Not sure why HNS hasn’t moved teams from the south shore in U18 and U15, they obviously know there is not enough depth for that region to field teams. They added them to Tasa and Chebucto in U16, so they have figured it out.
the U18 team lists 11 of their kids about half from metro, and these are all cast offs that really shouldn’t be in the league but….well crazy parents. Even the kids from south shore only have 3-4 that would make any other team in the league.
Cut the driving down and have a 4th metro team and bring the 4 south shore kids to the valley?
As a sports psychologist in the Maritimes I work with many athletes from many sports to learn what makes them tick, especially when they are trying to move to the next level of their development. I love reading draft discussion boards in a variety of disciplines from basketball, soccer, and football to hockey. I usually do not reply unless I come across a post that is overly negative or misinformed. Your post was ridiculous. I hope you are not a scout or a coach!
There are a lot of bright people at Hockey Nova Scotia. They know that every player develops at a different pace. It’s the same for teams and regions. “Metro” teams as you refer to them have larger populations and lots of money and resources to draw from and rural teams sometimes need to expand their catch area to field competitive teams. Some “metro” players choose to follow a particular coach to a rural team like Valley, South Shore, or Pictou. Good on them.
Some “cast offs” as you refer to them are “pigeon holed” by their home organizations, thereby missing out on additional training that is available to kids that blossom at an earlier age and may not make a “metro” team. I have seen this in every sport. It is great to know there are still options for talented kids that may need another year to develop. Shame on you for using this term to describe kids that love the game that still want to compete at a high level and can still develop into top tier athletes.
HNS and other provincial jurisdictions in the region created a U16AAA Minor Midget league to allow teenage players to have a higher level of competition and still may need another year or two to develop. Many of these kids make U18 teams in their second or third year. Some in the city, some with rural teams. And in the Maritimes an hour or so drive is not a big deal for parents and players (many of whom drive). Many have cottages or family in those areas. In Ontario some families register for programs that are 2-3 hours away which is “crazy” as you refer to families who are committed to hockey or any other sport. You make it sound like a drive to the South Shore is like driving to Florida which is insulting to those that live in the area. It’s only 50-60min depending on which area you live in Metro. In PEI, NB, and NFLD some make longer drives or commutes due to some catch areas needing to be larger.
And having all key regions of Nova Scotia or NB or PEI or NFLD represented in a top tier league is a great thing for sports in general. Case in point - South Shore won the league just two seasons ago, Valley is off to a great start as I see in the standings. Cape Breton won the Telus cup not too long ago. All these teams have had their time at the top, the middle and the bottom just like the metro teams. I always look for constructive criticism in any post but your comments stood out and not in a good way. They sounded personal and when kids are involved you need to take a step back from the keyboard and think before you post.
