Here we are folks – we are into Mid-July. The QMJHL Draft has come and gone, the HNL High Performance Program in Corner Brook is nipping at our proverbial heels, and my golf game has not improved a drop since the leaves appeared on the trees. It’s OK though, I’m a big boy and can accept mediocrity at a sport that I play 3-4X a year. Or maybe not.
On Friday July 15, the Maritime Junior ‘A’ Hockey League will put off its annual Entry Draft (follow along with the picks here). So lets get into some reasons why YOU should really consider Junior ‘A’ hockey as a viable alternative to your development as a player.
Reason #1 – You Can Obtain a (sorta) scholarship. Just about every team in a sanctioned-by-Hockey-Canada Junior ‘A’ league has some form of academic fund for its players. For example, I played over 100 games with the Amherst Ramblers, and they had a ‘pay if you pass’ policy to players wishing to obtain post secondary credits. Mount Allison is a hop, skip and jump from Bordertown, and nearby Springhill has a community college if that’s your thing. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to handle a full course load during a hectic Junior ‘A’ schedule, but if I can play 4 years of Junior ‘A’ hockey and do 2 courses per semester, 4 x 4 = 16 courses. That’s almost half a standard 4-year degree – paid for – if you pass. Other teams do $1-2,000 bursaries per season, which will cover multiple courses per year (in-class or online) at just about any university or college. What is wrong with that? Keep in mind that even the absolute best ‘full scholarships’ to US D1 programs yield about 80%.
Reason #2 – It’s FUN. Honestly, Junior Hockey was one of the best phases of my life. The people that I have met through Junior Hockey extends across North America and into parts of Europe. Some of my closest friends to this day were team mates at the Junior level (I own VHG with one of them). Now that COVID has backed off, players will get a more true experience with fans in the buildings, the signs in the stands, and the connection with the community via fund raisers, golf tournaments, bingo nights, and so on. Hell I was a Grade 8 students ‘show and tell’ one season!
Reason #3 – ‘It buys you 3 more years’. Arizona State Hockey Staffer Andrew Matheson jumped on a Zoom call with us last year to discuss the Junior ‘A’ route being able to “buy you 3 more years”. What Andrew meant by this was that Major Junior (QMJHL) is more of a ‘fast track to the NHL’, whereas Junior ‘A’ is more of the CBS highway. Players like Teddy Purcell played Junior ‘A’ to Notre Dame at age 18; Colin Greening played Junior ‘A’ at 18 too. Both players had immense talent, but had yet to fill out and grow to the size they are today. Not every hockey player is fully-developed at age 15-16-17. Some kids grow a lot at age 16 and need time to ‘grow into their bodies’ so to speak. Some guys are good players at 18 who become stars at 20. It’s like popcorn – you really have no idea when each kernel will pop. Junior ‘A’ allows you to pop a little later.
Yes – the allure of the MHL Draft is not the same as the QMJHL Draft. I get it. I was drafted in the 7th round by Miramichi back in 2002 and didn’t really think much of it at the time because I was reporting to the Halifax Mooseheads training camp and had 3 other Junior ‘A’ offers at the time. But that is a flawed way of thinking because the MHL is a rapidly-improving league that has good people working in it. In 2022, there are more players committing to DIII/USPORT schools than ever before. Maybe after you graduate you go play in Europe and use hockey as a vehicle to see the world? Who knows. But don’t look down on the MHL Draft any more. Don’t look at Junior ‘A’ as an ugly stepchild to Major Junior any more. One can still get to Bay Roberts via the CBS Highway vs the TCH. It might take ya longer, but you’ll see some cool s^*t along the way.
Related Content
How to Get Noticed at an ID Camp/Training Camp Video – – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX8uOEGp3dI&t=642s
Interview with Philadelphia Flyers AC Darrell Williams Video – – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Mnbpt3h3M&t=9s
Talking ’06 NL Players who were Q Draft eligible but would make good MHL picks – – https://vhghockey.ca/one-reason-why-id-draft-all-17-nl-players-on-the-qmjhl-draft-list/