THE FIVE: BIGGEST MISTAKES MADE BY INCOMING NCAA STUDENT ATHLETES

First, nobody is perfect. As players start to make the transition from the youth and junior levels of play to college hockey, it’s very important to avoid mistakes that could easily cost any prospective student athlete an opportunity. Today’s Five is our second such article on the subject. This one is short and to the […]

FIVE MINUTE MAJOR

By Derek Harper While the goal for major junior hockey players is to make it to the National Hockey League (NHL), some don’t always make it there or at least not early in their career. Some take alternate routes and start at lower levels. That was the case with a couple of Western Hockey League […]

THE FIVE: SIGNS YOUR CHILD IS NOT READY FOR JUNIOR HOCKEY

So, your kid thinks he’s ready to leave the nest for the grown-up world of big boy junior hockey. Today’s FIVE offers a free test for every potential parent of a junior eligible player seriously considering the big jump. First there’s the most important rule parents must completely understand if their son is trying to […]

THE VAULT: NAHL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

The hockey world thought that North American Hockey League’s expansion would result in a dramatic drop off in level of play, but the truth is, that did not really happen. Even the attempt to steal a bit of the NAHL’s success with the United States Premier Hockey League’s creation of the National Collegiate Development Conference […]

WHAT IS THE BEST JUNIOR LEAGUE?

The other guy gets a lot of traffic from an annual ranking of the junior leagues. They do it for what is essentially tiers one, two, and three. The criteria for these rankings is in itself questionable. There are too many round pegs in comparison to square holes. It is impossible to rank leagues in […]

FIVE MINUTE MAJOR

By Derek Harper It’s another week during the offseason for major junior hockey and there’s more news. It’s now official that the newest WHL exceptional status player has signed with his respective team. The Everett Silvertips officially signed 15-year-old Landon DuPont Tuesday, Aug. 6. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound DuPont was officially granted exceptional status on Apr. […]

The Vault: Muckers, Grinders, & Pantydroppers

Role players are part of the game. Nothing excites the fans faster than a big hit that results in a quick goal. It is like a double-shot of excitement. Everybody is happy at the post-game party after a team effort win.