Is your daughter showing interest in pursuing hockey at the varsity level? You won’t find many more qualified than Heather Morning to offer advice on managing the varsity experience for your daughter. She has played, coached and instructed hockey. And, she has parented three hockey players – with two daughters who both played varsity hockey. Here’s her take on how to get there, and how to make the most of the experience once you do.

Scouting 

The scouting process begins at Bantam – ages 13 to 14. But if varsity is on your daughter’s radar, it’s a good idea to start thinking about it at the Peewee level. It takes a lot of commitment, drive and the right personality and mindset to get to this level of play.

Narrowing down your search is an important first step. Athletes, with the support of their parents, need to ask themselves the following.

• How far from home am I comfortable going?
• How large/small a University would be best for me?
• What program or area of study am I interested in?
• Will I be able to manage the demands of academic life and hockey commitments?

It is of utmost importance to choose a school that you would still want to attend if you were not playing hockey!

Communicate with coaches

Once you have your list of Universities that fit your criteria, the next step is to email the coaches of these varsity teams. Coach's email addresses and phone numbers can usually be found on the team website. Grade 10 is a good time to begin writing these emails given that scouting is most intense during the grade 10-12 school years.

The letter should be of introduction, telling the coach your academic/program interests, what hockey team you play for, what position you play, your grad year, and could include the type of player you are either from your perspective or from your current coaches perspective (ie My coach says I am a …).

You also want to invite the coach to watch you play. Include your teams regular season schedule as well as your tournament schedule. Teams send scouts to the big showcase tournaments so being on a team that attends these tournaments is important. Make sure you include what jersey number you wear so the scout can find you. If the coach returns your email they will probably ask you to fill out their online recruitment form.

If a University coach does watch you play, follow up with an email asking for their feedback. Ask what the coach feels your areas of development are as well as your strengths. You could ask "what do I need to improve in my game to become a prospect for your team?".

What coaches and scouts are looking for

Coaches look for a lot more than on-ice skill, they also access compete level, hockey IQ, work ethic, team play in all 3 zones, and composure  – how do you handle yourself in times of success as well as in times of adversity and disappointment. They will watch, attitude, and body language in relation to teammates, coaches, opponents, and officials.

Scouts will also speak to your coaches to find out what type of person you are.  Are you coachable? A good teammate? They will seek input on the intangible parts of your game.

Letter of Intent 

The Letter of Intent (LOI) is a document signed by a student/athlete and a University to express commitment to a varsity team. The objective of the LOI is to reduce the recruiting pressure on the athletes and to reduce the recruiting workload for the coaches. Once the LOI is signed, other schools/coaches cannot continue scouting/speaking with the athlete. This is a voluntary agreement between the player and the University and represents a commitment for the first year of hockey.

The LOI does not represent an offer of academic acceptance to a school nor should it be considered a guarantee to play in that first year. A spot on the team in an active role in the first year and beyond is dependent upon performance, behaviour, and academics.

One thing that should be clearly understood about the LOI: with a signed agreement, the athlete is committed to a particular school but it does not necessarily mean the school is committed to the athlete. So before signing the LOI, an athlete must be sure that it is the right time to take themselves out of the talent pool and make that commitment to a particular school. Athletes cannot take a spot on a varsity team for granted since there are no guarantees that you will be playing – even with a signed LOI.

Before a letter of intent is signed, families should ask these questions of a team/coach:

1. Where do you see me fitting in with the team? What will my role be and what is my ranking?
2. How many players will the team carry?
3. What do you see as my development areas? What do I need to do to move up in the rankings?
4. Is the scholarship guaranteed for the full 4 years? What are the grade requirements?  What is the impact of injury as well as performance issues?

On the team

There is still work to be done once your daughter has made a varsity team. Many think once they’ve made a team, that’s it – they’ve made it. But there are still many everyday stresses involved once they get to university – will I play this game, which line will I be on, how much ice time will I see? There are no guarantees of ice time – which means the work doesn’t stop once they get there.

Also important to note, CIS teams hold tryouts open to anyone who would like to attend. Your position on the team is not guaranteed, it is possible to be released from the team at these tryouts. You want to show up in good condition, and work hard every time you are on the ice.

The best thing an athlete can do is to work hard, show commitment and make a difference each and every time they are on the ice – whether it’s practice or a game. No one has 100% of what a coach or team is looking for but being a difference maker and making a contribution every game is a key to success.

Words of advice

Over the years, Heather has experienced hockey from many vantage points – the player, the coach, the instructor and the parent. And she has been a varsity player – as a squash player. She knows what it takes to be an elite athlete competing for a spot on a team and keeping that spot for a sport that you love.

The following are words of wisdom from Coach Heather on getting your daughter through to her varsity experience:

Play to your strength. As parents, we tend to focus on the areas that we see as needing development. For example, if the child’s skating needs work, we put them in power skating. If they don’t have the hardest shot, we put them in a shooting clinic.

Although a development focus is important, it's also crucial  to support and enhance her areas of strength and work on those areas as well. Build confidence, empower your player and increase her offerings by having her play to her strengths. For example, if she skates fast and has a great shot, encourage her to skate fast and take lots of shots. Or if she is a smart player that sees the ice, have her become the playmaker that sets up teammates to score.

“Know who you are and play to your strengths. Nobody has it all so play to your strengths.”

Take video of your player. Use that cell phone to tape the game. Don’t say anything to your daughter afterwards about the game – just let her watch herself and her teammates. Competitive players often see exactly what they need to see and don’t need you to point it out to them. Don’t give them advice or ask them what the coach said about how they played. Let them see for themselves. Have them watch other games as well – other women’s games, NHL games. They learn from watching and will gain a further understanding of the game by engaging it from these different perspectives too.

“Let them watch themselves and others playing the game they love.”

Don’t turn it into a job. While there is a goal in mind, the game of hockey should never become a burden or feel like a job. Yes, it is a lot of work to get to the varsity level and then remain playing at that level – but hockey should not be the only thing in their world. There has to be an element of fun – otherwise what is the point of all that work?

Make sure that the voice they hear inside their head is a positive one. The type of player that is headed for a varsity team has that competitive edge – they are already hard on themselves. What they need from you is positive reinforcement.

“Make sure that your voice inside their head is a positive one.”

Play…just play. Let them play…don’t make everything about work and development. Make sure there is some time put aside for unstructured hockey too. Opportunities like spring hockey, street hockey or high school teams. While these young girls are highly competitive and driven with a goal in mind, they also just want to play with their friends. So let them play.

At the end of the day, while hockey may very well be the reason for your daughter’s university experience, you want her to continue playing the game that she loves long after she is finished school. You want her to play as an adult, to play when she is a parent and give back to the game by becoming involved in the local community programs – coaching, instructing, or officiating. So make sure that element of fun…the element of just playing, stays intact throughout the experience.

“Just make sure you are enjoying the game that you love.”

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Do you have a good resource on preparing your daughter for varsity hockey? Played varsity hockey and have some advice to share? Tell us about your experience on our Discover blog or by using #seewhatshecando in your social media posts.