Hey kids, hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I wanted to follow up on a story the Coach did a few weeks ago with some of my own thoughts.
You hear a lot about players trying to decide “which league to play in”. Well kids I am hear to tell you that you are thinking, and going about making your decisions all wrong. That’s right boys, you have no clue what your doing. That sucking sound is me pulling your head out of your ass.
So here’s the truth……
There is no Midget league that is a sure thing to get you drafted in Major Junior, the USHL, Junior A in Canada or the NAHL. That’s right, no such league.
There is no Tier III league in the US that is a sure thing to get you drafted or called up to any higher level league either. No such Junior B or C league in Canada either.
There is no “direct pipeline” to any higher levels of play other than the one that you create with your on ice performance. Period, the end. So stop thinking because you go to one league or another that you are going anywhere, or that your opportunity to go anywhere is improved by playing in any league.
The truth kids is that the best players move up. Sure there is some politics, but there’s politics in every job. Yep, in case you missed it, you’re playing for a job.
How do kids get moved up then?
Well it starts with your performance. Then it falls on how well you are connected politically, how well you are marketed to higher levels, and how hard your current coach works to get you moved up.
If your coach is all about development, and you are performing well on the ice and you’re a good team mate, chances are you will have a chance to move up.
If your a pain in the ass, and your not a top performer, then it doesn’t matter what league you are in, or what team you play for.
As the boss here says, the leagues initials don’t make one bit of difference. There are good teams an bad teams in every league. Some teams are focused on development, some are focused on winning games, some try to balance both.
So here’s the thing kids, stop comparing leagues and start comparing teams. Who moves players up mid season? Who moves players up the following year? Who talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. Who talks about winning and championships before they talk about promoting you as a player?
Yeah, yeah, I know its about the team. Bullshit. Its about you too. Unless you’re playing for free at a high level already, its about getting to that level, and it doesn’t matter how many games you win, or what league your in. If you don’t perform, and you don’t have people working hard for you it isn’t going to happen kids.
There are teams at lower levels that move more kids up than higher level teams. There are teams at lower levels that put more kids in school than higher level teams. There are bad free to play teams, and there are bad pay to play teams that are in leagues you might think are good. There are some teams at lower levels that would beat teams at higher levels.
Every team is different, every player is different, so how about you start comparing apples to apples, and team to team. An good apple from Washington tastes like a good apple from New York. A bad apple is just a bad apple and it doesn’t matter where it comes from.
David Wagner – The Angel Of Death – For Those Who Live Stupidly I salute You
*The Death Pool is a mix of comedy, and satire in connection with recent events. It is not an official report of current events although it may look as though the news is so accurate that it could one day happen or may be happening
