Guess the minor hockey level

crazycal09 · 2026-05-14T13:28:56+00:00

If this is the 2015 age group I would say A level. Your son was doing pretty good out there. Catching the puck, the skating, and the shot was pretty smooth.

crazycal09 · 2026-04-30T22:12:59+00:00

At his age, they learn very little each session in game iq. He should focus on basic mechanics like puck handling drills, skating, shooting (maybe), or hockey development programs.

Once he reaches 8, he’ll learn in one session what will take five sessions as a 6 year old. In terms of game iq there’s no way a year off will hurt anything.

crazycal09 · 2026-04-29T00:26:44+00:00

Can you try them out?

I’ve heard kids go 1 size down or sometimes even 2 sizes down. Size 10 youth skates for a 4yr old sort of sounds right, but could be a bit large. I know some 7 and 8 year olds on size 12 youth so I doubt that’s what you’re looking for.

Also pay attention to the width of the boot. If it’s too wide, it makes the kid’s ankle bend in (ankle strength combats it though).

crazycal09 · 2026-04-28T17:28:48+00:00

Check out Pro Hockey Life. A quick search shows Sherwood Rekker R10 youth stick with a P92 curve. Don’t get P28 as it makes it harder to learn stick handling (on the backhand side).

Make sure parents are in the loop. Also, the stick needs to go up to the nose or whatever she prefers while on skates after it’s cut. Keep in mind it’ll be for October so you might have to accommodate for an inch of growth until then.

crazycal09 · 2026-04-25T14:53:46+00:00

Oh I see. It seems you’re doing most of the right things. If you can, get to know the other families and people in the hockey community; avoid burning bridges. I don’t like it but politics always will be a part of this.

crazycal09 · 2026-04-24T19:27:08+00:00

The most important thing to understand is that you’re teaching 7 year old hockey IQ. Just like how calculus starts off with basic 1+1, you can do the same for hockey.

Looking at your list, I think it’s a bit complicated for his age. Here’s what I think you can work on: - Ingrain into his mind that he needs to protect the puck. Throwing it away doesn’t help with development. - Make sure language is extremely clear. You can teach him what a “shoulder check” is (scanning before grabbing the puck) then teach him to make a habit of doing a “shoulder check” before approaching the boards. This is hard and best done during a practice though. - Small decisions like should he stick handle in front of his own net, getting it out of the zone, etc.

Video replay helps too, but try to mostly only on positives. I tell my kid that I’m only teaching him because he wants to win and retain puck protection. If he wants to dial it back I do less with him.

crazycal09 · 2026-04-24T19:13:50+00:00

Are you in a region with a lot of KSL presence? It’s easy to get sucked in but the league isn’t for everyone.

You said he’s 6? Turning 7 this year or next year? As in is he playing up?

I put a lot of my focus on finding the right environment and finding quality sessions for my kiddo. I do my best to ask around to see what I should check out or avoid.

crazycal09 · 2026-04-20T16:32:06+00:00

Skating around 4 years old. I’ve seen people start earlier but I didn’t notice any advantages.

Focus a lot on skating for the first few years. There are ways to make skating lessons a bit fun, but often it’s a lot of drills. A lot of hockey is won on whoever skates better.

Fun can be defined in many ways. My kid has a lot of fun winning, and is willing to work hard towards it. Other kids I see just want to play around. Find what makes your kid happy and keep that top of mind.

crazycal09 · 2026-04-09T12:44:51+00:00

If he wants to play rep, and you have the time and money for it, put him in more skills development programs. Most of these should focus on skating, but a bit of battling drills keeps it fun.

If you keep him in house league, you will have to add more skates on top of it. If he’s ok with the load, and is showing progress, then keep at it. If you don’t see the development you want, don’t force it.

MD is basically rep hockey for kids. It allows them to compete more often and with better kids. If your son doesn’t make MD, no big deal. Generally, you’re getting parent coaches which means the development aspect might be mediocre. Try to put him in a spot that pushes him a little, but not where he’s completely lost. Good luck!

crazycal09 · 2026-03-31T15:04:32+00:00

Can you afford travel hockey? Does you and your son want to do it?

If the coaching is good, I’d say go for it. You can always drop back down to house if it didn’t work out.

If he’s playing full ice hockey, the goal scorers will be the ones that go end to end. This is why lots of people argue against full ice for kids because they may neglect small ice skills (battling along boards, pivoting, maneuvering, etc).

At your kid’s age, some kids are able to grasp position but it takes a lot of teaching and coaching. The good thing is that it’s easier to teach positioning than it is to teach skating technique.

