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Choice league is winding down with only the end of year tournament left. My son said he enjoyed it and I had a great time getting to know some of the other parents. There were significant differences between what went on his association team versus his Choice league team. I think both experiences were very valuable.

Choice leagues practices were well run. We never had an issue with the coaches, they were all very friendly and professional. The practice plans were prepared and were progressive. The practices are almost exclusively designed around skating development with some stick handling drills added in. The length was about an hour and a half, which seemed perfect for my son. I think a few of the benefits from Choice practices were increased strength, stamina and better skating skills.

His association coach (who is a really great guy) warmed the kids up with a few drills, and then went to practicing position and how to break out of the defensive zone. It looked like pretty good stuff and it was working in the games so I am not going to complain. He wasn't getting any of that in Choice league so I was glad to see it.

I would recommend Choice league to anyone who wants to see their kid become a stronger skater.

Any else have a good experience?

Can you tell me more about the Choice League? Who, what, when, where. Why would your association coach work on a breakout with Mites?

HockeyDad41 wrote:Choice league is winding down with only the end of year tournament left. My son said he enjoyed it and I had a great time getting to know some of the other parents. There were significant differences between what went on his association team versus his Choice league team. I think both experiences were very valuable.

Choice leagues practices were well run. We never had an issue with the coaches, they were all very friendly and professional. The practice plans were prepared and were progressive. The practices are almost exclusively designed around skating development with some stick handling drills added in. The length was about an hour and a half, which seemed perfect for my son. I think a few of the benefits from Choice practices were increased strength, stamina and better skating skills.

His association coach (who is a really great guy) warmed the kids up with a few drills, and then went to practicing position and how to break out of the defensive zone. It looked like pretty good stuff and it was working in the games so I am not going to complain. He wasn't getting any of that in Choice league so I was glad to see it.

I would recommend Choice league to anyone who wants to see their kid become a stronger skater.

Any else have a good experience?

You did both association hockey and the choice league? How much ice did your son get over the winter? Did he get a chance to play outdoors this year with his friends? this year was a phenominal year for outdoor ice and my kids played 3-4 hours a night having fun working on thier skills the way kids should with no parent telling them what to do.

Not ripping you but 7-8 year old with that much ice gotta? The over development.

HockeyDad41 wrote:Choice league is winding down with only the end of year tournament left. My son said he enjoyed it and I had a great time getting to know some of the other parents. There were significant differences between what went on his association team versus his Choice league team. I think both experiences were very valuable.

Choice leagues practices were well run. We never had an issue with the coaches, they were all very friendly and professional. The practice plans were prepared and were progressive. The practices are almost exclusively designed around skating development with some stick handling drills added in. The length was about an hour and a half, which seemed perfect for my son. I think a few of the benefits from Choice practices were increased strength, stamina and better skating skills.

His association coach (who is a really great guy) warmed the kids up with a few drills, and then went to practicing position and how to break out of the defensive zone. It looked like pretty good stuff and it was working in the games so I am not going to complain. He wasn't getting any of that in Choice league so I was glad to see it.

I would recommend Choice league to anyone who wants to see their kid become a stronger skater.

Any else have a good experience?

How were you able to do both? Wasn't there a lot of conflicts between the two?

dogeatdog1 wrote:

HockeyDad41 wrote:Choice league is winding down with only the end of year tournament left. My son said he enjoyed it and I had a great time getting to know some of the other parents. There were significant differences between what went on his association team versus his Choice league team. I think both experiences were very valuable.

Choice leagues practices were well run. We never had an issue with the coaches, they were all very friendly and professional. The practice plans were prepared and were progressive. The practices are almost exclusively designed around skating development with some stick handling drills added in. The length was about an hour and a half, which seemed perfect for my son. I think a few of the benefits from Choice practices were increased strength, stamina and better skating skills.

His association coach (who is a really great guy) warmed the kids up with a few drills, and then went to practicing position and how to break out of the defensive zone. It looked like pretty good stuff and it was working in the games so I am not going to complain. He wasn't getting any of that in Choice league so I was glad to see it.

