Vannelli (STA) talks about early departure

[Cadets16]

http://letsplayhockey.com/online-editio ... ockey.html

[puckbreath]

Right on.

[Defensive Zone]

http://letsplayhockey.com/online-editio ... ockey.html

This article should be a prerequisite for all high school parents and players to read. Nice job Vannelli.

[C-dad]

http://letsplayhockey.com/online-editio ... ockey.html

This article should be a prerequisite for all high school parents and players to read. Nice job Vannelli.

I've been thinking of sending it to some parents I know whose son is considering skipping senior year to go USHL.

[bleedblue]

Well stated. Very well stated. You can add another hs player to the list that stayed and played through SR year- Jake Gardiner (Toronto Maple Leafs).

[GoBigorGoHome]

Every family should consider the options and then make the choice they believe is best for their athlete and their situation. Hindsight is always 20/20 (unless you're totally delusional) and statistics can be spun to say whatever you want them to say. Let people make their own choices and don't try to tell anyone what's best for them. As a great man once said, "Listen, man. You're my friend, and I know you care about me. And I know you disapprove, and I respect that. But there are some things that I have to do that you don't understand. You understand literature, movies, wine... but you don't understand my plight." 'Nuff said.

[Froggy Richards]

Great article. He's right on the money. 95% of the time you will be a lot better off staying in High School. That extra year of being a kid under the influence of your Parents, Teachers and Coaches can only be a good thing. You can't get your childhood back and they all end up at the same place anyway.

[kicksave33]

As a great man once said, "Listen, man. You're my friend, and I know you care about me. And I know you disapprove, and I respect that. But there are some things that I have to do that you don't understand. You understand literature, movies, wine... but you don't understand my plight." 'Nuff said.

Isn't that the quote from the oafish character in the movie "Sideways"?

[Bonin2121]

Why didn't he give his best player this speech? Brian Lee was an impact player in the NHL? The one player from his program that stayed back actually stayed back at another program, unless he's not talking about Lee? Didn't Justin Faulk play a year at STA? If so, he also left early for NTDP (after leaving for SSP).

[SquirtC'00]

Yes Faulk was a cadet and played jv before he left for south st paul

[The Exiled One]

For example, in our program during that time period, we have had 20 players who I would qualify as Division I prospects. We lost seven players to early departure as well as 13 additional players who had the option of early departure, but declined. When I tracked the outcome of all 20 players, I found that the seven who left early did play Division I hockey. However, the 13 others who stayed backed also played Division I hockey. When I look at their college careers, there is no indication that those who stayed back had any less impact than those who left early....

Yes, the USHL is overall a higher level of competition, but if you expose highly talented players to a reasonable level of competition like the MSHSL, I believe that in a short time the talented high school players will catch up.

So what he's saying is, all the talented HS players have the opportunity to reach their full potential whether they leave early or not. Was that ever in doubt? I can't find anybody who has argued otherwise. The reason these kids leave early is TIMING. They want to get to their full potential as soon as they can. It's difficult to begrudge them that.

D1 coaches are increasingly extending scholarship offers with the understanding that the recruit will play junior hockey. Whether the recruit plays juniors while still in HS or after graduation is largely irrelevant. As you can imagine, some kids will feel the need to get that taken care of sooner rather than later. How can anybody criticize them for that decision?

On the other hand, some kids will play juniors without a D1 scholarship offer in hand. IMHO, that's risky. In that circumstance I can agree with Vannelli's POV.

[Just Checking]

For example, in our program during that time period, we have had 20 players who I would qualify as Division I prospects. We lost seven players to early departure as well as 13 additional players who had the option of early departure, but declined. When I tracked the outcome of all 20 players, I found that the seven who left early did play Division I hockey. However, the 13 others who stayed backed also played Division I hockey. When I look at their college careers, there is no indication that those who stayed back had any less impact than those who left early....

Yes, the USHL is overall a higher level of competition, but if you expose highly talented players to a reasonable level of competition like the MSHSL, I believe that in a short time the talented high school players will catch up.

So what he's saying is, all the talented HS players have the opportunity to reach their full potential whether they leave early or not. Was that ever in doubt? I can't find anybody who has argued otherwise. The reason these kids leave early is TIMING. They want to get to their full potential as soon as they can. It's difficult to begrudge them that.

D1 coaches are increasingly extending scholarship offers with the understanding that the recruit will play junior hockey. Whether the recruit plays juniors while still in HS or after graduation is largely irrelevant. As you can imagine, some kids will feel the need to get that taken care of sooner rather than later. How can anybody criticize them for that decision?

On the other hand, some kids will play juniors without a D1 scholarship offer in hand. IMHO, that's risky. In that circumstance I can agree with Vannelli's POV.

