2014 GTHL AA East

[Guest]

Playoffs starting.

Congrats to EE for finishing first and NT for pushing them and finishing 2nd. An upgrade from last season for NT.
Everything else was pretty chalk.
Islanders improve on last year with their upgrade from their A team.
North York an upgrade by not having all their wins stripped away for sketchy conduct.

What do people think about playoffs?
Assume Aeros and Ice Raiders don't make it to Top 8 but I would love it if one of them did.
Very interesting 3 tier league
EE, NT, TR
WH, NYK, Leaside, Markham, SYB
Aeros, SIR

Feel free to answer the following questions.

1. Which team from Middle tier moves on to top 4?
2. Will any of the top 3 fail and not move on to top 4?
3. Can anybody other than Westhill beat EE?
4.. Can one of Aeros, SIR surprise and move into top 8?
5. Which team outperforms the most?
6. Which team disappoints the most?

Would love if all the readers would respond to these 6 questions.

1. Which team from Middle tier moves on to top 4? It's anyone's game but would love to see SYB rally
2. Will any of the top 3 fail and not move on to top 4? doubt it but would be wild
3. Can anybody other than Westhill beat EE? SYB has in tourney
4.. Can one of Aeros, SIR surprise and move into top 8? would also love it
5. Which team outperforms the most? NT work hard
6. Which team disappoints the most? Leaside

[Guest]

1. Which team from Middle tier moves on to top 4? Leaside
2. Will any of the top 3 fail and not move on to top 4? No
3. Can anybody other than Westhill beat EE? Sure, it is 10 year old hockey.
4.. Can one of Aeros, SIR surprise and move into top 8? No
5. Which team outperforms the most? EE has taken their game to another level right now. They don't seem to have any weak players.
6. Which team disappoints the most? SIR, huge organization, no development. Not having equal ice time on a team with 2 wins is brutal.

[Guest]

Skated with EE this weekend - anyone know how the coach is? Any advice? Heard mixed things but didn't get a chance to speak to him long.

Also - better to play top team AA or bottom team AAA? Reps are looking but coach doesn't seem... Knowledgeable?

Regarding the 2nd set of questions: to stay with a good AA team or move to a bottom AAA team is a challenge for a lot of players and families, I imagine. There are kids in AA that could play AAA and there are kids in AAA that probably shouldn't be there. Several of the bottom AAA teams have maybe one or two kids who could properly call themselves AAA, and could easily be replaced by good kids in AA. And these same teams don't seem to improving year after year, which says something about the coaching. I know that these teams are often used as stepping off points to better teams in AAA; however, if the Reps are anything like some of the other bottom AAA teams, I'd prefer a good coach in AA. At least for now, until those bottom teams improve their coaching.

[Guest]

Skated with EE this weekend - anyone know how the coach is? Any advice? Heard mixed things but didn't get a chance to speak to him long.

Also - better to play top team AA or bottom team AAA? Reps are looking but coach doesn't seem... Knowledgeable?

Regarding the 2nd set of questions: to stay with a good AA team or move to a bottom AAA team is a challenge for a lot of players and families, I imagine. There are kids in AA that could play AAA and there are kids in AAA that probably shouldn't be there. Several of the bottom AAA teams have maybe one or two kids who could properly call themselves AAA, and could easily be replaced by good kids in AA. And these same teams don't seem to improving year after year, which says something about the coaching. I know that these teams are often used as stepping off points to better teams in AAA; however, if the Reps are anything like some of the other bottom AAA teams, I'd prefer a good coach in AA. At least for now, until those bottom teams improve their coaching.

Big question nobody has yet asked you - is your kid a goalie? Or a player? Go to a good AA team if your kid is a player and get all the ice time you can to improve. Go to bottom AAA team if your kid is a goalie. Even if the team sucks, goalie will see the speed of play and get to face the highest level shots. As long as they are tough mentally and can take a loss, experience in AAA is invaluable.

[Guest]

Playoffs starting.

Congrats to EE for finishing first and NT for pushing them and finishing 2nd. An upgrade from last season for NT.
Everything else was pretty chalk.
Islanders improve on last year with their upgrade from their A team.
North York an upgrade by not having all their wins stripped away for sketchy conduct.

What do people think about playoffs?
Assume Aeros and Ice Raiders don't make it to Top 8 but I would love it if one of them did.
Very interesting 3 tier league
EE, NT, TR
WH, NYK, Leaside, Markham, SYB
Aeros, SIR

Feel free to answer the following questions.

1. Which team from Middle tier moves on to top 4?
2. Will any of the top 3 fail and not move on to top 4?
3. Can anybody other than Westhill beat EE?
4.. Can one of Aeros, SIR surprise and move into top 8?
5. Which team outperforms the most?
6. Which team disappoints the most?

