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Should a 9th grade kid, who is also a 2nd year Bantam play Bantam A or High School JV? I'm know there are many variables such as...

How good of a Bantam A program are you in?
How good of a HS program are you going to?
Are you going to ride the bench on the JV team?
Are you going to play a lot on the JV team?
Are you going to ride the bench on Varsity?

If there are any "golden rules" here, I've got to think that if you expect to play a lot for the Varsity team, then it is a no brainer. I'd also think that if you are realistically going to ride the bench on the JV team, then it is a no brainer to stay at Bantam A. Of course, no one ever thinks they are going to be the ones to ride the bench.

Any thoughts here?

Highschool is cheaper.....

Many more games and more ice time is available in Bantams because they are not restricted by high school league's schedule and game limits. If it were my kid, it would be Bantams for sure unless regular playing time is foreseen on the varsity. It isn't worth the loss in games/ice time for JV in my opinion.

I believe most high school programs will only take a 9th grader (2nd year bantam A) if he is good enough to make the varsity. Typically at most schools 9th graders are not allowed to play JV.

Goalie-Dad wrote:I believe most high school programs will only take a 9th grader (2nd year bantam A) if he is good enough to make the varsity. Typically at most schools 9th graders are not allowed to play JV.

Depends on how well you like the Bantam coaches.

PuckRanger wrote:Many more games and more ice time is available in Bantams because they are not restricted by high school league's schedule and game limits. If it were my kid, it would be Bantams for sure unless regular playing time is foreseen on the varsity. It isn't worth the loss in games/ice time for JV in my opinion.

I think people get too wrapped up in the game limit/ice time debate. If it were truly an issue, players like Nick Leddy, Erik Johnson, Phil Kessel, etc. would bypass D1 college hockey, who play 36 regular season games plus playoffs, and go play major junior, who play 72 regular season games plus playoffs. Let's face it, they weren't there for the college education - as they all bolted after 1 year - they were there to play hockey.

As intertwined as high school coaches are into their feeder systems these days, I would be shocked if they didn't have the majority of input to kids/parents as to where they feel the kid is going to benefit the most, whether it's varsity, JV or bantams.

play with your friends

At our association, Bantams get the worse times for ice. Typically 9-10pm or early mornings before school. IMO it is very hard on the kids and they get worn down. We are talking 8th and 9th graders trying to do school work and get enough sleep while they are going through major physiological changes. High school gets the gravy ice time right after school and are done at 5-530. Also, if we chose HS over bantams, he would be coached for 4 years under his HS coach which is probably an advantage. Even though he may not get as much game time, he would get practice time at HS speed. Which one would benefit most? I guess it is anyone's guess.

We've lost 3 9th graders to high school teams... 2 to JV, 1 to Varsity.

JV kids get much less ice time than the varsity, virtually no off-ice coaching (in contrast to regular meetings and film sessions for the varsity), and very little attention from anyone on the varsity staff. Many of the kids didn't seem to have much fun or get much satisfaction from playing on JV -- the focus from coaches, parents and the kids was generally on earning the right to move up (either this year or the next). That said, they learn the varsity system, and some do get the opportunity to prove themselves and earn a move up to varsity. But if I now had a 9th grader who could play Bantam A or JV, in my association I'd probably keep him in Bantams. Bantam A teams typically get the best an association has to offer (in development, coaching, resources and support), whereas some high schools seem to treat their JV program as little more than a holding pen.

Why is it never about fun.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages. To me JV has more advantages.
Better ice time
More ice time
Better competition

If players skills improved more by playing games there would be no practices. Common knowledge that average player touches puck less than 1 minute in a 2 hour game and over 10 minutes in a practice.

Why is hockey so different than other sports, where other sports not only 9th graders but sometimes 8th graders play V and JV. Oh yeah, tough guy old school attitude.

deacon64 wrote:Why is it never about fun.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages. To me JV has more advantages.
Better ice time
More ice time
Better competition

If players skills improved more by playing games there would be no practices. Common knowledge that average player touches puck less than 1 minute in a 2 hour game and over 10 minutes in a practice.

Why is hockey so different than other sports, where other sports not only 9th graders but sometimes 8th graders play V and JV. Oh yeah, tough guy old school attitude.

More ice time? I don't think so. Bantam programs start a month before High School programs, and end around the time HS sections start. JV teams are done when the last regular season game is played. And the Bantam As practice at least 3 days a week, JV practices 3-4 days a week.