Team Selection and the Junior Chowder Cup

So, this coming weekend, we're participating in the Jr Chowder Cup.

Never heard of it? Well, it's a pretty big deal for the big kids. There's a Chowder Cup (Juniors), Jr Chowder Cup (Midgets), and a Mini-Chowder Cup (Bantams) and it takes place in a number of rinks just south of Boston.

It's been around for over 40 years and they draw in almost 100 teams for each birth year -- hotel prices within a 50 mile radius are CRAZY as a result. Hockey families everywhere.

The Mini-Chowder Cup is merely a money grab. Bantam players and parents won't want to hear that...but, well, the truth stings sometimes. It's just another higher level competitive tournament with an awkwardly abundant number of pretenders coming in and getting crushed in every game.

Junior Chowder Cup is kinda the same...but junior teams, prep schools, and scouting bureaus are keenly aware of it.

Top players on top teams are legit prospects.

There aren't a ton of wide exposure events (that aren't all marketing BS) for this age group...but this is one of them which is why teams and players come from all over.

The main Chowder Cup for the oldest kids is just outstanding, high level, hockey. These are kids that are intent on playing college hockey -- pretenders have mostly been weeded out.

Now I'm not usually a big proponent of summer tournaments or tournament teams, in general - they're a huge waste of money -- but the behind the curtain reasoning for this was to hopefully get a profile written up by Neutral Zone on my 15-year old.

Read this post for some background on that -- short version, the Neutral Zone is a scouting service that a LOT of leagues and programs utilize... My kid got a very favorable write up from TSA already a couple of months ago...but wants the Neutral Zone feather in his cap too.

The week prior to the tournament, though, we received some disappointing news that his team would be in one of the regular brackets and not among the elite brackets...

At first, for a solid ten minutes, it *really* bothered me.

I mean, I was pissed.

Classic youth hockey bait-and-switch and I fell for it...

He belongs in the elite bracket -- little bit of dad ego here, sure, but more just basing it on other rosters that had been published -- but once that brief 10 minutes of annoyance wore off, I set out to make the best of the circumstance for my son.

Truth be told, lots of teams in the elite bracket reached out, as so often happens with summer tournaments, but latching on as a last minute addition, even for a team that will never practice together, usually doesn't amount to more than a series of moderately competitive pick-up games.

You're a placeholder for a piece that was missing.

Never ideal.

Henrik, my peewee, took on that role for a team out of Columbus, Ohio recently...and it was actually a really good experience...but you should never go in expecting that on invites like this...

But, legit -- I'm writing this on Wednesday night. Tournament starts tomorrow morning.

Two teams in the Elite bracket hit me up on Facebook and via email asking if Duncan could be available.

Declined one saying we're in the other bracket already.

Left the other one hanging. They even offered the spot at no cost -- a true desperation move -- and, I mean, I love a good $FREE.99 but, well, it's complicated.

Well, that, and I'd also heard they're looking for a goalie too.

Yeah, no thanks... Not what we're looking for.

But, like, if you have older kids, it's kinda like that scenario in tryouts where your kid is out there with 4 skaters all wearing the same helmet, gloves, and shell and it turns into one of those "yeah, don't let that guy touch the puck" episodes so your kid never even gets the opportunity to show what they can do.

I didn't want any part of that.

I never want any part of that.

So, for this, very calculatedly, I chose the team a few months ago based on connections that could lead to better opportunities down the road.

I was hoping/expecting it to be the elite bracket...but, whatever.

I'm over it.

Almost. Kinda. Sorta.

Trying to put some further positive spin on the situation, playing with and against AA players should even better showcase my kid's skills and that was always the ultimate goal.

Sure, we want that Neutral Zone profile and maybe that'll still come to fruition...but having really good coaches (like we encountered at the NAHL combine) see his style of play is worth more.

I'll never look down on AA level kids. Players of that calibre are capable so it's not like he'll be an all-star out there with a bunch of first year squirts that can't tuck in a tap-in goal on an empty net via a perfect pass.

Pick-up games like that frustrate him immensely.

