Hockey Nerd

The 2010-11 is just a couple weeks away from getting started in many parts of North America. And once again, MYHockey is seeking volunteers to enter scores. Approximately 200 volunteers from 2009-10 have already renewed for the upcoming season, but new volunteers are needed for hundreds of divisions.

Volunteers do two main things. They enter scores (an average of 10 per week) and they keep an eye on their division. We ask volunteers to update their divisions with game scores for all the teams in their division each week. With non-league games being entered by other volunteers and with members entering a few scores, MYHockey needs people affiliated with a division to make sure errors don't arise and begin impacting the accuracy of the system. Most volunteers spend less than 30 minutes per week with 15 minutes being average.

Those interested in volunteering go to the Report Scores page and click on the Tell Me More About Becoming a MYHockey Volunteer or simply CLICK HERE.

Enjoy the start of the season!

I am happy to announce that MYHockey will start using Twitter and Facebook to publish random thoughts, interesting hockey news and changes that are occurring in youth hockey across North America. Additionally, for the RSS New Feed junkies, you will also be able to subscribe to the RSS feed if that's your preferred way to get your MYHockey updates. All three logos are now found in the upper right hand side of virtually every MYHockey page. One click access to your favorite form of social media or news.

I have used Hockey Nerd in one format or another for five years now to discuss youth hockey. Hockey Nerd works well when I have something reasonably in-depth to explore with others. This will not change. Hockey Nerd will still be used for the more complicated ideas, announcements or issues I want to bring forth, but you will see a lot more quick thoughts released via Twitter or Facebook. Join the MYHockey Facebook group or start following me on Twitter. Again, simply use the icons found on MYHockey.

Feel free to drop us an email if you have additional ideas/suggestions on how to better use the tools of the internet to keep you informed of the latest with MYHockey and youth hockey in general.

MYHockey has released it's 2010-11 season information. 2009-10 season information is now archived on the Rankings page and elsewhere as 2010-11 season information becomes the default information.

MYHockey has updated the website with new leagues, new divisions and new teams where this information is known. It's also likely to be out of date and in need of your feedback. MYHockey uses last season's data to pre-populate 2010-11 team information. At the bantam, peewee and squirt/atom level that means if the a club had a minor team last season, they will have one to start the 2010-11 season - unless someone tells me differently. All websites and coaching information has been wiped clean and we will need to start over for the 2010-11 season. At the midget, high school, prep, junior and college level, where websites and coaching staffs tend to be more consistent from one year to the next, all 2009-10 information was retained and used to pre-populate 2010-11 team info. Some of this data is likely incorrect, but again, we'll need your feedback to straighten out incorrect data. You can now request a team be added by clicking a link on the bottom of any of the 2010 listing pages (i.e USA 96 AAA Listing). You can request that a team be deleted by clicking on the details link found next to every team and then using the link to request the team be deleted. And on the details page you will have the opportunity to update team websites, coaches and managers.

MYHockey has listened to you the fan and there will be two significant upgrades for the 2010-11 season. Rosters can be entered and will be displayed where entered for bantam and older teams. These rosters will appear near the bottom of the team information page. Additionally, schedules may now be entered for teams. Schedules, as well as completed games, will now be displayed on a single consolidated team information page enabling you to see the information you are looking for more quickly. Long time viewers will see other subtle enhancements as MYHockey continues to improve. One suggestion, if you have bookmarked any page other than the MYHockey Home Page, you might want to update your bookmark.

I hope you like the enhancements that have been made for the 2010-11 season. If you have any additional suggestions, please don't hesitate to drop me a line at director@myhockeyrankings.com.

What an exciting NHL Draft! I thought the NHL Network (I think TSN in Canada) coverage of the draft was very good, although I know a lot of people who either don't get the Channel or know it was on. No ESPN coverage like most other professional drafts, but hey, it's hockey in the US.

