One of the reasons why playing Juniors is so important for many is because in many travel leagues, they are tied to birthyear and the competition you face are kids your kid's age. I was told if your kid is playing in an age group higher than his own, that is when he gets the most attention. Sure, there are exceptions, but they are very few and at age 16, they pretty much know who they are already. In Juniors and high caliber prep schools, your 14-16 year olds are playing against kids as old as 20, when you add the Post Graduate Year for some. The pace of play is very fast and more comparable to Juniors than playing Tier hockey here. Several families I know have opted to prep in the last few years and have spoken very highly about it. There are plenty of breaks for you to visit or for your son to come home and they are supervised closely. In Juniors, your son will move in with a billet family and there is far less supervision and exposure to some things that might cause you some concern depending on the situation your son finds himself in. If your son's grades are that high and he is good (with good size and speed), the colleges will find him easier as they rarely come out west. There is no budget for them to scout that far whilst the far majority of D1 schools are back east. Same with DIII schools. There are really only club hockey in colleges out here, which have some strong programs as well. If you don't mind your son putting college on hold, then take the Juniors route if he is good enough. If you want your kid to start college right out of high school, prep school will afford him more opportunities in both hockey and academics. Just beware if you take the Juniors route. There are a lot of pretty lousy clubs that will tell you what you want to hear, not the truth and understand your son will start colleges in his twenties.