AA level hockey players can play -- this weekend will NOT be frustrating for him.

If anything, he'll enjoy it more cause, from my perspective, talent and skill are near identical from AA to AAA.

The biggest difference, I've found, is the pace of play.

Thick skulled hockey dads frequently disagree with me on that front, thinking that AAA elite players are far superior in every aspect of the game but, well, they're wrong.

Certainly doesn't help that the Northeast US is littered with self-proclaimed AAA teams.

I'd say 50% of the AAA players are actually AA. At best.

And midget hockey (U15 and U16) is where the tables really turn for those perennial scoring machines unless they're capable of more than going hard to the net.

Getting sidetracked...

Going in, he didn't personally know anyone on the roster. That's a good thing -- no one comes in with a defined role based on their reputation -- you need to earn it. Quick.

My kid rises to the occasion in settings like that...and it's one of the primary reasons I'd never suggest or advise having your son or daughter play for one team or one coach for an extended amount of time.

You get pigeonholed into roles that might not suit your player's skills that way.

So, anyway, the kids are from all over the country and a I suspect a couple Euros too (I shouldn't suspect that -- I have a kid named Henrik Rutsch) but there is one familiar name from an opponent we faced this past season.

He only stood out back then because he was overtly dirty behind the play on every single shift but, hey, it's better that he's on the same team this time around.

Is it wrong that I secretly, selfishly, hope we're short handed with regularity as a result?

I didn't say that out loud.

Defense dad flaw...exposed.

And, so, yeah, we know around 15 former teammates participating in the tournament across various teams and, in hindsight, I shouldn't be surprised.

Even as mites and squirts, this collection of players stood out.

Not so much on the ice, talent-wise, but obviously in this for the long haul.

Not one was one of those, "Sure, let's give a hockey a try" kids.

But...looking at the teams some of the kids are skating for, well, I'm not sure all of us know "why" we're all here.

I truly think that over 50% of them are treating this as just another summer tournament. Just like they probably did the past couple years at the Mini-Chowder Cup.

It'll be a swift kick in the slats, if this is just part of their summer routine, when they realize they're not welcome at the Senior Chowder Cup in a few years.

-- The preceding was written prior to the tournament --

Okay, so the tournament weekend has come and gone.

Our team went 1-1-1 and we didn't qualify for the playoffs on Sunday.

The positive spin I'll put on it is that all of our games were competitive and low scoring -- how tournaments should be but seldom are.

Games before and after ours were mostly blowouts -- scores like 7-1 or 8-0.

And I think that's where this tournament, as great of a talent pool as it attracts, is exposed for having grown too large.

Too many pretender teams.

It's more about money...but at the same time, for this one, opportunity still exists.

Give and take.

So, right out of the gate, as expected, our team was a little timid.

There were a handful of kids from high end programs on the roster but they were sprinkled throughout the lines.

From my perspective, just based on observing the players in the 90 minutes prior to the first game, some were just there like it was a run of the mill summer tournament -- arriving late, fooling around, not warming up, and not really appearing to take much of anything seriously.

Hardly shocking, though, when the full team came out of the locker room for game time, that the whole set had the same helmet/pant shell combo on...

That can go two ways...

I've always said you should always play in off-season tournaments where your regular season team will be there. It's more like a regular season game. That's the perfect situation and, yes, there were full season rosters at this tournament (not in our bracket) and it showed.

On the other hand, if it's just a tournament team for the weekend, ideally, you want a bunch of kids of roughly the same skill level that haven't played together.

No boundaries, no pre-judgement, no known strengths or weaknesses.

Those teams really fly, after a timid initial period, cause everyone is out there proving themselves for the first time trying to earn their spot in the lineup.

That was the experience we had at the NAHL Combine earlier in the year.

This, however, was a clique coming in and since they outnumbered everyone else, it semi defined the culture of the team.

Extra long shifts, looked off passes, three forwards on the ice on the PK, and the clear studs on offense buried on the third and fourth line -- under utilized, short shifted -- seemingly because their helmets weren't the right colour.

Bench management issues? Eh, I won't say that.

They were the home team guys -- I totally get it.

