ve experienced evaluations from a parent standpoint.

I just want her to be happy on the ice. And I think that comes with playing alongside kids with similar abilities. If she ends up playing low-level hockey, that’s fine. The only expectation I have is that she listens to her coaches and plays hard. She will determine her own destiny. Not me.

But man. Parents are crazy. Schmoozing with coaches. Trying to butter up high-ranking members of organizations. It happens everywhere. The phrase “I just want what’s best for my kid” should be outlawed.

Which is why I’m glad that my daughters are playing in a youth hockey organization that has put a lot of thought into evaluations. It’s not just the coaches picking teams. There are also independent evaluators involved. And there’s a mathematical rating system in place to keep things balanced among the decision makers.

No system is perfect, but I’m confident that my girls will end up at the appropriate level. The problem is that some parents will always refuse to accept the democratic process. They’ll remain convinced that someone has a grudge against their child.

I simply can’t accept that line of thinking. There are too many checks and balances in our organization. Sure, there might be the occasional mistake. A kid might end up at the wrong level. But when there are so many sets of eyes making decisions, it weeds out the parental politicking that may have taken place prior to evaluations.

Unfortunately, I’m learning that’s not always the case with youth hockey. There are organizations that still let their coaches decide rosters, sometimes after just one or two ice times.

That’s ludicrous. Allowing one person to pick a youth hockey team fosters an environment ripe for corruption. Players end up at the wrong level. An unbalanced power dynamic is created and dictatorships are essentially encouraged.

I don’t know about you, but totalitarianism isn’t my thing. I like democracy. I value differing opinions and working together to find an outcome.

Let’s take this a step further. Think about professional hockey. An NHL team’s head coach doesn’t create the roster – it’s a group effort among management and the rest of the coaching staff.

So why do some youth hockey organizations ignore what’s done at the highest level of the sport and continue to let coaches pick their teams singlehandedly?

To me, there are two reasons. Power and laziness. Some coaches want total control, which is inherently dangerous. And some want assurance that their child will get to play at a certain level, so they agree to coach the team.

I think that’s gross. But the laziness is downright unacceptable. I understand that co-ordinating tryouts isn’t an easy task. And it gets even tougher when you factor in goaltenders. But every youth organization should put a priority on a fair evaluation process. It shouldn’t be an afterthought.

At the pro level there are so many other factors involved. Contracts. Draft status. Projected development curve. And more. There’s big money and jobs on the line.

But at the youth level, it should be cut and dried. It’s about where the kids belong. Where they can grow the most and enjoy the game. And that can change very quickly. Kids develop much faster than adults. There is a tangible need for yearly evaluation and placement.

I think there is value in having the same coach progress through the age brackets along with the players. But letting that coach continually pick the roster year after year is a problem. The favoritism is real.

But let’s not kid ourselves. The entitlement of some parents is a problem. Just because your child made the AA team doesn’t guarantee they will again the next year.

It’s not dissimilar to the professional ranks. Every season there are former NHL players that are massively disappointed when they’re demoted to the AHL. Occasionally someone declines to report. Others ask for a trade.

But there’s an old adage that sometimes gets forgotten: it’s hard to make it to the NHL. It’s even harder to stay there. And I know it all too well. I never made an NHL team out of training camp or spent a full season in the league.

I like to believe that under the right circumstance, I could have stuck in the NHL. But it would have been a longshot. My skill level and physical ability probably weren’t high enough to be a full-timer.

But I also knew that every time I was sent down to the AHL, it gave me a chance to log games and improve my craft. And that’s a big reason why I played some of my best hockey during my 30s. It gave me experience. I learned how to manage the emotions of being a professional goaltender. Had I been riding the pine in the NHL, I’m not sure how much of that personal development would have taken place.

That’s what some parents need to learn. Their child needs to play the sport at a level where they can thrive. I’ve heard of some organizations with rosters stacked almost 20-deep at the bantam level. Parents are shelling out $5,000 a year or more for their child to play AA level hockey with no guarantee of playing time. The coaches are being paid. Icing that big of a roster is a money grab, plain and simple. And I don’t like it.

No child should be a fourth liner at the age of 12 or 13. That’s ridiculous. I know everyone wants to give their kid a chance. But sometimes you have to be realistic. Your child will not develop by playing limited minutes at a level that’s probably higher than where they belong. Especially if the team has been hand-selected by the head coach.

I can confidently say that from youth hockey to the NHL, I saw the best players rise to the top. Sure, there were some exceptions. But generally speaking, if the player was good enough, it usually worked out.

I think that’s something for parents to keep in mind. NHL players have to earn the chance to play at the highest level. Your child should, too.

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Youth hockey gives too much power to one person

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