PeeWee A 2018/2019

[JackBender]

Rankings mean something at AAA. Undeniably. These are pure birth year teams, and they generally stay together from year to year, and it is a very accurate measurement of the quality of team. Additionally, the rankings are used for admission to exclusive tournaments and showcases. If you don't believe that, you don't know youth hockey is America.


As for A or AA, rankings below Bantam Major are silly for the most part since there are no Nationals and mixed year teams change drastically from year to year. That being said, this far into a season, the rankings are a pretty good indicator of the quality of teams. Compare league standings with rankings... they're pretty darn close. People often complain, though... because their egos are hurt when they see their team is ranked 127th!   


P.S. I miss BRAZZERS so much.

[SkatingDad]

So all this talk about how good Wave 1 team is (which I will say as well they are good and I would say arguably the best in the division) but has anyone actually looked at the roster of the team.  Last year PWA team Wave 1 went to states and lost in the finals.  With that being said this years team has 7 return players from last season and also picked up 5 return players from other PWA teams.  That begs the question with 12 return PWA players and only 6 that didn't play PWA last season why is that team playing down in PWA again this season? 

I would expect as a parent to at least attempt to play AA this season.   

Just something to think about.

A lot of people believe it is a waste of money to play AA or AAA for what is basically girls hockey.  There are no nationals at the PW level so it is really an ego thing. The checking game is completely different...

[JackBender]

So all this talk about how good Wave 1 team is (which I will say as well they are good and I would say arguably the best in the division) but has anyone actually looked at the roster of the team.  Last year PWA team Wave 1 went to states and lost in the finals.  With that being said this years team has 7 return players from last season and also picked up 5 return players from other PWA teams.  That begs the question with 12 return PWA players and only 6 that didn't play PWA last season why is that team playing down in PWA again this season? 

I would expect as a parent to at least attempt to play AA this season.   

Just something to think about.

A lot of people believe it is a waste of money to play AA or AAA for what is basically girls hockey.  There are no nationals at the PW level so it is really an ego thing. The checking game is completely different...

So... then just play A hockey until Bantam Majors?  Uh... speed, physicality and team play elevates drastically as you go up, and trying to just "jump in" at Bantam Majors would be a huge eye opener to say the least. No checking definitely doesn't mean no contact. Gritty, physical play is often the difference between a AA player and a AAA player. High level A teams can be good... but even the worst AAA team would crush them. Complete different level. Hockey is very expensive, but then so is any other travel sport.   

[SkatingDad]

So all this talk about how good Wave 1 team is (which I will say as well they are good and I would say arguably the best in the division) but has anyone actually looked at the roster of the team.  Last year PWA team Wave 1 went to states and lost in the finals.  With that being said this years team has 7 return players from last season and also picked up 5 return players from other PWA teams.  That begs the question with 12 return PWA players and only 6 that didn't play PWA last season why is that team playing down in PWA again this season? 

I would expect as a parent to at least attempt to play AA this season.   

Just something to think about.

A lot of people believe it is a waste of money to play AA or AAA for what is basically girls hockey.  There are no nationals at the PW level so it is really an ego thing. The checking game is completely different...

So... then just play A hockey until Bantam Majors?  Uh... speed, physicality and team play elevates drastically as you go up, and trying to just "jump in" at Bantam Majors would be a huge eye opener to say the least. No checking definitely doesn't mean no contact. Gritty, physical play is often the difference between a AA player and a AAA player. High level A teams can be good... but even the worst AAA team would crush them. Complete different level. Hockey is very expensive, but then so is any other travel sport.   

I never said 14U Major, I said PW.  However, if your player is ready for AA or AAA it does not matter what they played before. Coaches fill you full of crap to in order to fill teams because they make more money at AA. None and I mean none of this matters until 16U Major.

[JackBender]

Playing the most competitive, most demanding, most intense hockey prepares you for 16U hockey. So, playing AA or AAA does matter. It's forcing you to play faster, harder, stronger. There's a huge difference between A level hockey and AA or AAA. Good A teams are coasting through 80% of their games in SCAHA. That doesn't prepare you for 16U at all.

[TheFourthA]

And good luck getting a serious look at AAA if you are coming from A

[SkatingDad]

And good luck getting a serious look at AAA if you are coming from A

If your player belongs, they will look, if they don't belong, then it does not matter.

[JackBender]

And good luck getting a serious look at AAA if you are coming from A

If your player belongs, they will look, if they don't belong, then it does not matter.

Totally agree. But playing the highest level of hockey better prepares you for 16U. There are anomalies, but you'd be very, very hard pressed to find a 16U AAA roster in the entire country with a kid that never played anything above A previously. Unless the kid is a total freak, the gap is just too wide. The real discussion, though, is between playing AA versus AAA... especially in the Western United States (not just CA).     

[Strawman]

Rankings mean something at AAA. Undeniably. These are pure birth year teams, and they generally stay together from year to year, and it is a very accurate measurement of the quality of team. Additionally, the rankings are used for admission to exclusive tournaments and showcases. If you don't believe that, you don't know youth hockey is America.