Probably a number of dynamics in play over the five that started every period...even if they'd been out there, infinity shift style, at the end of the previous period...or were responsible for nearly all of the breakdowns and goals against.

Kids are 15 years old at this point -- the higher end ones know exactly what's going on and can see through a fraud in pre-game warm-ups.

I was impressed that they held it in for the first two games.

By the third game -- I saw the top kids stepping over the boards on first whistles to get the pretenders off the ice.

The one win of the weekend came in that third game.

Coincidence? Probably not.

Now, the kids didn't really come together as a team -- sure a bunch connected online on Instagram after the fact but my son said that the clique stuck together pretty tight and that he only really talked at length to three or four of the kids on the team.

His d-partner, a couple of the Euros (identical twins!), a kid a year younger that wasn't out of place at all, and one other kid he'll likely face during the regular season that also plays in Massachusetts.

Learned afterward, the clique all went rogue on the team hotel and stayed elsewhere...which explains why all of my son's hotel adventures down to the lobby to find a group of teammates to hang out with were mostly 5 minute excursions.

Names weren't learned unless the player sought to learn names.

So, yeah, not a great cohesive roster.

On top of it, like I alluded to earlier about being dismayed they weren't in the elite bracket...a couple of Duncan's teammates felt the same way...calling it "sh!t hockey" on the bench.

And, truthfully, it was.

It looked and felt like squirt hockey.

You know, defenseman that couldn't skate backwards effectively and would turn around and retreat before pivoting...

Duncan's partner wasn't like that -- he was great -- but a few of the others on the higher pairings were.

Exclusively North-South -- just throw the puck in the direction of the net...and chase it.

Not just our team -- it was the entire bracket. And, look, I recognized the helmets and shells of every kid on the opponents that we faced.

Our team had higher end kids on it. It did.

The body language displayed clearly indicated that some of the kids came from different styles of play that found dump and chase very, I dunno, not high level.

Oh, the icings...

Some many thrown away possessions...

Good players all around...but, unlike squirt hockey, one or two players can't win a game by themselves at 15 years old.

Hockey is situational. Sure, some hockey folks claim you shouldn't blame your teammates for your own lack of success, you know, create your own success, blah, blah, blah...but those so often tend to be the same hockey folks that won't admit 90% of success is a result of the situations you're on the ice for.

Team sport -- you're as good as the full cast around you...which is why tournament teams can so often be a gamble of sorts.

Great players know to not even try to do it by themselves...cause, well, that's squirt hockey.

I'm an analogy guy and I looked at it like a tennis player playing pickleball.

At their core, tennis and pickleball are the same game.

It's the exact same game...but it's not.

A tennis player will be average at pickleball.

A pickleball player will get exposed as terrible at tennis very quickly.

And that's what I witnessed in a vast majority of the games we watched -- elite and regular bracket.

I never want to say some are playing checkers while others are playing chess. That implies that one is superior to the other.

I won't say that. I mean, I have said that before...but this wasn't that drastic.

Surroundings are everything.

The fact that the team culture for our team was defined by players not really taking it seriously and, then, the completely foreign style of play for a number of the other kids make for a, well, mediocre weekend on the ice.

Going 1-1-1 is pretty mediocre.

(I say this but one of Duncan's buddy's teams in the elite bracket went 0-3 and was blown out in every game...so, yeah, could be worse.)

Now, having said all of that, and I hope you're still reading, you might be wondering why on earth we selected the team that we did...

I'll tell you.

We initially chose to participate in this tournament because I knew folks from Neutral Zone would be evaluating games at this tournament and I knew this team's brass was one we'd like to be a part of and latch on to because of what they offered.

Once I learned that they weren't in the elite bracket and, looking over the rosters of the opponents they'd face and not seeing any really high end guys that would undoubtedly be targeted for evaluation, the Neutral Zone expectation fizzled.

But I was still all-in on the team...well, after that initial and temporary rage.

The weekend was still a success for Duncan, personally. That was the grand expectation and the team's brass delivered.

Okay, Eric Swanick delivered.

