Brandon Schesnuk

Hockey Parents - I just did a bit of a deep dive into the marketing of AAA organizations for their mite programs. So many in their marketing are touting player advancement, playing against elite competition, and elite development on ice/skills/off ice, etc... A few even bragged about Brick commitments. Comical. Only a select few had any mention of a development of a passion for the game, a love for the game, fun, things that actually matter at that age. Let's be clear, we are talking about 6-8 year olds. I see this kind of marketing and I think three things: 1. These people have NO IDEA what actual development looks like. 2. They know what development looks like, but only care about $$$. 3. They know what development looks like, but out of fear, ego, or because everyone else is doing it they feel like they have to. I have an 8 year old so this hits a little closer to home for me. I also get messages and notes from parents all over North America on this stuff. I'll just say it as upfront as I can - this mentality is ruining our amazing game. The FOMO it creates for parents at that age pushes them to other sports. The cost it forces parents at that age to put up pushes them to other sports. The stress it puts on blue collar families continues to rise - pushing great people and great families to other sports. That's the reality we continue to push towards if this mentality continues to spread. Parents - there's no need. There's no such thing as "ELITE" at that age - whether it's a kid or a program. Take a breath. Trust your gut and best common sense judgment. You know your kid best and what they need on their journey. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Yesterday I made a post about the cost of playing 10u AAA hockey in Chicago. To say it hit a nerve is putting it lightly. Here's a follow up from the perspective of a hockey mom on the realities of the business of youth hockey. Must read.

Every Tier 1 organization in Illinois is required to have a "Fact Sheet" that breaks down the costs for the season for families looking to join. I got sent one for a 10u team. The estimated cost just for the org fee and travel: Over $17,000. For 9-10 year olds.

Here's a really interesting stat that just came from my Americans in the NHL project I posted last week. One of the things I looked at was Date of Birth - looking to see if there was a "Relative-Age-Effect" in hockey. To put it simply, if you are a hockey player born in January do you have better chance of making the NHL than if you were born later in the year? The data showed that there is some sort of effect, but it wasn't egregious. However, someone reached out asking if there were differences in effect in different parts of the country. When I went back and checked for different regions, what came back was eye-opening. There are some regions of the country with little-to-no effect. There are others where the effect was profound. I used the areas around the country with the most players so it would be a little more statistically significant, but here's what I found: For NHL players from Minnesota - 50% of the players were born in the first half of the year, 50% were born in the second half of the year. From Michigan - 70% were born in the first half of the year, 30% in the second half. From Massachusetts - 70% were born in the first half, 30% in the second half. From NY/Atlantic - 46% were born in the first half, 54% in the second half. From Illinois - 80% were born in the first half, 20% in the second half. From New England - 45% were born in the first half, 55 were born in the second half. The regions that have a more professionalized youth model and narrow the talent pyramid at way younger of ages...had a much higher relative age effect. How many late bloomers (or just players born in the latter half of the year) are we not developing to their potential because of professional interests in hockey? How many elite players are we missing out on? Going to the birth year model too early, it seems, may have a pretty significant negative effect on player development. If you want to check out the full article, click the link below. 🔗: thehockeythinktank.com/the-american-b…

@ReviewOfHockey How many from U15 JPHL?

Club hockey stats. Random. 10 Players from the Saskatoon U15AA system drafted in the #WHLDraft (4 Clubs) 5 from the Hockey Edmonton AAA system (4 clubs) 8 from the St Albert Sabres squad. 22 from the Winnipeg U15AAA system (6 squads) 12 from the Calgary system (4 teams)

A few weeks ago, @RAD_Hockey put out a newsletter that is an absolute must-read on what it takes to be great. So much so, I asked him if I can put it on my website and share it with the world. Homerun advice for any parent or kid in the game.

20 of the 23 players on the USA Four Nations roster DID NOT leave their home area to play hockey until they went to play junior. In a day and age where families feel the pressure to move their kids away from home earlier and earlier, I hope this stat can provide some perspective that growing kids locally is usually the best option for as long as possible. 🎙️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…

“There is no such thing as an elite 12 year old” We had such an awesome conversation with youth development expert John O’Sullivan on our latest podcast. So much good insight for all parents trying to navigate the youth hockey experience with their kids. 🎙️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…

Tier One hockey is out of control.

Haha I just had a conversation tonight with a buddy coaching D1. He has an 8 year old that’s a pretty good little player. He’s getting calls from “elite” programs left and right, early Brick stuff, etc… His response to them? Nah, we’re good. He’s already seeing the stress it’s causing other kids and parents that are either going that route or thinking about it. He just wants his kid to have fun, play hockey with his friends, and knows his son will pass the kids choosing to go that “elite” route in a few years because his kid will love the game and those kids and families will likely start to get burned out. It’s so bizarre that the research, the data, and the top development people in our game keep pointing us to more community, fun, passion building, multiple sports, etc… Yet our sport keeps going in the complete opposite direction. More elitism, more specialization, more professionalization at younger and younger ages. It’s absolutely backwards. For all the parents out there that are struggling with the BS that this time of year brings in youth hockey, with everyone jockeying for positioning for next year even though this year isn’t even close to over… Just thought this might be some perspective that might help.

“Canada owes us nothing” This is an honest & well said reflection.

Another fun year at the Lori Craven has come to an end! Do it all over again next August! #moundpounders

Have you heard Lloydminster’s cool new automated shooting facility! Step on inside Hockey Factory, the batting cage for hockey, you will experience the RapidShot hockey training system! It collects & passes real, official hockey pucks 🙌🏽 👉🏼 booking.cojilio.com/thehockeyfacto…

Huge thanks to Brandon Schesnuk and Swift Oilfield Supply for their sponsorship of Jack Teasdale’s away jersey, and for being a program sponsor this season! Thanks for supporting Lloydminster Lancers hockey!

Check out hockeyfactory.ca and book a rapidshot lane now! Lanes still for tomorrow!

Scrub and Grub fundraiser for the U15 ⁦@Lloyd_Liners⁩ #wayward2westerns

The 44th Annual Lloydminster Oilmen’s Golf Tournament will be Friday, July 7, 2023 at the @LloydGCC Registration is open and first 144 eligible entries will be accepted.

Head Shave for Lori Craven gofund.me/93093c08

Lastly, if you have not paid can you please make arrangements to pay before the tournament as it will make registration go smoother. Thank you all and can’t wait to see everybody!

We are just over a week away from the first annual Brian Cayford Memorial Golf tournament, currently have 3 team spots left if anyone is interested. Anyone who is thinking about coming for the social/supper we need to have final numbers in by noon on Wednesday, June 1.