2024-25 ND High School Hockey

[Brim006]

52 minutes ago, yzerman19 said:

Due to work relocations, I've been both inside the tier1 world (in most States that is the only place you have top end hockey) and the Minnkota community model.  There are pros and cons to both.    From my perspective, the tier 1 model is better for the truly elite players.  When I say truly elite, I mean you are legitimately top 50 in your birth year across all of the US and Canada, maybe top 75.  For everybody else, and I mean everybody, you are best served staying in your community.  So for 99% of kids- stay home, develop at pace, have a life.

This. 

And a lot of parents forget that even if your kid truly is elite, and you have the money to support whatever extra development opportunities, that the kid himself still has to want it even more than the parents. You can't force passion, and you can't force true effort on someone no matter how hard you try. 

[Johnny Five]

Hearing rumors that Minot High is getting cleared out with defections as well.  With the loaded senior class gone and now 4-5 players bolting....woof.

[sioux rube]

8 minutes ago, Johnny Five said:

Hearing rumors that Minot High is getting cleared out with defections as well.  With the loaded senior class gone and now 4-5 players bolting....woof.

Kind of the trend up there over the years 

[Speez]

From reading the posts on here about tier1 hockey there doesn't seem to be a lot of actual experience with it. All tier 1 teams have tryouts to make the team. Not saying that someone flashing a lot of money around couldn't buy a spot on it. Coaches are hired for their abilities to put a winning team together. You don't do your job, you don't last very long at it. As a parent, if you can't tell that your child has the love and drive to try and excel at whatever sport you don't know them very well. Unfortunately ND hasn't progressed into the modern era of youth hockey and allowed tier 1 teams to be organized here.  Team ND 18U did pretty well winning the CCM NIT. That shows the talent is here to compete at that level just not the means to do it year round and promote more players to the next level. 

[Frozen4sioux]

48 minutes ago, Speez said:

From reading the posts on here about tier1 hockey there doesn't seem to be a lot of actual experience with it. All tier 1 teams have tryouts to make the team. Not saying that someone flashing a lot of money around couldn't buy a spot on it. Coaches are hired for their abilities to put a winning team together. You don't do your job, you don't last very long at it. As a parent, if you can't tell that your child has the love and drive to try and excel at whatever sport you don't know them very well. Unfortunately ND hasn't progressed into the modern era of youth hockey and allowed tier 1 teams to be organized here.  Team ND 18U did pretty well winning the CCM NIT. That shows the talent is here to compete at that level just not the means to do it year round and promote more players to the next level. 

So much loaded in the "next level" statement. 

What is ... next level?    College, Juniors? Then Tier 1 Jrs?.... Tier 2 NAHL?

Below that's its just a quagmire of mostly BS leagues that are nothing but money run businesses that are taking in from fans and... moreso families.

But take a look at the "Drafts.. these other leagues do and its 90% AAA programs that place these kinds into """" JRs"""""""   which is mostly just stroking the parents desires to see some type of payoff for the "investments" they've already made.   But those AAA programs place their kids at a much higher level than most other avenues, other than maybe whoever the advisor is for the West Fargo kids.... holy.

(the other 10%....9.5%... MSHSL  0.5% other HS, and ND is a fraction of that).

With how fast things are changing across North America in relation to JR" leagues, its a damn nightmare to understand it all.      Alot of suckers are going to be left holding an empty check book and disappointed child.

[Speez]

1 hour ago, Frozen4sioux said:

So much loaded in the "next level" statement. 

What is ... next level?    College, Juniors? Then Tier 1 Jrs?.... Tier 2 NAHL?

Below that's its just a quagmire of mostly BS leagues that are nothing but money run businesses that are taking in from fans and... moreso families.

But take a look at the "Drafts.. these other leagues do and its 90% AAA programs that place these kinds into """" JRs"""""""   which is mostly just stroking the parents desires to see some type of payoff for the "investments" they've already made.   But those AAA programs place their kids at a much higher level than most other avenues, other than maybe whoever the advisor is for the West Fargo kids.... holy.