If you're on Instagram and your feed is littered with hockey content, you've seen him before.

Deep voice, used to have crazy amazing hair, and rapid fire, in-your face, videos that I implore you to turn the audio on for.

If you like this site and the unfiltered beans I spill about youth hockey -- you'll freaking love the content he shares about how junior hockey works.

The kinda guy you could shoot the breeze with about hockey for hours. HOURS!

I haven't done that -- I tend to be a wallflower at these events and let my kid's play and demeanor speak for itself -- but I could definitely sit in a hotel lobby talking to this guy until 4am.

He does a podcast every Thursday night with a guest and, no joke, it's pure gold for any parent trying to help navigate their player through the later teenage years of hockey.

I'm a pretty knowledgeable hockey parent...but I learn something new every time I listen to him.

Swan Hockey -- look it up on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.

Content wise, for parents of players that are 15-20 years old with junior hockey in mind, it's a gold mine.

It's interactive too -- you can ask questions while it's live.

My favorite part -- for many of his guests, I have a one degree of separation with them from my years in pro hockey...so it's neat how it fully confirms that connections are so, so, so important.

So the high point of the weekend was a few hours prior to our third and final game in the hotel conference room.

He brought in Leo Gould, JT Tarantino, and our coach for the weekend, Jimmy Gill, to have a seminar and q/a with the players and the parents.

Awesome.

This is EXACTLY why I'd signed up.

Leo Gould is a legend in Northen Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. I recognized him the moment he walked in the door -- I've seen that guy!

Currently, he's among the ownership group of the Junior A Fredericton Red Wings as well as a scout for the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. Prior to Saturday morning -- I did not know those facts.

Now I know most "cool" hockey dads, on the glass, standing in the corners sporting the flat brim hats don't think much of the 70 and 80-something year old guys you see every so often at midget and junior games...but those are the guys you should really admire...and be aware of.

And when they come to something like this to speak -- they know what they're talking about.

Slight tangent but Don Kirnan is another one -- he's the commissioner of the FPHL (the pro league the Danbury Hat Tricks are in - I do some part-time work for them) and, you know, fans are conditioned to always hate on the commissioner over everything...you know, kinda like how Gary Bettman always gets booed.

Don's in that same position...but from a far more fiery angst-charged fanbase. It's brutal the abuse he takes online.

My personal interactions with him consisted of about 30 seconds crammed into the penalty box area prior to him awarding the Danbury Hat Tricks the 2023 League Championship.

Seemed like a decent hockey guy in that candid moment. And the two or three owners within that league that I've had conversations with totally respect him as a Syracuse legend -- that's why he's commissioner.

So the weekly podcast that Eric hosts had Don as a guest on Thursday night, during the tournament, so I watched/listened from the hotel room, and...wow.

Just...wow.

Get him talking about youth and junior hockey...damn...what an amazing resource!

And even when talking about the single a pro league he oversees -- super insightful stuff that the "common" fan overlooks.

Point is, the wealth of information these guys have is astounding.

Eric Swanick knows it...and gives them a wider audience to share their wisdom with. For FREE!

So, yeah, Leo Gould was there explaining the process of getting to the QMJHL and what that league offers -- amenities, education packages, and that sort of thing.

If I could listen to Eric Swanick talk until 4 in the morning...I could listen to stories from Leo Gould for weeks on end.

Even old Boston Bruins stories from the 1970's...and I hate the Bruins!

- - - - - - - - - -

JT Tarantino also presented.

Super cool too cause he had three of his own teams competing in the tournament but Eric got him to take some time to come to an out of the way hotel conference room to talk to our team.

Read that again.

He brought three of his own teams to this tournmanet...but came to a hotel conference room to address our team.

That's what I'm talking about!

These are the "good guys" at this level of hockey.

Swan Hockey brought hockey minds together into a room to share information with players and parents.

JT is a player personnel guy with the Mercer Chiefs NCDC team.

I've talked about the NCDC on here before...but summarizing, it's Tier 3 hockey (from a USA Hockey standpoint) but tuition free...so it's actually, in reality, Tier 2 hockey.

