Even though we have officially left the state of CA, I check in every once in a while to check in on the madness, and here we have it. 9 yr old kids preparing for the International Level? Hahaha
They are 9, they could wake up tomorrow and decide they want to be competitive Pokemon card players.
Some parents are delusional. Trust me, letting your kid or kids, play at their age appropriate level and dominate and gain the confidence in carrying the puck and developing his or her ice vision is much more important. Sure, they may be studs now in their own age bracket, but wait until your 9 yr old who has a birthday in October goes up a against a 12 yr old with a January birthday and is closer to 13 than 12 and has started to grow due to puberty. Your little 9'yr old future Crosby/Stamkos/Kane will chase the puck all season and won't learn anything except how to skate up and down the ice.
But hey, it's your kid, not mine. Do your thing and let little Gretz prepare for his future NHL career how you like.