I would recommend Choice league to anyone who wants to see their kid become a stronger skater.

Any else have a good experience?

You did both association hockey and the choice league? How much ice did your son get over the winter? Did he get a chance to play outdoors this year with his friends? this year was a phenominal year for outdoor ice and my kids played 3-4 hours a night having fun working on thier skills the way kids should with no parent telling them what to do.

Not ripping you but 7-8 year old with that much ice gotta? The over development.

Yes he did both. Just about everyone else there also played for their associations too. At first I was concerned that it might be too much, but it really wasn't. Yes it was a great year for outdoor ice. Our sharpener guy made a fortune off me this year.

I can understand that it might sound like a lot, but it really didn't seem like it now that it is over. I don't think my kid is wrecked, he's been asking about open skating.

HockeyDad41 wrote:

dogeatdog1 wrote:

HockeyDad41 wrote:Choice league is winding down with only the end of year tournament left. My son said he enjoyed it and I had a great time getting to know some of the other parents. There were significant differences between what went on his association team versus his Choice league team. I think both experiences were very valuable.

Choice leagues practices were well run. We never had an issue with the coaches, they were all very friendly and professional. The practice plans were prepared and were progressive. The practices are almost exclusively designed around skating development with some stick handling drills added in. The length was about an hour and a half, which seemed perfect for my son. I think a few of the benefits from Choice practices were increased strength, stamina and better skating skills.

His association coach (who is a really great guy) warmed the kids up with a few drills, and then went to practicing position and how to break out of the defensive zone. It looked like pretty good stuff and it was working in the games so I am not going to complain. He wasn't getting any of that in Choice league so I was glad to see it.

I would recommend Choice league to anyone who wants to see their kid become a stronger skater.

Any else have a good experience?

You did both association hockey and the choice league? How much ice did your son get over the winter? Did he get a chance to play outdoors this year with his friends? this year was a phenominal year for outdoor ice and my kids played 3-4 hours a night having fun working on thier skills the way kids should with no parent telling them what to do.

Not ripping you but 7-8 year old with that much ice gotta? The over development.

Yes he did both. Just about everyone else there also played for their associations too. At first I was concerned that it might be too much, but it really wasn't. Yes it was a great year for outdoor ice. Our sharpener guy made a fortune off me this year.

I can understand that it might sound like a lot, but it really didn't seem like it now that it is over. I don't think my kid is wrecked, he's been asking about open skating.

but he's 6'3" 215lbs... he's got the size and endurance

silentbutdeadly3139 wrote:

HockeyDad41 wrote:

dogeatdog1 wrote:
You did both association hockey and the choice league? How much ice did your son get over the winter? Did he get a chance to play outdoors this year with his friends? this year was a phenominal year for outdoor ice and my kids played 3-4 hours a night having fun working on thier skills the way kids should with no parent telling them what to do.

Not ripping you but 7-8 year old with that much ice gotta? The over development.

Yes he did both. Just about everyone else there also played for their associations too. At first I was concerned that it might be too much, but it really wasn't. Yes it was a great year for outdoor ice. Our sharpener guy made a fortune off me this year.

I can understand that it might sound like a lot, but it really didn't seem like it now that it is over. I don't think my kid is wrecked, he's been asking about open skating.

but he's 6'3" 215lbs... he's got the size and endurance

Absolutely!

HockeyDad41 wrote:Choice league is winding down with only the end of year tournament left. My son said he enjoyed it and I had a great time getting to know some of the other parents. There were significant differences between what went on his association team versus his Choice league team. I think both experiences were very valuable.

Choice leagues practices were well run. We never had an issue with the coaches, they were all very friendly and professional. The practice plans were prepared and were progressive. The practices are almost exclusively designed around skating development with some stick handling drills added in. The length was about an hour and a half, which seemed perfect for my son. I think a few of the benefits from Choice practices were increased strength, stamina and better skating skills.