Some interesting stats. In the first round, there were 14 Canadians picked, 11 from the US, 3 Russians, 1 Swiss and 1 Fin. No Swedes, no Czechs, no Slovaks. The 11 Americans is a new record, topping the 10 that were taken in the 2006 and 2007 drafts. Only 5 Americans were taken in the first round in 2008 and 2009. The 14 Canadians were the fewest Canadians since the 2006 draft when only 11 were taken in the first round. Nino Niederreiter, who played for the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL and went 5th overall in the draft, was Switzerland's first every first round draft pick.

High School/Prep players accounted for 22 of the kids drafted this season. This is a recent high. Twelve of the draftees played Minnesota HS Hockey, while 3 played for Shattuck-St Marys, 1 played for Delbarton (NJ) and 6 played for New England prep school teams last season. While this number is on the rise, it doesn't compare to the high numbers of US High School/Prep kids being drafted in the 80's and into the 90's. But like all things in the draft, these things are cyclical. After the USA won the Gold Medal with the Miracle on Ice in 1980, the number of US High School kids drafted shot up, but when many failed to pan out, their numbers eventually dropped.

I cannot remember who the player was, but one of the smart 18 years old budding stars that was interviewed said something to the effect that what matters isn't what he has done to this point or where he was drafted, but his work ethic going forward. Hard work and luck play a huge role in molding draft picks into NHL regulars. Stats from 2000-2004 drafts show that an average of 2 first rounders never play in the NHL and 7-8 first rounders will not be regulars in the NHL (fewer than 100 games). If you move down to draft spots 101-130 (typically the 4th round), you'll find that only 2 players are NHL regulars (more than 100 games) and only 8-9 have even seen a single game in the NHL. What does this mean? It means the kid was right, it's not what you do prior to the draft that matters, but what you do afterwards. Every year dozens of undrafted young players make their NHL debuts while highly drafted players languish in the minors. Injuries and mis-assessed talent account for some of it, but character and the willingness to work hard play a huge role in who makes it and who does not. Time will tell which side of the statistics each of the kids in the 2010 draft fall on. Best of luck to all.

As we prepare for the 2010-11 season, USA Midget hockey continues to mature. The Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL) has made some minor tweaks, the NAPHL has made some modest changes and the National Junior Prospects Hockey League (NJPHL) has been formed to organize a number of the clubs are not members of the T1EHL or the NAPHL.

The T1EHL did not add or remove a single program showing some stability as it enters it's third season as a super league. Last year, however, it only contained 20 (not 25) 16U teams. It has announced in April on its website that all 25 clubs will be fielding 16U teams this season. That means the Ohio Blue Jackets, Buffalo Regals, Philadelphia Flyers, Team Comcast and Boston Advantage will all be fielding full-season 16U teams in the league this year.

On April 17th, the NAPHL announced a number of changes to its membership as it enters its second season. The new clubs include the Pittsburgh Viper Stars (18U, 16U, 14U), Team Rocky Mountain (18U, 16U, 14U), DC Capitals (18U) and the Wenatchee Wild (18U). A number of teams are looking to field 16U teams that did not this past season and the league has added a 14U division as well. The NAPHL has also dropped Carolina Jr Hurricanes, Chadders (UT), Florida Jr Panthers, Marquette Electricians, Phantom Fireworks, S2 (MI), and Team Maryland.

In May, Paul Clifford, Executive Director of the National Junior Prospects Hockey League, announced the formation of a third national showcase league. The NJHPL will host five showcase events in its inaugural season and currently consists of teams from the Atlanta Fire, Dallas Alliance Bulldogs, Dallas Ice Jets, Fort Wayne Komets, Lake Erie Warriors (Cleveland), Motor City Chiefs (Detroit), Nashville Southern Flyers, Phoenix Firebirds, Queen City Steam (Cincinnati), Utah Regulators and the West Michigan Hounds. They will field both a 18U and 16U division for the 2010-11 season.