I think what he is saying is what is the rush? I think the two of you agree. But rushing it, leaving early, brings more peril into play. There is more to lose than to gain would be another way of phrasing it. If a kid is a year older, he is a year more prepared for life away from home. He also says that for the completely dominant player it may make sense to leave, e.g. Novak.

[east hockey]

Every family should consider the options and then make the choice they believe is best for their athlete and their situation. Hindsight is always 20/20 (unless you're totally delusional) and statistics can be spun to say whatever you want them to say. Let people make their own choices and don't try to tell anyone what's best for them. As a great man once said, "Listen, man. You're my friend, and I know you care about me. And I know you disapprove, and I respect that. But there are some things that I have to do that you don't understand. You understand literature, movies, wine... but you don't understand my plight." 'Nuff said.

Yeah, but that great man also had to have his friend retrieve his wallet the next morning. But at least he had fun with Sandra Oh.

Lee

[Section 8 guy]

Why didn't he give his best player this speech? Brian Lee was an impact player in the NHL? The one player from his program that stayed back actually stayed back at another program, unless he's not talking about Lee? Didn't Justin Faulk play a year at STA? If so, he also left early for NTDP (after leaving for SSP).

Am I missing something here? You realize Brian Lee played in Moorhead and never played at STA, right?

[pioneers]

Why didn't he give his best player this speech? Brian Lee was an impact player in the NHL? The one player from his program that stayed back actually stayed back at another program, unless he's not talking about Lee? Didn't Justin Faulk play a year at STA? If so, he also left early for NTDP (after leaving for SSP).

Am I missing something here? You realize Brian Lee played in Moorhead and never played at STA, right?[/quot

Anders Lee not Brian Lee

[The Exiled One]

I think what he is saying is what is the rush? I think the two of you agree. But rushing it, leaving early, brings more peril into play. There is more to lose than to gain would be another way of phrasing it.

Yes, but that works both ways. Another year shy of D1 is another year of potential career-ending injury. Once on campus, injury is rarely a reason to yank a scholarship.

[GoBigorGoHome]

Vannelli isn't right, nor is he wrong. He's just a man expressing an opinion and reaching a conclusion which happens to be incredibly self-serving. To view it as anything more than that is being extremely naive. People should make informed decisions based on individual circumstances and the consequences, good or bad, will be what they will be.

[bauerman]

Go Big you may view this as incredibly self-serving on Vannelli's part, but you miss the point I think. And that is moving on is not always the right answer in fact very often it can be the wrong answer. I believe and I think this is the point that Vannelli is trying to make is the general pressure from ushl coaches or us development team reps is to move to them and where does that ultimately get the player to.I have thought this for a long time that if you play in a quality program ,play Elite League work with a top summer program are you really gaining anything in the long run by misssing one or two years of your high school career to play juniors?

[puckbreath]

Vannelli isn't right, nor is he wrong. He's just a man expressing an opinion and reaching a conclusion which happens to be incredibly self-serving. To view it as anything more than that is being extremely naive. People should make informed decisions based on individual circumstances and the consequences, good or bad, will be what they will be.

And anyone who thinks jr. team x isn't also being self-serving by wanting player y to leave hs and join them is also extremely naive.

[GoBigorGoHome]

Go Big you may view this as incredibly self-serving on Vannelli's part, but you miss the point I think. And that is moving on is not always the right answer in fact very often it can be the wrong answer. I believe and I think this is the point that Vannelli is trying to make is the general pressure from ushl coaches or us development team reps is to move to them and where does that ultimately get the player to.I have thought this for a long time that if you play in a quality program ,play Elite League work with a top summer program are you really gaining anything in the long run by misssing one or two years of your high school career to play juniors?

I think it is you who is missing the point. My point is that Vannelli isn't right or wrong. He's simply expressing his opinion. Junior team coaches are entitled to do the same. Both will likely be self-serving in nature. People should make informed decisions based on what they believe is right under their own particular circumstances. I apologize, if this is too difficult of a concept for some folks to understand.

[Just Checking]

I think what he is saying is what is the rush? I think the two of you agree. But rushing it, leaving early, brings more peril into play. There is more to lose than to gain would be another way of phrasing it.

Yes, but that works both ways. Another year shy of D1 is another year of potential career-ending injury. Once on campus, injury is rarely a reason to yank a scholarship.

There is that.

[bauerman]

apology accepted

[C-dad]

apology accepted

Even as snarky as it was worded?

[puckbreath]

I think what he is saying is what is the rush? I think the two of you agree. But rushing it, leaving early, brings more peril into play. There is more to lose than to gain would be another way of phrasing it.

Yes, but that works both ways. Another year shy of D1 is another year of potential career-ending injury. Once on campus, injury is rarely a reason to yank a scholarship.

There is that.

Well, yeah, but a person can't live their life on "what ifs" either.

[GoBigorGoHome]

apology accepted

Even as snarky as it was worded?

Snarkiness acknowledged and retracted. As Yoda might say, "A bit too thin-skinned was I."