His association coach (who is a really great guy) warmed the kids up with a few drills, and then went to practicing position and how to break out of the defensive zone. It looked like pretty good stuff and it was working in the games so I am not going to complain. He wasn't getting any of that in Choice league so I was glad to see it.

I would recommend Choice league to anyone who wants to see their kid become a stronger skater.

Any else have a good experience?

What are the tryouts like for MM Choice mite league? How many kids get cut? How did you kid compare to other kids on his association team and to his MM choice team both at the beginning and end of the season?

We are considering MM Choice next year. We also had a coach who worked on breakout drills most of the season we won all but 1 game, but who cares. Mites should be learning the basic skills. A breakout is a pretty simple thing to learn at the appropriate age.

lkool wrote:

HockeyDad41 wrote:Choice league is winding down with only the end of year tournament left. My son said he enjoyed it and I had a great time getting to know some of the other parents. There were significant differences between what went on his association team versus his Choice league team. I think both experiences were very valuable.

Choice leagues practices were well run. We never had an issue with the coaches, they were all very friendly and professional. The practice plans were prepared and were progressive. The practices are almost exclusively designed around skating development with some stick handling drills added in. The length was about an hour and a half, which seemed perfect for my son. I think a few of the benefits from Choice practices were increased strength, stamina and better skating skills.

His association coach (who is a really great guy) warmed the kids up with a few drills, and then went to practicing position and how to break out of the defensive zone. It looked like pretty good stuff and it was working in the games so I am not going to complain. He wasn't getting any of that in Choice league so I was glad to see it.

I would recommend Choice league to anyone who wants to see their kid become a stronger skater.

Any else have a good experience?

What are the tryouts like for MM Choice mite league? How many kids get cut? How did you kid compare to other kids on his association team and to his MM choice team both at the beginning and end of the season?

We are considering MM Choice next year. We also had a coach who worked on breakout drills most of the season we won all but 1 game, but who cares. Mites should be learning the basic skills. A breakout is a pretty simple thing to learn at the appropriate age.

The tryouts/evaluation we attended last year was a scrimmage. Every couple of minutes the whistle would blow and 10 new skaters would hit the ice, every few whistles the goalies would switch. At the end of the evaluation they had the kids do some backwards skating drills. That was it for the evaluation. I don't think they really cut kids in the way that it means for an association team. I think it would be pretty easy to tell for the kid and the parent if it isn't the right level of play after the scrimmage.

It was great for my kid. The Minnesota Made skill development method for this age level is very effective. They had 50 practices that were from 80 to 90 minutes, 20 games, and 2 tournaments. He is a stronger more confident skater, has made some great new friends and has gotten some opportunities to play with some really good kids.

As far as comparing, most of the kids on the Choice teams are pretty close in ability with a small percentage that know a couple of tricks that put them out in front and a small percentage that were a bit weaker in some areas. Overall pretty close ability level.

As far as his association goes he does fine, most of the kids only play winter hockey, so it isn't really a fair comparison.

This year they are doing something for PeeWees too.

was he a mite or a squirt? How can this work especially at the squirt level and not have to miss practices or games for the other. I have both mites and squirt level kids, and the squirt/U10 were on the ice 5 days a week with there association. Throw in homework, outdoor ice, etc., it does seem like a lot, and how do you choose what to go to when they overlap? and is it fair to the other team if you choose to miss?

Thanks for the information. It sounds like a good program. So your son enjoyed his time at MM choice? Are the skills and drills presented in a way that is enjoyable to a mite aged skater?

Thanks

surehockey wrote:was he a mite or a squirt? How can this work especially at the squirt level and not have to miss practices or games for the other. I have both mites and squirt level kids, and the squirt/U10 were on the ice 5 days a week with there association. Throw in homework, outdoor ice, etc., it does seem like a lot, and how do you choose what to go to when they overlap? and is it fair to the other team if you choose to miss?

He was a mite. I agree that it wouldn't work at the squirt level.

BadgerBob82 wrote:Can you tell me more about the Choice League? Who, what, when, where. Why would your association coach work on a breakout with Mites?

