Junior Hockey

This spring, most high school seniors are busy making plans for graduation and are looking forward to a relaxing summer before starting college in the fall. However, for hockey players who desire to play college hockey, it is a time of uncertainty. Players recruited out of high school are the lucky few. The majority of hockey players need to make the decision whether to hang up their skates or to invest the time, energy, and money to chase the college hockey dream. The decision to play junior hockey is the best path to achieve the goal of playing college hockey because it provides the best opportunities, the best skill development program, and prepares the player emotionally for college hockey.
        Playing junior hockey is all about opportunity. It offers a player the chance to continue to play organized hockey at a highly competitive level. There are three Tiers of junior hockey in the United States. The USHL is the only Tier 1 league in the United States. It is Comprised of seventeen teams of twenty-five players, the USHL teams are located throughout the Midwest. It offers an intensive schedule with over 60 games a season. This enables the player to continue to develop his hockey skills while skating against older competition. The USHL is also the only junior league in the United States that has no cost to the player. The team provides all the hockey equipment, team fees, and billet charges. Education is also a top priority in the USHL. This is not the case in all junior leagues. Since players can range from 16-20 years old, some are completing their high school degrees while others are taking part-time college courses. The opportunity to grow academically is a major benefit to playing in the USHL. Another important reason to play in the USHL over Major Juniors in Canada is that the USHL is NCAA protected. Therefore, it is heavily scouted by college coaches, in addition to NHL scouts. One important statistic is that 75% of Division 1 and 60% of Division 3 players played junior hockey before college hockey (Keegan, College Hockey Guide Book). Playing in the USHL provides the opportunity for a player to get recruited by a college and to earn a scholarship. The USHL provides a player access to competitive hockey, recruitment exposure, top coaching, and the chance to develop physically. One of the main objectives of junior hockey is to prepare a player for college hockey.
       The USHL has an excellent reputation for player development. It provides the player a chance to develop on and off the ice. It is very similar to professional hockey. Junior teams practice almost every day and have two to three games a weekend. In addition, junior teams are led by elite coaches who previously played in college or the NHL. The coaches push the player to be the best they can be on and off the ice and ultimately reach their full potential. Most teams also have athletic trainers who devise individual programs for players and help to rehabilitate injuries. Teams have off ice workouts requiring the player to build strength, agility, and cardiovascular endurance. Players develop a very strong bond since they spend so much time at the rink together. Through junior hockey, the player develops both hockey skills and interpersonal skills with teammates, coaches, trainers, and the host family.
        The USHL also is a great tool to develop time management skills. The player learns about organizational skills and how to deal with adversity. The junior hockey player will need to balance practice time, academic responsibilities, and a social life. The ability to make smart decisions off the ice and to say no to drugs and alcohol cannot be overemphasized. Players often learn life lessons. Whether it is an injury, being benched by a coach, or being traded, a junior player needs to react in a positive and professional manner. The chance to play in the USHL will create a hockey player who is both physically and emotionally prepared for college hockey.
      Every hockey player’s dream is to play in the National Hockey League. The reality is that a very small percentage of great hockey players reach that dream. The dream of playing college hockey is much more realistic. College hockey’s impact on the NHL has grown in recent years as the game has become faster. Johnny Gaudreau of Boston College and Jack Eichel of Boston University are two examples of players who played juniors and college hockey and are now excelling in the NHL. Many NHL players attribute their success to how they developed in junior hockey. I believe if a high school hockey player wants to play college hockey, playing in the USHL is the best step toward reaching that dream.