Would love if all the readers would respond to these 6 questions.

No that the Aeros and Sir have been eliminated, here's a revised poll..

1. Which team from Middle tier moves on to top 4? Leaside or WH
2. Will any of the top 3 fail and not move on to top 4? No
3. Can anybody other than Westhill beat EE? TR or NT will get them
5. Which team outperforms the most? Markham
6. Which team disappoints the most? NYK and the Bruins

[Guest]

Playoffs starting.

Congrats to EE for finishing first and NT for pushing them and finishing 2nd. An upgrade from last season for NT.
Everything else was pretty chalk.
Islanders improve on last year with their upgrade from their A team.
North York an upgrade by not having all their wins stripped away for sketchy conduct.

What do people think about playoffs?
Assume Aeros and Ice Raiders don't make it to Top 8 but I would love it if one of them did.
Very interesting 3 tier league
EE, NT, TR
WH, NYK, Leaside, Markham, SYB
Aeros, SIR

Feel free to answer the following questions.

1. Which team from Middle tier moves on to top 4?
2. Will any of the top 3 fail and not move on to top 4?
3. Can anybody other than Westhill beat EE?
4.. Can one of Aeros, SIR surprise and move into top 8?
5. Which team outperforms the most?
6. Which team disappoints the most?

Would love if all the readers would respond to these 6 questions.

No that the Aeros and Sir have been eliminated, here's a revised poll..

1. Which team from Middle tier moves on to top 4? Leaside or WH
2. Will any of the top 3 fail and not move on to top 4? No
3. Can anybody other than Westhill beat EE? TR or NT will get them
5. Which team outperforms the most? Markham
6. Which team disappoints the most? NYK and the Bruins

1. Which team from Middle tier moves on to top 4? Many options, NYK AND Westhill
2. Will any of the top 3 fail and not move on to top 4? How much fun would that be?
3. Can anybody other than Westhill beat EE? NT could, games have been close all year.
5. Which team outperforms the most? Don't think anyone has really outperformed this year. Teams generally finished where they were expected to. Assume playoffs will the same.

6. Which team disappoints the most? Don't think anyone has really disappointed this year. Teams generally finished where they expected to. Assume playoffs will the same.

[Guest]

East Chat...

What are the rumours?
Who is losing players to AAA?
Who is gaining kids coming down from AAA or from good OMHA programs?

I assume top 3 teams will still be good next year.
Anyone looking for F, D or G?

Get chatting....

[Guest]

East Chat...

What are the rumours?
Who is losing players to AAA?
Who is gaining kids coming down from AAA or from good OMHA programs?

I assume top 3 teams will still be good next year.
Anyone looking for F, D or G?

Get chatting....

EE/TR is getting most of the AAA fallout, EE or TR will finish #1 next year and you can take that to the bank!

[Guest]

East Chat...

What are the rumours?
Who is losing players to AAA?
Who is gaining kids coming down from AAA or from good OMHA programs?

I assume top 3 teams will still be good next year.
Anyone looking for F, D or G?

Get chatting....

EE/TR is getting most of the AAA fallout, EE or TR will finish #1 next year and you can take that to the bank!

I don't often comment here but this one caught my eye. Green hockey parents may find this surprising but most of the AAA fallouts are not good hockey players and their contribution on a AA team next year will fade as the season goes on. By the end of the year you wouldn't be able to tell who played AAA a season before. Might be a harsh analogy but to me they're like an underperforming bluechip stock, relying on past achievements but laking in future upside. There is a reason they got cut and (mostly) replaced by rising AA playing

Source: Me- 3 kids playing minor hockey. U11AA, U14AAA, and U16A

At U11, AAA teams are filled with mediocre hockey players who started early, train a lot and can keep up speed-wise. They aren't necessarily good hockey players and as the kids age and mature, those who peaked early drop fast. It's not rare to find ex-AAA kids on a U14/15/16 single A team. Less than half of U10 AAA players will play AAA at U16. Don't believe me? go speak with U16 AAA coach and see for yourself. It may seem unlikely now, but wait for filtration to really kick in at U13/U14. As in most things in life, constant improvement is more important than current performance. Be patient and enjoy the ride

[Guest]

East Chat...

What are the rumours?
Who is losing players to AAA?
Who is gaining kids coming down from AAA or from good OMHA programs?

I assume top 3 teams will still be good next year.
Anyone looking for F, D or G?

Get chatting....

EE/TR is getting most of the AAA fallout, EE or TR will finish #1 next year and you can take that to the bank!

Like Trump's thinking he can take over Canada, don't believe everything you read on MHT.