That landscape is rapidly changing...but putting all of that aside, it's high end, US-based, junior hockey.

He shared how that level of hockey works, where they pull from, what the philosophy is, and what kinds of players they're looking for.

- - - - - - - - - -

And then Jimmy Gill, our coach for the weekend, further reiterated a lot of what the other two had said. He's a coach within the NJ Titans program so he has a hands-on feel for how their program works all the way up to the NAHL team.

So, right there, presentations right from the source on the path we're on (NCDC), the end goal we aspire to (QMJHL), and a path we dipped our toe into (NAHL).

If that's not a perfect set-up, I'm not sure what is.

And that's the difference from our mediocre on-ice team versus an elite bracket team he could have skated for and likely even played on Sunday for.

It wasn't just a weekend of hockey with a bunch of randos, see ya never, bye.

We came away with insanely valuable information -- information that was directed towards the players AND the parents.

That's what this team offered.

And that's why I'm still coming away quite happy from the weekend.

The one common theme during the seminar was that there is no "set path". Everyone can take a different path and there's a fit for everyone.

Not seeking that kind of commitment, hockey 24/7? Not willing to billet?

It's all good.

Hockey, from a single player perspective, is so very situational.

Great players can disappear or evaporate under the certain coaches or on certain rosters...and they all collectively advised the room to weigh the options in front of you through that one specific looking glass...YOU!

There are a lot of bad guys out there in junior hockey. Lot of salesmen. And a lot of healthy scratches too. So much BS.

You need to educate yourself on all of it prior to accepting any offer.

Reading the room, I got the vibe that a number of the parents were either taken aback or kind of glossing over what was being presented...as I said, they came in to this like it was just another "summer" tournament with a groovy uniform.

I get it.

But for the half dozen players that truly are all-in on hockey at the moment, and thinking beyond next week -- next season for two or three, even -- this was an awesome opportunity.

Coming out of the room, you could tell there were three or four parents' frowns turned upside down.

THIS was the value of this team. Swan Hockey delivered.

Eric Swanick calls it the Onward and Upward Tour -- pretty sure this was his first off-season of doing this and, while this team wasn't great on the ice, the Onward and Upward title was fitting.

What he's building is what EXACTLY what's missing for this age group -- parents and players.

Knowledge.

I've little doubt that his tournament teams will only attract more junior hockey and college hockey focused players in the future as it builds momentum.

The best team any of my sons have ever played for was for my eldest’s second mite season. Lightning in a bottle -- we had a full roster of like minded players and parents.

It's when you find yourself in a setting like that that things really take off.

Swanny's working towards that.

On a personal note, of late, while attending off season skills sessions or hockey camps, I've noticed a lot of players walking in or out looking like they're homeless.

Disheveled, dirty crocs, mismatched socks, stretched out t-shirt, and a hockey bag slung over their shoulder.

A couple months back, my own son came out of a locker room looking the part.

"Oh no...that's not happening," I grumbled to myself.

I'd prefer he walk out in one of those base layer onesies with the velcro tabs all over that you see the little guys wearing in rink lobbies than this get-up.

I took a picture of him and showed him asking, "If the hockey bag weren't over your shoulder, do you look like a hockey player? An elite hockey player?"

The answer was no.

From that point on, he's back to wearing something hockey related on the way in...and out. Whether it's a team jacket or some random tournament sweatshirt...

Look the part.

Game days were never an issue -- he always had the full warm-ups on, or the dress pants, shirt, and tie combo...depending on the program.

I'm talking about practice. Allen Iverson, be damned.

Look the part.

So, for this seminar, since I defined it as a "hockey event", he went down to the conference room with a Springfield Pics hat and sweatshirt on, repping his team and sat up front...and the value of that smacked him right in the face almost immediately.

Leo looked at him, knew the logo, pulled a name out of a hat of a player a couple years older that's attended the Wildcat's camp and mentioned Springfield this, Springfield that during his presentation.

It's the little things.

A player from our program -- Devin Niles -- left an impression with a scout for the primary team Duncan would like to play for in the QMJHL so much so that he called my son out numerous times...and even mentioned that the player went from the Pics, to the PAL Jr Islanders in the NCDC, to camp in Moncton.

