USA Coach in Chief: Many Opportunities after High School

As a coach and hockey administrator that has worked with juniors for the last 20 of his 50 years in the sport, Al Bloomer is an advocate for making the most of a young athlete’s playing opportunities.

Each year, Coach Bloomer makes major presentations to provide information regarding various options available to a hockey player that has completed or is about to complete his/her high school education. For eligibility purposes, the NCAA expects the student-athlete to graduate from high school at 18 years of age.

From Coach in Chief Bloomer: “I have been involved in hockey as a player, coach or administrator for over 50 years. For the last 20 years I have been directly involved with players between the ages of 15 and 20 years old. When it comes to choosing options for their hockey future, I am continually troubled by how poorly prepared and uninformed many players and their parents are.

“I believe parents and players should begin to think seriously about hockey opportunities when the player is 12 to 14 years old. Although there may be optimism concerning potential when players are 12 and under, their potential cannot be realistically evaluated until they reach the age of maturity. All have dreams and expectations - but players and parents need to make informed and realistic decisions You can answers if you know where to look. The challenge is to be realistic about your hockey abilities and proactive when planning your hockey future. As your skills develop to higher A levels, you begin to think about your options.”

Some typical questions:

What are my hockey opportunities after high school?
How do I determine what is best for me?
What are some determining factors?
What are my chances?
How can I find out where I fit?
How and where do I get noticed?
How important are academics?
What role does my coach play?
Should I actively pursue opportunities or wait until opportunity knocks?

For answers to these questions and more insight and inspiration from Coach Bloomer, download his two valuable presentations (you will need Adobe Reader to open the files):

Links to Presentations (pdf):

Opportunities in Hockey - Special Report

Achieve the Dream - Special Presentation