Some coaches just don't get it. They may be great guys, they may know a ton about hockey they may really think that they are building good hockey players. But they don't understand age appropriate training.

A mite team with basic breakout skills will pretty much dominate all other teams that focus on skills. But who cares? The skill training a mite is missing while spending time learning a breakout will really hurt down the road.

It's pretty easy for a hockey player to learn systems when appropriate (read pee-wee and above) but it is very difficult to change bad habits like poor strides and poor stick handling after 5-6 years of limited instruction and drill repetition.

my two cents-

lkool wrote:Thanks for the information. It sounds like a good program. So your son enjoyed his time at MM choice? Are the skills and drills presented in a way that is enjoyable to a mite aged skater?

Thanks

Yes my son enjoyed playing is the Choice League.

Typically after a couple of warm up laps and some individual stretching, putting water bottles at the end of the rink, etc..., the coach would blow his whistle and the kids would form 4 lines at the end of the rink, one team on each side of the net. Each practice had its own practice plan so there wasn't any wasted time figuring out what to do next. Each drill went 4 lengths of the ice. If a kid was doing it wrong he was corrected and would re do the drill. The flow of the practice was good and there wasn't a lot of standing around.

Because our association team did not focus on skill development and focused more on systems, I thought my son was able to better do what the coach wanted because he didn't have to really think about the skating part.

Choice League was a nice complement to the association season.

Choice League evaluations are going on now. I bet it is going to fill fast this year.

HockeyDad41 wrote:Choice League evaluations are going on now. I bet it is going to fill fast this year.

why so?

codemanh wrote:

HockeyDad41 wrote:Choice League evaluations are going on now. I bet it is going to fill fast this year.

why so?

Just what I have heard. I know the first evaluation date filled pretty quick.

HockeyDad41 wrote:

codemanh wrote:

HockeyDad41 wrote:Choice League evaluations are going on now. I bet it is going to fill fast this year.

why so?

Just what I have heard. I know the first evaluation date filled pretty quick.

Evaluations have really started? I talked to someone from the league a couple months ago and she said that evals were not until August.

lkool wrote:

HockeyDad41 wrote:

codemanh wrote: why so?

Just what I have heard. I know the first evaluation date filled pretty quick.

Evaluations have really started? I talked to someone from the league a couple months ago and she said that evals were not until August.

They had an eval on the 23rd of May and I see the next one is on the 27th of June. I have also heard that they will have to cut quite a few kids this year as more are registering than there are spots for.

It seems to be a popular alternative for west metro parents. Long winter drive from Forest Lake.

old goalie85 wrote:It seems to be a popular alternative for west metro parents. Long winter drive from Forest Lake.

Very true.

I wonder if something like that will ever open up in the northern or northeastern suburbs. Maybe out of SuperRink.

I think it would be a success if one did. Alot of smaller assoc. Cambridge, North branch, Chisago lakes. Not to mention another option for kids from Forest Lake, Blaine, Cenn, And whoever.

Someone said the first couple of years of Choice League the associations did everything they could to try to put them out of business. I wonder if that resentment has changed at all. After a year there, I can tell you that my association can not provide the kind of development that the Made can for mites anyway.

HockeyDad41 wrote:Someone said the first couple of years of Choice League the associations did everything they could to try to put them out of business. I wonder if that resentment has changed at all. After a year there, I can tell you that my association can not provide the kind of development that the Made can for mites anyway.

It's a hugh exageration to say associations did everything they could to put the Choice league out of business. Some associations (south metro area) did go out of their way to discourage families in participating in the Choice league, but in the end it was all bark and no bite, it's all they could do.

Your association could absolutely provide that. They choose not to do so. Your association exists under different rules and restrictions. It likely also has written into its bylaws something akin to providing a hockey experience to as many as possible. Go ahead and continue your ad for MM, but choose your words carefully. You may also want to let these folks know to bring the checkbook to the evals; they need to write one for four or five hundred bucks before Johnny's skates hit the ice.