My son is U16 this year and he’s heard from 6 teams so far but have heard that many teams don’t start reaching out to families until league playoffs are finishing. The teams we’ve heard from are also the ones we hear have been the most active in setting up interviews.
Interviews are the worst part of the draft process for players.
First - most of the people running teams have little or no experience in running interviews. They come from a hockey background and aren't trained properly. It's less an interview and more of a "let's just check the vibe with this kid".
Second - the interview process is 95% weeding people out. The best you can generally hope for from the player side of the interview is to not hurt your draft stock; you'll rarely improve it.
The best things you can do to prepare for an interview from the player perspective:
1) Do a little research. Know who the coaches are and the key players on the team. Know the name of the arena they play in. Know what their record was last year and how their season ended. Have some idea of the depth chart at your kids position in terms of age distribution (eg, if your kid is a dman, do they have all 19 year olds or are they looking to fill in for some OAs?). These guys live and breathe their team every day and it's a nice sign of respect to look like you at least care a bit about their team.
2) This sounds obvious, but leave your phone with someone else while the interview is happening.
3) Present yourself professionally. Whether the interview is in person or via zoom, show up properly dressed. Maybe not full suit and tie, but at least a button up shirt. Firm handshake, eye contact. If the interview is via zoom, sit at a well lit quiet space with a good internet connection and good microphone. Don't slap in some earbuds, fire up the iphone and sink into your couch.
4) Focus on talking about the process and not the result. Some examples of how I'd advise a kid to answer questions like:
"What do you hope to accomplish in the OHL?"
Answer: If I get the opportunity, what I want to do is improve every day. If I'm getting great coaching, becoming a better teammate, and working hard in practice, the results take care of themselves.
"Is it your goal to play in the NHL?"
Answer: Everyone wants to make it to the NHL, but only a few do. For me, the things I need to do to make it to the NHL and the things I need to do to be successful in the OHL are identical - improve both on the ice and off.
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