The road to the major leagues for football, basketball and even baseball players is pretty familiar for most sports fans; but a hockey recruiting guide mapping a path to a major college campus and the NHL isn’t so apparent. The NFL, NBA and MLB players of the above sports and their parents have a relatively clear idea about the skills that need to be developed and whose attention they had to get to be scouted and recruited.

College recruiting for hockey players can be a peculiar journey sometimes for many young hockey players who want to make it big. Recruiting hockey players for college is much different than colleges recruit football, baseball and basketball players; firstly because hockey isn’t universally offered as a sport in most school districts and also hockey is seen as a regional sport.

The Road to Being Recruited as a Hockey Player

Virtually every hockey recruiting guide will advise any youngster playing hockey in a recreation league or club league in school and who is looking to advance their recruiting profile, to send a video of their play to a junior team. Junior hockey leagues are generally for 16 to 20 years; the leagues are numerous and have many skill levels, many youngsters playing junior hockey advance through the levels as their skills develop. The most competitive high skilled junior leagues are in Canada. The Canadian junior league levels are:

• Major Junior — Three leagues that operate in Canada and the northern and western U.S. This league is majority 17-19 year olds of the high skill level. The major factor with this league is that it is considered professional and as such its players cannot play for a NCAA team in the U.S.; however they are eligible to play Canadian college hockey. The Major junior players are granted college scholarships when their junior eligibility ends as long as they don’t turn professional. Most professional hockey players are from the three Canadian major junior leagues.

• Junior A – A level below major junior league hockey; however this league is not considered professional so many players who intend to play hockey for a college team decide to play here.

• Junior B-C-D – Leagues and teams at these lower levels more than likely operate as an extension of the local minor leagues teams.

• There are junior leagues and the equivalent in the United States, and Europe.

Hockey Recruiting Guide Tips: How to get Recruited

• Every time you take the ice whether in a game or practice; play as if every scout in the country is watching. You never know who is paying attention to your play.

• Stick to your off ice training regimen, it is your off ice training that allows your skills to further develop. Even if you’re in an area that isn’t known for its hockey; scouts do get word of a developing player.

• Technology today allows players to market themselves. Send videos of your training, practices and games to scouts or teams that you may want to advance to. Making videos of your hockey activities also improves your game by your studying of yourself in an effort to improve. The professionals watch their own vids all the time.

• If you’re looking to play college hockey this link < www.USCHO.com > is valuable information to know who the team coaches are, what the trends and needs are for various teams may be.

Hockey Recruiting Guide: Major Tip!

Jeff Sauer one of the top college hockey coaches for the University of Wisconsin and Colorado college stresses –character-; hockey is a character sport first and foremost. Sauer relates that he watched how a player handled himself on the ice personally, how he interacted with his teammates and opponents. He would contact a recruits opposing coaches to assess their character opinion of a player, Sauer believed opposing coaches more than the players own coach.

Another factor in Sauer’s decision about recruiting of a player was the player’s parents. Sauer has backed off players whose parents were overbearing in their pursuit of their son’s success. Sauer found that reasonable parents had to be convinced to allow him to recruit and coach their son; he was leery of parents who pursued him.

We at hockeyOT can will assist you in preparing for a college or professional hockey career. Our training guides and hockey recruiting guide will open doors that you may not be able to open alone.