As for A or AA, rankings below Bantam Major are silly for the most part since there are no Nationals and mixed year teams change drastically from year to year. That being said, this far into a season, the rankings are a pretty good indicator of the quality of teams. Compare league standings with rankings... they're pretty darn close. People often complain, though... because their egos are hurt when they see their team is ranked 127th!   


P.S. I miss BRAZZERS so much.

I agree that in AAA rankings are more informative, probably because the data sets are more robust (smaller group of teams playing each other more frequently and reporting data regularly instead of 1000+ teams playing each other rarely and reporting results inconsistently). The rankings are also m[size=78%]ore consequential. But more importantly, I miss Brazzer too. And Westside. [/size]

[Knuckle Puck]

guess some of you don’t have kids grown through bantam/midget. Here’s the reality: half the kids playing 12AAA in SoCal will be gone by 15AAA. Half the kids playing 16AAA in SoCal were aa/a/b pre-Bantam.

Examples: 2 of the 2001 Ducks Ncaa D1 commits played pwa. Another didn’t play at all during his bantam years, then played a year of adhshl. Big/strong/fast/skilled eventually rises to the top. Genetics plays at lease 70% into what ultimately makes a player, and has a lot more to do with getting to 16aaa than where a kid played squirt and pw.

No teams “stay together” from pw to midget, anywhere. puberty and checking changes everything. AAA rankings at the lower age ranges are a fun parlor game, nothing more. Most important is that your kid is having fun; if that’s on a minor pw birth year aaaa elite select “superteam” that’s great, but if it’s on a middle of the pack pwa team, that’s great too. where they play pre-bantam matters little by the end.  cheers.

[JackBender]

So what's your point? The truly elite 12AAA kids leave by 15AAA, we all know that, which is why less talented kids are needed for 16AAA. Talent goes with the jet stream... west to east. That being said, both Kings/Ducks 16AAA teams are still loaded with kids who played AAA/AA by PW Major. You'd be hard pressed to find more than a few exceptions to that. By 18AAA, it's a ghost town, and you have your local kids who played at every level, with every club filling out rosters. Regardless, if a kid doesn't have that inner drive and desire to battle and push themselves hard every day without mommy and daddy riding their ass... then they'll never get past a certain level. And, as you suggest, by Bantam, it becomes very clear who has that desire and who doesn't.  Sure, have fun while doing it... but, like everything in life, you better darn well be prepared if you want to succeed. It matters. It all matters. Life is a marathon... so you better have good shoes.

[JackBender]

This is SoCal, baby! And the only way some PW Superstar is being replaced by a PWB Duster at 16AAA is because the PW Superstar left two years prior to go crush it at a HoneyBaked! You're talking about height/weight.  Kids good at PW are good at PW because they're ALREADY good athletes (agility, speed, balance, hand-eye coordination, endurance, grit, etc.)... and with no checking and most kids pre-puberty, they get rewarded with height/weight not mattering as much. Yes, that changes at puberty... but small Superstars at PW can still hang and be small Superstars at 16AAA. Example? Go watch a Kings/Ducks 16AAA game. The best kid on the ice is also the smallest kid on the ice... he's a stud at 16AAA, and he was a stud at the Brick when he was 10 (hint: he's on the Ducks).


We're essentially saying the same thing... with growth and checking, things change.  Sure.  I just think that the kids that put in the work when young and constantly push themselves and challenge themselves against the best competition will have more likelihood to achieve success in the long run. That applies not just to hockey, but to everything in life.  Yeah, there are exceptions... and this forum loves to talk about exceptions... but by PW Major you have a pretty good indication of who can play and who can't. Up to them then to continue or take up water polo.     

[SkatingDad]

First year Bantams get rudely awakened by second year Bantams.  You can see it in the eyes of the kids that will not continue playing...

[Strawman]

First year Bantams get rudely awakened by second year Bantams.  You can see it in the eyes of the kids that will not continue playing...

I agree that following PW superstars is a parlor game. There’s a big shakeout after the Bantam minor year, which has to do with size and strength, but more to do with fear, motivation, ability to think the game, and ultimately girls and gasoline.

[JackBender]

The thing is... you can't deny playing at a high level while growing up better prepares you for that... both mentally and physically. If you're used to adversity and hard work, you won't be as shocked when it becomes VERY hard. We're ultimately saying the same thing, it has to be in the kid's heart (and genes) to succeed... but you don't see LEGIT PW Superstars quitting after Bantam Minor year... you see them moving east for more consistently competitive hockey and better training/schooling environments.


Interestingly, in our heavily political environment of only two AAA teams in PW/Bantam for the ENTIRE SoCal population of 24M people (and growing)... these early Superstar kids moving is what allows the late bloomers to get an honest look and shot at playing elite hockey.


Hence our odd youth hockey ecosystem. So maybe CAHA are the geniuses... and we're the idiots?!? 


RIP: Westside/Brazzers... you'll always be in our hearts.