HighSchoolHockeyForums.com

I know a lot of people on this board (and elsewhere) believe certain schools / coaches / community people recruit players.<br><br>But I firmly believe that recruiting is the BEST thing any of us can do to improve (maintain) the quality of hockey within our communities and within Minnesota. <br><br>By recruiting, I believe it is very necessary that local associations get into the schools (K, 1, 2 etc...) and recruit the kids (boys or girls) (THE 5, 6, 7 YEAR OLDS) to play hockey. The greater number signed up for mites the greater the potential for getting the best athletes playing the game. But there is resistence by parents (and others) to allowing their kids to play hockey. Cost, violence (injury), committment, travel. <br><br>My point is that all of us need to help the local associations overcome the 'issues of why not to play hockey' at our local levels. We need to promote hockey so our local HS team has a chance to play in the state. We need to push hockey leadership to help with this issue.<br><br>Bottom line is <br>GET OUT AND RECRUIT!!!<br><br>(Apply the same theory to coaches, refs, and volunteers!) <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p074.ezboard.com/bmnhs.showUserP ... liott70</A> at: 3/15/05 2:23 pm<br></i>

personally i dont think that school recruit. Way back when private schools got to be very good. Since then players want to go a good school that had a good hockey team. For example lets say a kid lives in Maplewood, he would either go to North Saint Paul, or Tartan. But since the kid is good, and knows the Tartan/NSP teams wont be very good, He goes to Hill Murray, where they will be good every year. (dont use that example saying which team is better, it was a general statement). So i think that a schools reputation does there recruiting for them. I dont think that coaches like Lechner or Trebil go around to Bantam games and asking kids to come play for them. They leave the recruiting to the players playing well. Another big factor is, in the Elite league or summer camps. Players from all over talk and hang out, and players from private school invite/tell them all about what private school they go and try and get them to come. This goes with public schools as well. Thats just my 2 cents <p>The curse lives on.....</p><i></i>

Two great posts. Warroad's rep does the recruiting for them. Schools that lose players need to quit blaming the schools that the kids go to and start looking at their own programs.Start at the mite age and build a great program and kids won't leave. Build it and they will come. Fields of dreams. <p></p><i></i>

word wbl <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :smokin --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... smokin.gif ALT=":smokin"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p>Play another sport if ya dont got what it takes to DangleMcFangle.</p><i></i>

The only thing I have to say about youth programs needing to be stronger to stop kids from leaving is this:<br><br>The high school age kids in Program A get ripped off if the changes are implemented for the younger kids (But there really isnt much they can do to build talent at the high school age when some kids have had that level of intenstity for their entire lives. Those kids in Program A go to Program B because they are good enough to get out and go play for Program B because of natural ability in the sport. Those that just needed more grooming to build upon their talent can't leave otherwise they won't be able to play at all, but the good kids will keep on leaving anyway. <br><br>I don't know how clearly this came across so let me put it in other terms. For those of you who have had economics or are in it, this will be easy. For the rest of you, maybe this will help, maybe it wont. <br><br>The plight of third world countries (or in our case the plight of 2nd-rate hockey teams)<br><br>Consumer goods are needed to solve the demand for the present time, while capital goods are needed to build and improve the economy.<br><br>Put that into hockey terms: Teams that dont have winning youth programs won't have winning high school programs because so much focus is placed on the upper levels of competition instead of the lower ones (which would prepare better for future teams) Teams that have winning high school teams also have winning youth teams which were built up a long time ago and maintain their strength (capital) They just keep getting bigger and better, while other teams dont get worse they just dont improve as much.<br><br>Centennial of course is the major example of this. They didnt have a winning hockey team but they improved their youth programs (and a bunch of kids decided to work really hard from the time they could first speak and pulled it off)<br><br>Hope this didnt get TOO far off subject and that it's at least SOMEWHAT coherent. <p></p><i></i>

I agree with Salol Hockey.<br><br> Build your OWN program so that kids won't leave, but also build your OWN program so you don't need players from other teams to "fill the holes" every year ala Warroad! <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p074.ezboard.com/bmnhs.showUserP ... sscheck</A> at: 3/13/05 8:52 am<br></i>

what do u want warroad to say no u guys cant play here that would not be very nice! <p>Play another sport if ya dont got what it takes to DangleMcFangle.</p><i></i>

Crosscheck-<br><br>Moorhead had a pretty good group of homegrown kids this year didnt they??? Then, Loos and Fisher transfer in, NOT being recruited, they just came to a strong program for their own reasons. Is that Moorheads fault? Should they have turned them away? <p></p><i></i>

The sad reality is that communities need to re-recruit their own players that have grown up in THE program, otherwise they will all end up at AHA! <p></p><i></i>

Keep your eyes and ears open for the Number of "non recruits" moving to play hockey in Warroad next year! The number will be staggering compared to past seasons! <p></p><i></i>

ya sure...and their hiring a bunch at the marvin factory. <p></p><i></i>

who do you think the coach will be for warroad next year?<br> <p>Play another sport if ya dont got what it takes to DangleMcFangle.</p><i></i>

All i have to say is LOYALTY <p></p><i></i>

Look for the same two head coaches next year in Warroad. <p></p><i></i>

Give the people what they want, and hey, the people want Warroad.<br><br>Maybe these people would stay at their old schools or go to other schools if they didn't pale in comparison to the top (not just warroad, top hockey teams in general).<br><br>Land of opportunity, i mean c'mon. That's the concept of human advancement, seeing a better thing possible and going for it! <p></p><i></i>

