Junior A/B

Question
My grandson is 16, and has been asked to play  for one of the EJHL teams they said he was good enough to play on the JRA team however based on his age they would like him to play on the JR/B team. He also has a number of opportunities to play U18 AAA tier 1 hockey here at home. one team in particular has an excellent coach that I believe may be a good benefit in furthering his skill set. I believe, and he feels that he is read to make a move. I would like to get a comparison between U18 / JR/A-B. This is his last year of High School, he feels that play Junior Hockey in the East these teams tend to be scouted more then they do within Texas, and possibly more opportunities and doors will open. We focused on his development and academics, and interested in understanding how much focus is placed on player development and academics within the JR A/B. Being educated on Junior Hockey will help.

Answer
Good Morning James,

In comparison between the three levels, I'd rank them in the order of Jr. A being best, then U18, then Jr B. There is some scouting in Jr. B, but its mainly for the ACHA club hockey and of course some Jr. A scouts looking to bring kids up. I've seen this happen with the younger kids when I played Jr. B. I rank U18 before Jr. B though because of the uncertainty of coaching expertise at the Jr. B level. I played for three years and I had three different coaches, with only one of them being concerned about player development and a coach I consider a great help in improving not only the team skills of an individual, but their own individual skills as well. With this being said, the coaches in the east could be much better then the most because of it being more hockey known area which can lead to more and better coaching prospects.

I'm not too familiar with the hockey of U18 except that its always talked about in the hockey magazines and papers that are out at the rinks. They get more coverage in those sort of things then Jr. B, which then I would assume the same goes for scouting, both of college and Jr. A scouts being at U18.

Regarding academics, I've heard only good things from everyone that has played junior hockey as well as I experienced. Practices are worked around high school class times, as well as team workouts and activities. Regarding making sure they are performing well in the classroom again varies by coach and his staff. But the team I was on had an academic advisor that would work with the player to sign up for classes and make sure they were staying on top of things in the classroom, attending classes, etc.

One final thought, if you have a hunch or know of an excellent coach that your grandson would benefit from, that could be a very good influence in deciding where to play next year. A good coach at a lower level can be more beneficial then a less-talented coach at a higher level. Now if the great coach is at a high-level, then you'll get the best of both worlds.

Hope this helps in knowing more about the different levels, and if you have anymore questions, please feel free to ask. Best of luck to you and your grandson!

Guy