Instant connection that would not have come about if he'd been sitting there in soccer shorts and a stained Vineyard Vines t-shirt with a stretched out neckline.

While JT Tarantino was talking about the NCDC and his Mercer Chiefs getting knocked out in the finals by, you guessed it, the PAL Jr Islanders...I had to bite the insides of my cheeks.

YES!

That one-two punch of both speakers referencing the team Duncan currently plays for, and the team he hopes it leads to, solidified for me what I kinda already knew.

Duncan is in the right program and under the right coaches to get where he wants to go.

As a hockey parent, I think we all seek validation that we're making wise decisions on behalf of our children cause, let's be honest...we're often just taking leaps of faith based on word of mouth and internet sleuthing most of the time.

I got my validation in a Hampton Inn conference room on a Saturday morning in July.

That was NOT on my bingo card.

- - - - - - - - - -

During the presentations, all of them took questions and -- deciding NOT to be a wall flower for a change -- I asked two pointed questions in front of the whole group.

First one was for JT Tarantino and how the NCDC works. My question was, "From my perspective, the NCDC teams seem to frequently dip into the same well over and over. I know there are "affiliations" of sorts but I've also noticed that kids from certain midget programs ALWAYS seem to go to certain NCDC programs. It's very linear."

He confirmed that, yes, that's what happens...which explains why so many Springfield Pics players end up playing for the PAL Jr Islanders.

He said his program routinely pulls from a group of Michigan based programs...but also said that's not the only source...but a frequently utilized one.

There are absolutely behind the scenes personal connections.

Some programs are factories for certain kinds of players.

I don't know about you, but I frequent the same grocery store over and over again.

Junior hockey teams do the same.

And this conversation segued into how important connections are -- make connections. Make solid connections.

They'll benefit you down the road...even outside of hockey...or, when, two of you guys are midget and junior coaches in a dozen years.

- - - - - - - - - - -

My second question was for Leo Gould.

I'm pretty familiar with the QMJHL and even the Moncton Wildcats.

That's legit hockey and a very high bar. Not a gimme for even a second and definitely a lofty goal.

Dare I say it, Duncan's youngest brother, Emmet, plays for a former Monton Wildcat defenseman...and that's the main reason we chose that mite team for him over any other.

It's about connections.

Your brother's coach isn't just a great coach, he's a great (and willing) resource.

Emmet's coach was once what Duncan aspires to be. Someone who's lead he's trying to follow -- a player based in Connecticut that landed in the QMJHL before going pro and then into coaching at the professional and international IIHF level.

Someone whose advice and guidance is always welcome.

Yes, it's true.

Duncan's brother's mite coach was one of the primary reasons we chose the path we did for our 15 year old.

"Hey, what do you think of the Springfield Pics?"

Oh yeah, solid program, he said. Those guys know what they're doing. And then it turned out he knew one of the Dutch players on the team, personally, from when he played overseas.

And now that kid's brother might be headed over for this coming season?!

I'm driving an hour to play for this program.

Those guys are crossing an ocean.

It's all connected -- a literal spiderweb. Utilize those connections when you can.

Should Duncan make it that far -- I've got a neat picture of Duncan and current skills development coordinator of the Wildcats, Kelsey Tessier, from back when Duncan was three years old and Kelsey was playing in the AHL.

Would love to re-create that photo the day before Duncan gets cut from the roster. 😉

So, anyway, I cut right to the chase with Leo mentioning that, "With the American draft no longer being held by the QMJHL and being told by the league offices that the only way to be listed on their CSR list for the draft from the States was to be evaluated by Neutral Zone (knowing that ship had sailed, for this weekend, anyway), was that true? Is it Neutral Zone dependent, exclusively?"

His response..."No, no, no."

Teams have US-based scouts and they can add who they like to their watch list.

He even explained his own process and pulled out the sheet he hands to players he scouts, if he likes what he sees, to acquire more information, a willingness to billet, and gauge interest in playing for, in his case, the Moncton Wildcats or major junior in general.