The lights once again shine brightly for the future of Edina Hockey.<br><br>Edina is one program that has stopped the bleeding, losing top players to "other" programs. <br><br>Over the next four year's you will see a run of state appearances and state championships for the Edina hockey program. As mentioned, Edina's Bantam A goalie Briggs will be at Breck next season, however he has shared equaled playing time with Caschetta who starred in goal in the Championship game today. Unlike past years, this current group of players have vowed to play out there high school playing years for Edina.<br><br>These current 89-91's players have succeeded at every level, from their squirt year winning both the Fargo Flyers tournament and the North American Silverstick Championship in Sarnia to last year's 56-3 PeeWee A State champions to today's Bantam A championship. Next years Bantam A's will dominate with an even greater fury and record. To think otherwise is foolish.<br><br>No longer will Edina's player leave for greener pastures as they do not exist elsewhere. It is sad so few successful youth programs today evolve into successful HS teams. Centennial, White Bear Lake, and a handful of others are all that remain that continue to keep the majority together through HS.<br><br>Keeping a group of players together today requires both the cooperation and lack of egos from the parents, as well as the kids. All sharing the common goal of the teams success and less on the individual stardom some parents often set after.<br><br>Edina is back and will be here to defeat the whatever "All-Star" programs that come there way..<br><br>Love them or hate them, it is refreshing to see they are actually a group of kids who <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>all grew up</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> in the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>same neighborhood</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, and not scripted on paper and negotiated behind closed doors.....What a concept...<br><br>and a beautiful thing.<br><br>the buzz is back!<br><br>&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp <p></p><i></i>

What I think is funny, is when kids tranfer to programs like Warroad and Moorhead, thats fine. But, when a kid tranfers to a private school for the same reason, thats wrong for some reason. Get a clue, it might be selfish, but like someone said earlier, if you have a good program, kids will stay.<br><br><br>ps nobody bad mouths Wheeler for leaving Wayzata, why is that? Just an example, nothing against Wheeler. <p></p><i></i>

I agree about Wheeler, which is also why I dont fully understand why AHA takes the worst abuse of anybody. I understand that people will bash them because they are a private school and they win, but most of their players come from good programs like Jefferson, Eden Prairie, and Edina anyways. These kids arent going to have a lack of exposure if they stay in those hometowns, so its not as selfish as kids going from poor programs to better ones. <p></p><i></i>

I think that the theme of this thread is a good one.<br><br>Recruiting is considered a dirty word in some circles. It is considered a negative if a player who grew up in Edina or Wayzata goes to school at Breck or BSM. Its presumed bad if a kid from WBL or Woodbury goes to HM.<br><br>There are two sides to it. Is having successful programs at BSM(who just moved to AA) and Breck and HM etc bad for high school hockey? <br><br>Is WBL or Edina hurting for players? <br><br>If you are into what could have been or "should " be for your favorite school if players had "stayed" then there will be dissapointment.<br><br> But is the increase in success of the private school programs bad for hockey?<br><br><br><br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>

Excellent thread packerboy! Privates are creating opportunities for HS athletics. People choose these programs for a variety of reasons, some even noble<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> Programs that have the depth that you mention (WB and Edina) will still have a very strong program. There is probably only 10 programs in the state that could lose 2 of their top players (per year class) without a significant drop.<br><br>I do understand the frustration and bitterness that comes in seeing your Bantam team going to 4 different high schools. You must first ask why are they leaving.<br><br>Private success is a cause for concern, but not panic. Yet. <p></p><i></i>

I also think this is a good thread on recruiting. The one thing that I think needs mentioning is that there is very little, if any actual recruiting going on. There is a lot of kids transferring to, in most cases, better programs to better themselves. I think too many people are too quick to use the "R" word when its not true and it is their way of lashing out at the schools who receive the transfer students. I will say this again and again. The best way to stop students from leaving is to improve your own program to the point your kids will want to stay and quit worrying about Warroad, Roseau,Salol, Moorhead and the private schools. <p></p><i></i>

<br><br>Are they leaving some place because they don't like it there or are they just going some place else? Kids cant be leaving Edina for hockey reasons, not valid ones. Leave WBL to play hockey somewhere else? Why? <br><br>I hear a lot of people say "Improve your program if you want kids to stay". The vast majority of kids are at Catholic and private schools because they want to be there not because they dont want to be somewhere else....if that makes any sense.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>

ya, not many players leave wbl to play hockey elsewhere. If they do, they comeback like Parenteau did. I dont think anyone in the past 5 years or so left wbl to play hockey elsewhere. The only person is John Vadnais and Luke Beaverson who both played juniors. Luke played i think one year of Varsity and then left, and John never played JV or Varsity. <p>The curse lives on.....</p><i></i>

Well said packerboy. A lot of the catholic school kids come from top notch youth programs anyways, as well as (often times) wealthy communities/families. This is why I think it gets blown out of proportion sometimes, I think a lot of the families of kids at these schools have their minds made up on where they will attend High School while the kid is still young, and don't really regard the hockey program they are coming from as a reason for leaving. <p></p><i></i>

Another thing to think about, the education offered at MOST private schools is head and shoulders above the public schools. So is it really a bad thing to get a great education and play for a good program?<br>I think not.<br><br><br><br>ps I am originally from the north and hated private schools. Why? Becuase I was ingnorant to what the private schools offered. <p></p><i></i>