Is College Club Hockey a Better Alternative?

Hockey is a great sport and there are thousands, upon thousands of young players that participate, most from a very young age. It is a huge commitment for parents and the young players, and like in any other sport they love playing it. But as they get older, near the high school level, something else begins to creep in....PRESSURE.

There are those players who stand out as exceptional, the excellent players that you know are going to be very good college players in Division I and maybe beyond. Then there are the many thousands of very good players. It is within this group where the pressure begins since every time they hit the ice they are competing not only against their opponent but for an opportunity to be noticed by colleges, with many having aspirations to play "Division I" . There is also keen competition for Division III College Hockey. The desire and enjoyment to play is still there, but the PRESSURE on these young athletes is also evident. Too much pressure and stress on young players in my opinion. NCAA Research has shown that only 4.6% of high school hockey players end up as Division I College players...or 95.4% don't ! Only 6.3% of high school players play Division III College Hockey ...or 93.7% don't. You begin to see from these numbers why there is so much pressure on these young players. There is also pressure on the parents as they continue to spend huge sums of money as well as make major time commitments. Let's put this aside for a moment and consider something else.

In most sports student athletes who play in high school, if they are good enough and desire to do so, go directly to play in college right out of high school. Not in hockey...or if they do it is rare. The unwritten, but implied route, to get to play college hockey is "Junior" play, with some playing post graduate Prep school play before that. This usually amounts to a 2 or 3 year commitment prior to college. So what in effect happens is that college hockey is essentially like a semi-pro level of hockey. The typical age level of freshmen hockey players is 21, and it not unusual to see players on college teams with ages from 23 to 25. In any other sport this would be semi-pro...or even pro! This all costs parents a ton of money...and the quest for education takes 2nd place. The PRESSURE on the players continues at a very high level, as well as pressure on the parents. In addition, a lot of Junior play is away from home...in many cases in God forsaken places in the Mid West and Canada...or elsewhere. Do the players REALLY enjoy all of this? Maybe, but I am not so sure. The fact is that Junior hockey is a huge business. Let alone the games themselves, there are Tournaments drawing in teams from all over the nation...and money, money, money is at the core. I did one estimate (and I'll bet that I am not that far off) where the host rink venue most likely pulled in $300,000 over a weekend tournament.

I have communicated with Commissioners of major hockey conferences, as well with a coach of a major hockey college, and the President of that school. There have also been some articles about the subject in the Boston newspapers with interviews with Hockey East Coaches. What comes through all this is that I sense that underneath it all that they feel a bit guilty. They rationalize it all off by saying that everybody is doing it and if we didn't we would be non competitive. (Sure who wouldn't want a semi-pro on their college team?) They also said that most players right out of high school aren't physically ready to play college hockey. (I am sure that this is true if you are running a semi-pro program, which they essentially are !) I don't buy all this since high school players go directly to college to play the very physical sports of football, basketball and others. The college President that I talked to said that the decision to play Juniors was that of the player and his parents, not the school. I then asked him how is it then that every single player on his college's team roster has played Junior hockey. Is this just by chance?? I never received an answer. I also communicated to a sportswriter from the Boston Globe on this subject on the implied requirement to play Junior hockey. His response to me was, "That ship has sailed long ago". (Note: After my persistent questioning on this subject I have noticed that several colleges have been loosening up a bit and taking in true freshmen. Not saying it was due to me...but it does seem like it is happening somewhat. I also contacted and questioned the NCAA on this subject.)

Bottom line on this whole subject is that I think there is far too much pressure on these young players who should be enjoying their participation in the great sport of hockey. The pressure is also on the parents and caretakers. My own personal feeling (isn't it obvious) is that hockey should be like any other sport, student athletes should be able to go directly to college to play. But, as the sportswriter said "That ship may have already sailed".

Is College Club Hockey a Better Alternative?

I was standing in line for a cup of coffee at Merrimack College in Andover, MA while attending a hockey game. I asked a young man in back of me if he ever played hockey and he said "Yes" in high school. Then he proceeded to tell me that he was playing Club Hockey for Merrimack College. When I asked him how it was he said it was absolutely great! He was having FUN playing, a great relationship with teammates, they played against some big name schools, traveled...it was a blast. He also said it was a pretty darn good and competitive brand of hockey. I sensed immediately that there was NO PRESSURE on him, he was just playing the sport that he loves and was having FUN in doing so. Isn't that the way it is supposed to be for a college person his age? By the way he looked "college age", not like the 40 year old look I see on many college hockey players faces. (OK I am exaggerating...but not by much !)

Tonight I went to watch a Club Hockey game at UMass in Amherst. A player that I know who is a very good player is on the team. He most probably could have played college DI or DIII hockey, I don't know. But what he did is focus on his education, first and foremost. As I watched the game I could see that he and his teammates were playing hard, but they were having fun in doing so. Yet it still is a very good and competitive brand of hockey. At the game I talked to a parent of a player who also said that his son really loved playing Club Hockey and was having fun in doing so. He also said that his son could have gone the "Junior" route but the money was ridiculous for his family and education was most important to them. His son gets the best of both worlds by attending college at a "normal" age AND playing hockey. By the way, most college Club Hockey games are on the weekend...allowing students to concentrate on their studies during the week...education first.

Former Cathedral Star Artie Potter

#4 UMass Amherst Club Hockey

Two Assists in 4-3 Win Over UNH

Having Fun Playing Club Hockey

My recommendation to many good players who do not want to spend years, a ton of money, and are feeling too much pressure...is to consider playing Club Hockey. It is a great alternative...and it is FUN!

Alfredo DiLascia

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