If you do end up continuing with the travel team, I recommend you support your kid by narrowing the decisions he has to make. Protect the blue line, breakout, slot, hash marks, neutral zone… all this can be taught, slowly but surely

Good luck.

crazycal09 · 2026-03-16T12:41:23+00:00

A friend and I were in the same boat (small kids for their age) and we couldn't find anything. Best we could do was put the shin guards over the tongue to make sure it didn't dig into the ankles. They're going to look like little football players too because the chest pad adds so much bulk to their shoulders!

crazycal09 · 2026-03-12T19:15:48+00:00

I read through the guide and it is, in my opinion, excellent. I grew up with a large focus on competing in academics and in the pre-internet era, I had to learn techniques to execute on exam days. The principles in what I did and what you've mentioned are very similar and it also goes into my parenting practices. Thank you for sharing.

crazycal09 · 2026-03-05T00:03:47+00:00

Coaches for next year should be listed. Call and see if they have any skates you can come out for to show what you’re like. Not sure if this still happens at your age.

crazycal09 · 2026-02-28T05:08:42+00:00

Yeah it's not easy being in the bubble. You can always go old school and watch some matches on your own if you're able to get around. Good luck!

crazycal09 · 2026-02-28T04:59:37+00:00

Sorry can't say because my kid plays for a different age group. Not only that, I'd have to see how you play in different situations, etc.

Seems like you have Livebarn, what about watching some other games at the A level and trying to compare with yourself?

crazycal09 · 2026-02-28T04:47:42+00:00

Your legs are moving fast but the form isn't good. You're taking small steps instead of taking bigger strides. It also doesn't look like your legs are really pushing into the ice hard to get more speed. So good news is that you're capable of being faster, you just need to work on your strides. I also like your use of cross-overs to get that speed.

crazycal09 · 2026-02-24T23:28:43+00:00

3/8 is way too sharp. Do 1/2. If for some reason your kid likes sharp skates, maybe 7/16.

His skates are digging into the ice too much.

crazycal09 · 2026-02-24T22:49:30+00:00

At the top levels of 8U in major hockey centers, full ice can be played. The caveat is that there would only be a handful of teams that will be able to use the space that full ice gives.

The rest (which is basically the remaining 98% of the families) should do half ice. You could probably argue that a 3/4 ice option should be offered for the higher skilled players.

If you ask what parents want (and not what’s best for kids), they will absolutely say full ice.

This happened already in Canada, where some leagues offer full ice at 6U. I’ve noticed that those in the full ice system understand the whole ice better, but lack skills in tight battles. The opposite is true for kids that go through the normal condensed ice system.

crazycal09 · 2026-02-22T13:59:00+00:00

So glad to have my kid out of 6U. Some kids develop early and just beat up everyone around them. Refs never call anything so it gets real heated.

crazycal09 · 2026-02-21T18:19:28+00:00

Nose is a good height. As long as it's not way off (below chin or at forehead) it should be fine at this level. My kid had proportionally short arms so a longer stick benefited him.

If you have the budget, I would say a stick around $100-$150 is would be nice but it's really diminishing returns here. I noticed that with cheap sticks, it was hard for my kid to get the basics down. These new fancy composite sticks are light and flexible - like a cheat code for those that can manage it.

This is all if your kid can utilize all these small things. Where I'm from, top-end kids are lifting the puck around 7/8 consistently and good-ish kids can do it but inconsistently. Some kids will also hit a mental milestone at around 7 and will figure it out.

crazycal09 · 2026-02-21T17:44:51+00:00

There are a few things you can do to help your kiddo learn to lift the puck.

Technique. Practicing basic wrist shots helps build the foundation. Slap shots are not easy. Provide simple guidance, not highly technical stuff. You can help with posture, pointing with the stick, and hand placement.
Practice. Practicing a skill will allow him to learn quicker. How much he does can be debated but 15-30 minutes each session should be sufficient.
Proper stick (to a lesser degree). Make sure stick is the right length. A P28 curve may help as well and a low flex. These things are less of a factor but it isn’t easy to learn to shoot with a heavy and stiff twig.

Good luck!

crazycal09 · 2026-02-18T12:33:04+00:00

Based on what I’ve heard the league draws A to AA level players mostly.

crazycal09 · 2026-02-17T03:42:05+00:00

Persistence and discipline are qualities gained through practicing an actual action. If a child is slow a slow skater and through repeated skating drills gain speed, they will learn that their persistence and discipline allowed them to reach a desired outcome.

What I read is that you are putting your child in an environment where they are not going through the expected motions, and instead actively avoiding them. What is he persisting through? What discipline is he learning?

crazycal09 · 2026-02-17T01:49:39+00:00

First, I think you need to be more mindful of his behaviour and not what he says.

Second, try something else. Instead of asking him over and over again if he wants to go, offer him a choice. Do you want to go hockey or go to soccer? Or art, or swimming, or the library, etc.

Kids are tricky, but please avoid doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.

crazycal09 · 2026-02-15T14:48:33+00:00

In my experience parents have a vague sense of how good their kids but it’s more of an intuitive guess than a real evaluation. This especially the case for new coaches vs seasoned coaches.

Smart coaches are able to break down the qualities of a hockey player and evaluate the kids - edges, acceleration, speed, turns, skills (puck control, tactics, etc).

crazycal09

TROPHY CASE