MIAC Schools
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Hansonbrother
- Posts: 342
- Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 7:28 pm
MIAC Schools
I can't speak for alot of you, but I've been pretty disappointed at how poorly these schools scout for players. I have a friend that coaches one of the top ranked teams in the state, and he told me that none of the D-3 schools have been in touch with him regarding any of his players. I've seen his team play, and there are plenty of quality seniors on that team that would be one of the best players on some of these college teams. If I were a betting man, I'd say they go on MGHCA or Maxsports and look for the top scoring forwards and recruit them only. How dumb.
D3 recruiting is more passive, but I have seen the Gustavus, Stevens Point/ river falls coaches at a lot of games this year. Keep in mind some of these coaches make about 20-25k a year and have other jobs so its a little difficult to get out and see games. If a player in interested in a D3 school they should make a tape of themselves and write a letter to that school.
When it comes to college hockey there is so much more to it than being a top scoring forward.
They look for girls that have demonstrated continued growth as a player rather staying the same player over a period of years, they look for passing skills, defensive skills, how a player plays when they don't have the puck becomes even more important than what they do when they have the puck, they look for good grades, personality's, and toughness.
These are all intangeables that don't always show up during the high school season. D-3 schools don't have the budgets to go out and take the extended looks at these things for every player so they tend to recruit those that have proven these qualities through AAA hockey, all star teams, and better competition than high school hockey can offer. They also spend some time looking at girls that have introduced themselves through other means such as sending cd's of their games, have you tubed some of their games or even come on campus to show that they are serious about hockey.
They look for girls that have demonstrated continued growth as a player rather staying the same player over a period of years, they look for passing skills, defensive skills, how a player plays when they don't have the puck becomes even more important than what they do when they have the puck, they look for good grades, personality's, and toughness.
These are all intangeables that don't always show up during the high school season. D-3 schools don't have the budgets to go out and take the extended looks at these things for every player so they tend to recruit those that have proven these qualities through AAA hockey, all star teams, and better competition than high school hockey can offer. They also spend some time looking at girls that have introduced themselves through other means such as sending cd's of their games, have you tubed some of their games or even come on campus to show that they are serious about hockey.
post 9441
Concordia and St. Bens do a great job of active and aggressive scouting. It's harder for D3 schools to scout. They essentially get the D1 "left overs."
recruiting D III
It is hard for DIII coaches to find the right game to watch and see all the players play. When I coached HS I found the all the programs available in the country on a website. Both DI and DIII and mailed them my schedule. Almost everyone of them sent an information packet back to me.
In there I told them about my team and players and where I felt they would fit. I never fudged any of it, as it would hurt future players. In the few years I did it several players went to DI but many more went on to play DIII. By having my schedule they could check out theirs against mine and see if the game they would watch might also have other players from the other team that were on their watch list.
Expect that HS coaches do these little things to help their players. It isn't hard or too time consuming. I had high expectations of my players, the least we can do as coaches is try to promote a little.
In there I told them about my team and players and where I felt they would fit. I never fudged any of it, as it would hurt future players. In the few years I did it several players went to DI but many more went on to play DIII. By having my schedule they could check out theirs against mine and see if the game they would watch might also have other players from the other team that were on their watch list.
Expect that HS coaches do these little things to help their players. It isn't hard or too time consuming. I had high expectations of my players, the least we can do as coaches is try to promote a little.
Re: MIAC Schools
There are some responses here, but take into account that these coaches don't make a ton of money, and typically have other responsibilities at their schools, on top of getting their teams up to par.Hansonbrother wrote:I can't speak for alot of you, but I've been pretty disappointed at how poorly these schools scout for players. I have a friend that coaches one of the top ranked teams in the state, and he told me that none of the D-3 schools have been in touch with him regarding any of his players. I've seen his team play, and there are plenty of quality seniors on that team that would be one of the best players on some of these college teams. If I were a betting man, I'd say they go on MGHCA or Maxsports and look for the top scoring forwards and recruit them only. How dumb.
I would disagree with your comment though as I've been to a lot of games this year, and have seen at least 1 D III coach at every game I have been to, most coaches don't contact the coaches, they contact the players directly. The college coaches I know rarely look at stats to recruit. They watch the kids, talk to the kids, with little regard to how many points they have. They tend to focus on if they know how to play the game, and if they would help their team get better.
I talked to an MIAC head coach at Kaposia. What I learned from him:
a) many kids haven't given up on DI at this point in the season so are reluctant to contact a DIII school right now.
b) most coaches don't have time to go to Braemar arena on Tuesday night for one game--but they will spend their Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays at tournaments all over the place.
c) he had done a great deal of homework, whether scouting or whatever else is they do--he was perfectly tuned in to the HS scene.
d) it's a tougher job than DI--selling a program without the prestige or scholarships.
a) many kids haven't given up on DI at this point in the season so are reluctant to contact a DIII school right now.
b) most coaches don't have time to go to Braemar arena on Tuesday night for one game--but they will spend their Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays at tournaments all over the place.
c) he had done a great deal of homework, whether scouting or whatever else is they do--he was perfectly tuned in to the HS scene.
d) it's a tougher job than DI--selling a program without the prestige or scholarships.
Most high school hockey players who want to see playing time are going to be playing DIII in reality. Very few go on to play DI. And if they want to stay in Minnesota and in this case the MIAC, they're going to have to face the harsh reality that they're going to be paying 30K a year. If a player really wants to continue their career it's just as much as their responsibility to get their name out there as it is the coaches to look for them. They need to make college visits and initiate contact with various coaches. Besides I believe there's a rule saying that a coach can't initiate contact w/ a player until their senior year. However, if the player contacts the coach then it's a different story. AND if the player initiates the contact, it also shows that they are interested in the school the way it is and it shows their level of commitment. The sooner the better. And if you're really serious about playing and wanting the coach to watch you, then you need to join a summer team b/c it's very difficult for them to watch games during the season. Another thing I know has worked is give the college coaches references. Give them contact information of your high school coaches or anyone else you can think of. A high school player needs to "brag" about themselves if they want to get a foot in the door. And sometimes the DIII coaches don't see everyone that's out there, and they only way they can is if they hear from players who have a passion for playing in college.