(the other 10%....9.5%... MSHSL  0.5% other HS, and ND is a fraction of that).

With how fast things are changing across North America in relation to JR" leagues, its a damn nightmare to understand it all.      Alot of suckers are going to be left holding an empty check book and disappointed child.

You listed the next level in your post. I believe Tier 1 and AAA are the same thing according to USA Hockey. There seems to be some confusion on my part that some believe they are different. Any leagues other than "next level" are for players that enjoy playing the sport and maybe make a few bucks doing it.

[Frozen4sioux]

3 hours ago, Speez said:

You listed the next level in your post. I believe Tier 1 and AAA are the same thing according to USA Hockey. There seems to be some confusion on my part that some believe they are different. Any leagues other than "next level" are for players that enjoy playing the sport and maybe make a few bucks doing it.

yeah no , i worded that poorly

AAA is anything 18u. there's about 7? different "names" for different organizations that have loose affiliations of AAA programs but as USA designates it "Tier 1 Youth"... 

but  from "AAA" (which is just a label people can apply to darn near anything.... ah hem Northland Hockey for example....)

from youth AAA Tier 1 or AA Tier 2 .... what do most people think is the "next level" there kid will get to?     I think fewer and fewer people are batcrap crazy enough t think their special little angel is heading right to D1 anymore.....   so they must be looking at the "next level" as Jrs....    

Tier 1 Jrs?.... USHL/WHL... not likely  ( You're legit)

Tier 2 Jrs.... NAHL, BCHL?      (you're legit but pay to billet)

Tier 2.5....  Some  SJ/MJ/AJ????  ... maybe some NCDC....maybe      (pay2play but masked as fees)

Tier 3   Na3HL most all other Canadian Jr A (Pay2Play)

Tier Your kid is dogshit and your money is the only reason they aint playing Thursday beer league at 10:30?.... i.e. USPHL?   

 

My point is that there's really not much actual opportunity for legit "next level" advancement, (TIER 1 or Tier 2 JRs, with a goal of playing beyond that in legit college/pro leagues)

So the way I see it... and have seen it, 90% of YOUTH AAA/TIER1/2 is absolutely a gigantic waste of money and a terrible disservice to the kids, no matter where a team is located. The people that prey on these families; coaches, advisors Camp runners and the like are the used car salesmen of youth athletics.

 

So in summary 9 out of 10 kids who leave NDHSAA hockey are better off just staying home, saving the money (or playing Team ND and blowing it there if they'd like) and just enjoying the sport.

  Or move to Minnesota early and play MSHSHL.

[Speez]

From your post I'm guessing you had bad experiences with AAA hockey.  Our families experience had been outstanding. Great competition, great people, great teams and best of all outstanding results from playing many years in AAA hockey. 

[Frozen4sioux]

On 5/17/2025 at 4:47 PM, Speez said:

From your post I'm guessing you had bad experiences with AAA hockey.  Our families experience had been outstanding. Great competition, great people, great teams and best of all outstanding results from playing many years in AAA hockey. 

Contrary, I think the experiences within the AAA Tier 1 Yout hockey environment was beneficial in ways but also full well seeing the predatory nature of the vast majority of the AAA world...

 

..EDIT:  But in all retrospect, of all the options out there. If I HAD to leave..... I'd recommend finding a spot in Minnesota in the PW ages and playing the Minnesota Youth Programming and playing MSHSHL, thats just a better option, the  BEST option for those that have to "get out of here". 

[SiouxperDave]

On 5/15/2025 at 6:11 AM, Johnny Five said:

Leaving for sports is pretty specific for hockey.  Although there are kids and families who may move or leave and label it something else, hockey is the only sport where it's a cash cow for suckers.

