My son has applied to both New England and independent prep schools for 11th grade as an icehockey player. He is paying AAA hockey and has been offered admission to two independent prep schools (Gilmour & Lake Forest). We still have to visit the academies and he has to skate with the coach for the hockey part. He has also applied to one more independent prep (Northwood) that will announce admission decisions on March 10th. Most likely he will make Northwood based on his SSAT, GPA, recommendations, and interview.
He has also applied for five New England prep schools Exeter, Gunnery, Berkshire, Kent, and SPS. Assuming he makes some New England prep schools we plan on visiting New England schools. His main reason to go to a prep school is to strike a balance between school (priority #1) and hockey (1 a or 2). He knows he is not an NHL talent so Division 1 or 3 hockey is what he is aiming.
Any insights on pros and cons of New England vs independent prep.
It’s difficult to play college hockey without going to a prep school or coming out of the juniors program. Therefore, I would base my decision on the team that needs him the most. Where will he get the most play time? Which coach does he connect with the best? Which coach will invest in his players and has the best relationships with college coaches to get him recruited? Which team is the best personality/lifestyle fit for him (these boys will be his family, his friends, his everything…)?, which team needs his position? Every team has a bench - where will he truly play in order to be seen by the college scouts?
The hockey world is small. They will all be at the same tournaments and showcases. He needs to be at the school where he will be on the ice and fit with the team. Good luck!
Yes @Temperantia - Kent is on a roll this year. Just saw them play a couple of weeks ago. I beg to differ and respectfully disagree with @Empireapple. As someone who originally hails (and skated, not only golfed) from the great state of MinneSnowta then went East for college, I can tell you that historically great hockey players from the Midwest don’t attend BS typically. For example, Shattuck-St Mary’s is a BS hockey powerhouse that you rarely see on CC. Yes, there are some hockey players that head to BS, but it’s more common for strong high school players to stay local and play for elite teams (High school and travel). I think if you look at the great team rosters of the Boston area schools, you will find the same thing. Plus, there are the 2 factors that come into play: Time and Money. Third factor- elite travel team. It’s hard to do it all. Look at the rosters of the collegiate players in the Frozen Four and check out where they attended high school. Also, check out the rosters for the top 20 colleges and look where they went to school. ^:)^
My BS kid doesn’t play hockey, but his school (Salisbury) is one of the prep powerhouses, and we live among many prep schools. The thing with the East Coast BSs (other than South Kent), which @Golfgr8 mentioned, is getting the full-season play. To play full-season the East Coast BS kids have to figure out how and where to play with an off-season club, which involves some serious logistics (though doable). Plenty of kids here whom DS knows do it, though I would assume it’s easier in the Boston area. There are a lot of D1 hockey commits at Salisbury and plenty of kids who go play D3 (typically after juniors in both cases), so it’s doable.
Golfgr8…agreed. I was speaking of hockey players in the northeast. I didn’t clarify since we were talking about boarding schools in the New England area. Skaters in MN are born with skates on right?
Here’s the major difference: the independent (non-New England) prep teams will play a longer season. The New England prep hockey season is comparatively short (Thanksgiving to late Feb./early March) but pretty intense. What that means is that most high-level New England prep players will also play split-season club hockey, essentially from September through Thanksgiving-ish. This can be great (many of the club teams are good, as is the exposure), but the logistics of getting to/from games can be challenging for long-distance kids. In addition, many NE prep schools require students to play another sport in the Fall, so balancing living away from home, plus the academics of a new school, plus a school sport, plus a split-season club sport can be challenging. With that being said, the exposure is very good, the in-season travel is very limited for most schools, and the intensity of the games can create great life-long memories.
Kent has an amazing hockey program. They just won the New England championships— girls and boys! Beyond hockey, it’s also a darn good school. Top notch faculty. Top notch values.
Thank you all for the valuable advice. Great points to consider but at the end of the day it is a very personal decision that one has to make and live with. We hope to visit some schools (independent and New England prep) and see which might be the best fit for our son. Thank you once again and good luck to all.