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My Daughter wants to play in a spring Hockey League, which one is the best in the St Paul area?

It depends on her age and skill level and your bank account.

Money is no object, average skill level, 15 going on 16, all of the sudden she wants to be a real hockey player instead of just chasing the puck around

hockeygod wrote:Money is no object, average skill level, 15 going on 16, all of the sudden she wants to be a real hockey player instead of just chasing the puck around

Showcase runs some pretty decent leagues, very competitive at the upper levels.

hockeygod wrote:Money is no object, average skill level, 15 going on 16, all of the sudden she wants to be a real hockey player instead of just chasing the puck around

If her goal is to be a better hockey player, then skip the spring leagues and spend your dollars and time on good training instead. There are many good ice + dryland programs for girls out there this summer. Improve her skills and when she gets to tryouts next fall she'll have the edge. Spring leagues are often worthless, IMHO.

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There are many good ice + dryland programs for girls out there this summer. Improve her skills and when she gets to tryouts next fall she'll have the edge. Spring leagues are often worthless, IMHO.[/quote]

Any Suggestions?

I'm not as skeptical as trilogy is about spring leagues (they can be fun, keep your kid busy skating, etc), but I will say that I've heard lots of complaints about the level of these leagues not living up to the claims of the organizers. For instance, some parents on my daughter's team this year say that our A team could easily handle the teams their daughters played with last spring--and these were advertised as AAA. One of the teams in that league was loaded, most were just OK, and some weren't even A level. And now the organizers want to expand by 2 or 4 teams when they didn't even have enough players to ensure quality competition before.

I know spring leagues don't do much to step up her game (thats why I'm looking for a good one) but she really enjoys playing and wants to try playing some different positions so I told her that I'd see about a spring league

hockeya1a wrote:

Any Suggestions?

Look into having her try out for CODP (IMHO the best thing going) at www.codpmn.com
OS training with Winny and Ronda should be good (for girls by girls). Another program similar to these is starting this summer, I forget the name, that is geared toward girls only.

trilogy wrote:If her goal is to be a better hockey player, then skip the spring leagues and spend your dollars and time on good training instead. There are many good ice + dryland programs for girls out there this summer. Improve her skills and when she gets to tryouts next fall she'll have the edge. Spring leagues are often worthless, IMHO.

Sound advice. Training is what it's all about. I'm not too high on Showcase.

I recommend Winny and Ronda. I think the Prep level OS will be at Bloomington this summer. They skate the heck out of the kids (overspeed and edges) and let them scrimmage periodically for fun. www.skaterslink.com

I agree with most comments on this thread.

I think spring hockey can be tons of fun - low pressure - good environment to try out that new move, etc. However, it is not a replacement for serious training. If you don't have the time and money to do a spring league AND some kind of spring/summer training, then skip the spring league.

My daughter has been involved in CODP for the past three summers and is planning to do CODP again this summer. I can't judge the Winny and Rhonda OS stuff, because I just haven't been exposed to it. I have heard good things about it and it is probably very good.

I would say, though, that I know about CODP, and it is excellent. My daughter has learned a tremendous amount through CODP. She comes home from each session exhausted, but happy. There is hard on ice work, significant dryland, weekly 4x4 / 5x5 scrimmages, and a mid summer tournament - all in all a good mix of drills and game. There is a feeling of accomplishment that comes from working hard on things that matter.

Bottom line, CODP is a great choice. OS would probably be a fine selection too - but make sure there is some serious training and not JUST spring/summer leagues.