<p>My son, age 17 and a junior at a huge suburban public high school REALLY wants to try to play hockey (goalie no less!) at prep school. He would really like to go next year and finish his high school career at a prep. From what I understand, most schools will make a student repeat the junior year OR have you apply for a PG. Does nayone know of any schools (preferably in the northeast) that:</p>
<li> Have a hockey program that might not be so exclusive that only NHL-caliber kids need apply?</li>
<li> Do any of these program accept kids for a senior year?</li>
</ol>
<p>I realize that these are both tall orders but you never know unless you ask. Thanks for any insight/input!</p>
<p>Try Avon Old Farms. I don't know if they would accept a one year senior, but they might. AND, they have FIVE hockey teams.<br>
Westminster is an up and coming hockey school, you could call them as well.<br>
Cushing Academy is another good hockey school, although one student I know did an extra year there at the school's request, so they may want more than one year from a player.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. My son is also an average student, taking a few honors classes but likely to be (hopefully) a 3.0 kid. Are the preps as competative for a PG year as it seems like they are for HS? We would have to apply for finanacial aid as well so that may be a dealbreaker?</p>
<p>Needing significant FA could be a dealbreaker, if he isn't bringing something to the table that the school doesn't have. On the boys side it can get quite competitive with a fairly deep talent pool for slots at many schools. I don't know how good he is (there should be someone in the region who has dealt with prep schools to evaluate him), but if he has the talent some school might take a rider on him. I'd ask around to find out who in the region has gone prep and get an idea of what level of player that is (as compared to the level you son plays). In our affiliate here (SAHA not PVAHA where you live), only a few of the top AA players have had any luck getting admitted and even fewer have gotten good FA deals (or at least ones their families would accept - everyone has a different idea of what is a good deal).</p>
<p>Just to give you an idea, goaliegirl was invited to play AA boys Bantam Minor down here the year before leaving for prep school. Didn't work out as she wanted to play girls post season and the boys team wouldn't have it. (She ended up going to nationals with the girls). And she didn't even get that many looks from the girls programs up north.</p>
<p>I don't say this necessarily to scare you off, but to give you an idea of what to expect. It is not as easy as it looks when you are not from the region.</p>
<p>Thanks goaliedad, I appreciate the reality check. Ours is an only child so we tend to overfocus on his dreams! He is playing AA travel and high school (it's a club sport here) and does some private goalie coaching with Darren Hersh. I suppose Hersh is our best barometer as he coaches kids that move on to prep, juniors etc...It sounds like my son will likely need to seek out a PG option while applying to college as well. I have tried to encourage him to apply to schools with rinks so there will be some level of play for him. It's just that he is bound and determined to "make it" in hockey. Any other suggestions to support his dreams while staying grounded?</p>
<p>Why not have him repeat JR. That way he'd have two years of prep with the senior year really serving as a PG. Academically, he'd be better off with two years at one school under his belt. I have no idea if preps encourage this or not or if it's acceptable, but it seems a better option than having senior year at home and waiting for the PG year to pursue his hockey at the next level.</p>
<p>THIS is the time to talk to schools and visit.</p>
<p>That was suggested to us by one of the preps he is interested in. I am wondering if the admission criteria is as challenging if you've already had some high school (as a 3.0 student)? He will be 18 this summer so he would be doing a second junior year as an 18 year old and a senior year as a 19 year old. Does this matter? Thanks.</p>
<p>fif aqrees with baseballmom -- The PG year can be problematic, and repeating the jr. year is a much more attractive option, especially if he's determined to play in college.</p>
<p>Linda S mentioned three of the most competitive hockey schools in NE -- I would branch out a little and look at some of the less hard core schools along the lines of Millbrook, KUA, New Hampton etc.</p>
<p>All of this, hockey-wise at least, really depends on how good he is. Being a goalie, esp. a good one, is a huge advantage.</p>
<p>Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pennsylvania may be an option offering both financial aid & ice hockey. It is the oldest co-ed prep school in the country. Ask if PGs can play in their hockey league.</p>
