Former NHL players, Ted Donato and Bob Sweeney, share their memories of Massachusetts High School Hockey. (Ted Donato is currently the Head Hockey Coach at Harvard University and Bobby Butler of Marlborough HS now plays a regular shift on the second line with the Ottawa Senators).

Boston Herald (Feb 6, 2011), 'State of Change'

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/high_school/general/view/2011_0206state_ofchange/

Why High School Hockey?

http://www.MSHCAHockey.com/New_Custom.html

Public School versus Private School

Over the past 10-15 years the trend in college hockey (in both Division I and Division III) has been to recruit older players. A majority of college coaches have stayed away from recruiting high school seniors. Most incoming freshmen in college hockey are between 19 and 21. That means that if you decide to pay tuition to attend a private school, when you graduate you will most likely still need to pay for a post-grad year at prep school or a year of junior hockey. 

At Brockton High School you can receive the same education (or better) for free and still be in the same position as the student/athlete that attended a private school.

* Brockton High School was named one of the best in the country for it's MCAS scores and advance placement programs by "US News and World Report" magazine in December 2009.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO131599/

Public School versus Juniors

Just like the colleges, junior hockey programs are selecting mostly 19-to-21 year-olds for their Junior 'A' teams. That means if your in high school playing juniors your most likely going to be on an Empire or a Junior 'B' team. There's plenty of room to develop at the high school level and no need to rush into juniors while your still in high school.

Junior hockey is definitely a sound option for fulfilling a dream of playing college hockey but may be better suited for older players that have graduated high school. 

*Classifications of Junior Hockey include; 'Major' Junior, Junior 'A', and Junior 'B'. Junior 'A' is divided into three teirs: Teir I and Teir II are considered 'Major' Junior. Teir I includes leagues like the Canadien Hockey League (CHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and the Western Hockey League (WHL). In addition , there is the United States Hockey League (USHL) which is the only Teir I  junior hockey league in the United States. Teir II leagues are considered the lower level  of Junior 'A' are located regionally within Canada and the Western United States.

There are no 'Major' Junior Teams in Massachusetts. The Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) is considered Junior 'A' Teir III. The lower level  of the EJHL is the Empire Junior Hockey League which is considered to be Junior 'B' Teir III.

Public School versus Prep School

Again, there's no need to rush into prep school and there's no reason why you can't have a successful high school career at your local high school and then attend prep school as a post-grad. Some players may consider prep school if they have run out of competition at the high school level. But, if you can see several more years of progress ahead of you in your local program and you are satisfied with your academic program, then you should probably wait. In other words, unless you are completely dominating (winning a state scoring title or a Boston Globe or Herald "Dream Team" All-Scholastic) then you most likely still have something to prove in high school hockey and it's probably a better decision to wait until you've completed your career at your local high school before you consider going to Prep School.

The Evidence

The best evidence for these arguments can be found by looking at college hockey rosters or simply by asking a college hockey coach. It's also evident if you take a look at the best high school hockey players in the state (Boston Globe Hockey All-Scholastics). If you read the player bios of the senior Globe All-Scholastics for the 2009-2010 season you'll see that a majority of these student/athletes list prep school or junior hockey in their plans for next season, not college. That means that most of the best high school hockey players in the state of Massachusetts are not able to make the transition to college hockey directly from high school. In addition, several of these players attended private schools, however, it didn't necessarily put them in a better position than a public school player to play college hockey. 

http://www.boston.com/sports/special/schools/200910_winter_all-scholastics/boys_hockey.html

The Bottom Line

During the 2009-2010 season at least 6 hockey players from Brockton suited up for teams other than Brockton High School at area private and prep schools (4 private and 2 prep). Add those players to our lineup and Brockton High School can compete with any team in the state.  

Our goal is to help our student/athletes receive a solid education and develop as hockey players and young adults.  In addition, to prepare them for hockey at the next level (i.e. prep school or juniors and college). There are no secret formulas for success, hard work and dedication are the key ingredients to accomplishing your goals.

Come play hockey at Brockton High School and our coaching staff will work diligently to make sure you receive the same opportunities as any other high school program in Massachusetts.