Speaking of a cash cow for suckers, these NAHL Coaching Staff Attended camps must be huge money makers. I received a similarly worded email from all three teams inviting my son to their $550 camp because he has “been identified by one of our staff members as a potential NAHL player”.  The kid had 3 assists on the JV team last season. 

[RhettRingers]

Any idea where Cooper Deziel (GFC) is playing next year?

[yzerman19]

On 5/19/2025 at 1:54 PM, Frozen4sioux said:

Contrary, I think the experiences within the AAA Tier 1 Yout hockey environment was beneficial in ways but also full well seeing the predatory nature of the vast majority of the AAA world...

 

..EDIT:  But in all retrospect, of all the options out there. If I HAD to leave..... I'd recommend finding a spot in Minnesota in the PW ages and playing the Minnesota Youth Programming and playing MSHSHL, thats just a better option, the  BEST option for those that have to "get out of here". 

Commitment level seems greater in the Tier 1 world from my experiences.  The point on which programs is legit.  Now in some cases, there is no alternative for decent hockey other than Tier 1 in the local community, so I will caveat this statement as targeted at kids contemplating leaving town specifically for hockey:

There are only a handful of blue blood tier 1 programs with the coaching, culture, development, etc that might actually make a difference for a kid:  Shattuck, BK, Mount, Caesars, Honeybaked, Mission, maybe Dallas, maybe Pittsburgh, I'm likely missing one or two...My words of advice remain, if you are contemplating having your kid leave home for your kid to play hockey, your kid needs to go to a blue blood program, needs to be one of the best players on the team, needs to be one of the best players in North America...if you don't know if they are, then they aren't.  Your kid also has got to want it...be willing to be coached, be willing to work their a$$ off, be willing to sacrifice a ton of personal stuff to be there with little complaint.   

NTDP, USHL tender or first two rounds, CHL first two rounds...if your kid is having these kind of conversations after PeeWee/start of Bantam, then by all means...otherwise...just stay at home

[Johnny Five]

16 hours ago, SiouxperDave said:

Speaking of a cash cow for suckers, these NAHL Coaching Staff Attended camps must be huge money makers. I received a similarly worded email from all three teams inviting my son to their $550 camp because he has “been identified by one of our staff members as a potential NAHL player”.  The kid had 3 assists on the JV team last season. 

Must've been 3 unbelievable apples!  

 

Yeah, those camps just print money.  "I wanna see where johnny stacks up!"....."It's the only chance for johnny to get noticed!!!"...

Take that $550, and in gas, hotel and food and there's your bottom line....and then when #9 for Austin snaps a twig on a one T next year, goes to the bench to get a new one, watch your money fly off the bench and into his hands.

It is a genius business model for JR teams.  Funny thing is, college programs are starting to run "exposure camps" as well (at least women teams are I know that for a fact). 

 

[Frozen4sioux]

1 hour ago, Johnny Five said:

Must've been 3 unbelievable apples!  

 

Yeah, those camps just print money.  "I wanna see where johnny stacks up!"....."It's the only chance for johnny to get noticed!!!"...

Take that $550, and in gas, hotel and food and there's your bottom line....and then when #9 for Austin snaps a twig on a one T next year, goes to the bench to get a new one, watch your money fly off the bench and into his hands.

It is a genius business model for JR teams.  Funny thing is, college programs are starting to run "exposure camps" as well (at least women teams are I know that for a fact). 

 

Men's teams in the east are big on this...

 

[Wilbur]

17 hours ago, RhettRingers said:

Any idea where Cooper Deziel (GFC) is playing next year?

I heard he was up at camp with Steinbach in Manitoba earlier this month, but was released.  

[Wilbur]

New Packer head coach news coming out in the near future.  Will wait until its news official, but sounds like they've got their guy.  

[The Sicatoka]

Just now, Wilbur said:

New Packer head coach news coming out in the near future.  Will wait until its news official, but sounds like they've got their guy.  

Congrats @Wilbur ?