<p>Since you are already working with a reputable goalie coach, I'd suggest you approach him with the idea that your son would like to try his hand a prep hockey not only for the hockey experience (you can get good experiences both prep and club), but for the life experience. It sounds like he is familiar with your son's level of play and also the history of what prep placement of regional goalies. He'll probably be a better guide as to which school might be of a level that would be a good match for your son, than us internet folks who haven't seen a lick of him in net.</p>
<p>And a good professional goalie coach shouldn't be offended by your choice to pursue prep and in fact be supportive of a kid who wants to get ahead in life. Hopefully he will give you a solid written evaluation of your son's skill that you can use as a calling card with prep coaches. Being from outside the traditional recruiting circuit, such an evaluation will be invaluable in actually getting the attention of coaches who have many prospects to evaluate. </p>
<p>And the goalie coach probably won't be losing a client either (you'll probably want to use his summer services going forward anyways).</p>
<p>If you think your son will take advantage of a second shot at 11th grade (perhaps taking an honors level of a class he previously took at the regular level) to improve his academic profile, it will help quite a bit with college placement. While stopping a puck will go a long way in getting you into a school, coaches are even more interested in the ones whom they don't have to beg adcoms to let in and don't have to worry about dealing with eligibility once they get there.</p>
<p>So as much as an extra year (be it either 11R or PG) is valuable in developing his hockey skills (he was a late starter IIRC), your son has to understand, believe, and be able to articulate the extra importance of the academic benefits of that time.</p>
<p>Thank you for the insights. My son has been having some conversations with his goalie coach about prep so that dialogue has started. Honestly, the only prep school that seems to make sense for us as a family is KUA as my husband's family lives in that community (I would feel good about him being close to family, he would have alot of people looking out for him and supporting him). It sounds like my son needs to set up a visit and watch a game to see if he feels that he could compete for a goalie slot next year as a repeat 11th grader. I had posted back a month or so ago in a panic over finances as my husband's company is dissolving but I'm feeling a bit more hopeful that something will work out. My son is just an average student in a 3000+ school and he would probably aim higher if he had a samller environment. I guess the steps:
1. Get a written evaluation from his goalie coach
2. Visit KUA, meet with admissions, see a game
3. Have my son follow through on the application process if he is really serious</p>
<p>Any other advice/suggestions? I really appreciate the comments. Sometimes processing this stuff is a challenge.</p>
<p>Repeating 11th grade should work well for him.</p>
<p>Only thing things I would add to the list is get him scheduled for the PSAT if you haven't done so already. The SAT would be OK as well. They need a standardized test and at his grade level the SSAT probably isn't right.</p>
<p>The other thing I would add is contacting the prep school coach and send the goalie coach evaluation in advance and meet with him at the school when doing the tour/game visit.</p>
<p>Considering that you feel warmer and fuzzier with family nearby, I might suggest that you add Proctor and/or Tilton to your mix. They are both 20-40 miles away - close enough for family members to check in on him on weekends (weekdays are too hectic anyway) without being too much driving. Both have a similar academic profile. Could possibly be easily visited on the same trip, although catching 2 hockey games at 2 campuses is unlikely unless you happen to get the odd Thursday or Friday game that happens from time to time. You may be able to substitute practicing with the team at one of the other schools.</p>
<p>I will look into those. They have not been on my radar. Good advice about sending evals ahead of time.
Any comments about the above schools: any pros and cons to their academics/hockey?</p>
<p>Check out boarding school review dot com or petersons dot com for more info about the schools.</p>
<p>Since financial aid is a must, be sure to apply to 2 or 3 schools.</p>
<p>If you son is not a top tier player, then do not consider Avon Old Farms. It is a school that prides itself in producing many D1 caliber/NHL prospects</p>
<p>Have your son pick some schools that he might be interested in and then have him write to the head hockey coach--have him include a bit about himself--his grades, types of courses he takes, PSAT scores, his hockey schedule. Some will contact him back and some will actually come and watch him play. </p>
<p>Top tier for boys hockey: Avon Old Farms, South Kent, Belmont Hill, Nobles, Salisbury. Andover, Exeter, Cushing, St Pauls
Midlevel: Lawrence Academy, Taft, Governor's
Not hockey factories: Milton. Williston, Northfield Mt Hermon
D2 but still competitive: New Hampton, Proctor, Brooks, St George's</p>
<p>Just my analysis---I have 2 sons who play ice hockey, one now plays in college
both did the prep route and repeated</p>