He also pulled out a sheet he had with him with names highlighted on it -- confirming that, yes, QMJHL scouts were at this tournament and were fully aware of which players were on what rosters.

For my kid...right then, in that moment, after all the crap he's heard me mention in the car over the past few months about how you never know who might be watching and how it's not okay to "take a game off", things got real.

Awesome.

And, hearing how familiar Leo was with the Springfield Pics as a player factory made me feel Duncan will get further opportunities to play in front of him, and others, while surrounded by familiar teammates and in a system that better compliments his style.

Here's to hoping he gets plucked from the locker room, post game, and handed that sheet from the briefcase before seasons' end. Time will tell.

So, yeah, even though the on-ice part of the weekend was lacklustre, the team we played for offered something I don't believe we could have gotten anywhere else -- third and fourth party verification, we're really doing this youth hockey thing right.

His goal, should things continue progressing in the right direction, is to play for the Springfield Pics, get a tender offer from or be drafted by the PAL Jr Islanders in the NCDC, and then, hopefully, get plucked into a QMJHL camp from there.

Following the presentations and Q/A portion and Eric thanking everyone for coming and participating, they all stuck around to take questions from parents and players in a less formal setting.

Everyone was super approachable offering to talk offline anytime.

You bet I took down everyone's info.

Probably won't bother any of them, though.

I chose not ask them one-on-one questions afterwards as, from my limited experience as a coach, I'm certain they can't stand having overbearing parents tout their own kids' play and seek favors.

For those reasons, it's why I'd never initiate a question like the one I asked within the program my kids play for for fear of appearing or coming across like one of those presumptuous parents overvaluing their player's ability.

"Who's this wise guy? Thinking his kid can go to the Q? Third pairing, zero points. Please... Get outta here..."

As a coach, you would be shocked at some of the things you're asked by or told from parents. It's easily the worst part of the job.

But it's events like this that Eric Swanick put together that give me the opportunity to almost "interview" the program we selected to play for...from the outside.

Do they offer the coaching, clout, and exposure to maybe get my kid to the Q?

The answer is...yes!

And we got this confirmation playing in the lower bracket of the Jr Chowder Cup for a team that didn't even qualify for Sunday.

Who you know matters. Where you play matters. Who you play for matters even more.

Connections, man...

So, full recap...

The Jr Chowder Cup for the midget aged players (15 and 16 year olds) appears to have allowed itself to become overgrown. Too many teams, too many divisions, too many pretenders.

It's still better quality and competition than the "knowns" out there -- OneHockey, Can/Am, and 200x85, cough, cough -- that will let any team enter...but it's not a best of the best tournament. Not even close.

The team we played for was the wrong team and the right team all at the same time.

I can't really summarize that...but if you're reading all the way down here...you already know what I mean.

Overall, for us, aside from a Neutral Zone profile, we got what we'd hoped for.

I'm pretty critical and snobby when it comes to these "beyond the regular season" offerings but we'd participate with Swan Hockey in the future, for sure.

It's not about fleecing parents.

It's not about false promises.

They're the good guys in the "hockey world" in sea full of of bad guys...

And it's not an elitist group either -- any hockey parent and player is treated fairly whether they're aiming super high or just looking to maybe play high school hockey. They have a ton of valuable advice for all levels that's factual and not a sales pitch or a put down.

So, yeah, they offer so much more than a "guaranteed three games" with a bunch of randos.

Hey -- we even got to keep our awesome jerseys and socks!

But, really, the value here wasn't on the ice.

It was off the ice...and, at this juncture, that's the most important piece.

---

Related Articles
   » That Awkward Moment...from that newly Annoying Parent
   » A Connecticut youth hockey program you should consider playing for
   » The Effectiveness of the SuperDeker
   » Letting the Team Down: It's All Your Fault
   » Our iTrainHockey Camp/Skills Experience
   » A Simple Piece of Advice: Be Nice!
   » Dirty Players: Can we stop with all the Slashing?
   » Rutsch. How should I pronounce that?

Agree? Disagree? Let me know -- I love the feedback from all angles!