NCDC Main Camp Experience

Attended our first junior "main" camp this past weekend with the Springfield Pics of the NCDC -- the top level of the USPHL.

Good experience and greatly due to the fact that there didn't appear to be a single "pretender" among the nearly 70 players participating.

High end level of play -- right down to the third line. I can't even begin to describe how amazing hockey gets when you get to this point.

And not necessarily a new experience for us but playing with and against kids in half shields always makes it feel, I dunno, "real".

You know...this isn't youth hockey anymore.

And not like men's league either -- no one out there in a floppy JOFA either. Like, real, pro style hockey. Or, at least as close we've been to it when it comes to an on-ice game situation.

Anyway, for Duncan, it was a little bit of unfamiliar territory being on the third d-pairing but, at the same time, should have been fully expected.

Fifteen year olds, really, should be buried deep in the line-up when there are 20 year olds out on the ice too.

Skill-wise, and often physically too, the younger players can hang just fine, but the speed of the decision making (comfort with the puck) is the most obvious deficiency.

Any time a player has the opportunity to skate a regular shift in a game above their current level is a blessing. Getting 4+ games like that in rapid succession...makes them a better player for every forthcoming assist. The adjustment is visibly noticeable within a single game.

Ryan Leonard, from the Washington Capitals and most recent local player to make the show, was on the ice too shooting on the goalies. He's in the NHL already so not really a "prospect" for the junior team but he's in the same age bracket.

It's crazy when you put that in perspective. He's younger than some of the prospects here...but already skating in the NHL.

Heard one of the camp participants ask him to "Say hi to Ovie" for him. Too funny.

But at the same time -- one degree of separation from Ovechkin.

Like, for real.

This isn't youth hockey any more.

Ryan Leonard (John McCreary | Gerry Images)

Now, what did my kid -- not in realistic contention for making any sort of cut -- really take from it?

One of the first things he remarked after the first skate was some disappointment that he was on the third d-pairing. His partner, maybe a year or two older, likely felt the same.

Kid was good too...and potentially highly annoyed to be paired with one of the youngest players out there -- I counted 6 fifteen year olds (or just barely 16) total.

But I tried to flip it around and let him know that this is how it's going to be from here on out.

Imagine how the guy on the other squad with the half shield felt, as a third pairing guy, seeing a crop of full cage wearing 15 and 16 year olds, that were dropped off by their parents, coming in to take his roster spot?

And you think you're in a tough spot?

Empathy matters. Take it all in. Be motivated by it.

The birth year thing in youth hockey -- where you're in a bubble not really caring about guys a year younger or seeing them as a threat -- is over.

Resting on your laurels isn't a thing.

No one cares what you did last season.

No one cares if "everyone" knows your name.

All those years I spent working in the AHL -- I saw really good players crumble before my eyes as high draft picks started coming in the door.

Even late season ATO contract guys "stole" roster spots. Teenagers from Europe coming in that would almost always push the 23 year guy down to the coast or, worse, right into retirement.

There was ALWAYS a newer, younger, faster, and more talented player coming for your spot.

By 18 or 19, if you're not a top line guy in junior hockey...you're vulnerable.

Some guys rise to the challenge...others implode.

Right now, you 15 year olds are the hot new toys but when you're 18 or 19 -- those are the guys coming for you.

Be aware of that. Be aware...now.

I hope that's what sticks most for the coming season -- you can't can't afford to be complacent as one of the older guys and one of three returners on the U16 team.

In addition, camaraderie with the older more skilled players in the building holds a ton of weight and befriending the new tendered guys coming in is huge too. Events like these, and his performance, are a big part of the reason the older players know his name.

Seems insignificant on the surface but self confidence and value among your peers, err, competition is everything. When an older, more skilled player, knows your name (or nickname), that adds a little more to your stride.

But here's the thing about Main Camps. This one was in June -- really early.

A decade ago, attending a "main camp" for a junior hockey team would have been a pretty big deal.

At that point, they'd have already whittled things down and gotten to the point where they were really just locking in the last few roster spots.

With 70 skaters in attendance at this event -- that's not what these are any more.

Duncan has an invite to an NAHL main camp later this summer...I've already been told there'd be at least 48 defenseman in attendence and assured that Duncan won't be the best out there but certainly not the worst either.

Even still, those aren't great odds for a barely 16 year old. Realistically, a team would only carry 7-8 defenseman.

(In comparison, I counted 21 defensemen at this NCDC camp. Three were kids turning 16 this year, that I counted.)

Point is, these "main" camps aren't what they used to be.

For all the social media warriors calling them simply "money grabs"...well...they're not wrong.

I've been paying attention long enough to know that only a handful of the players attending this camp will actually make the final roster...and it'd be a near 0% chance for any of the youngest players to make it.

There's a trickle down effect that occurs as we get deeper into the off-season that bumps them far out of consideration.

Players will attend USHL camps or even OHL or QMJHL camps and get cut... Then they'll hit NAHL camps...and guys will get cut there too.

It's a lot like the professional ranks -- ECHL guys DO attend NHL training camps. They even play in pre-season games alongside NHL veterans. Guys you've never even heard of even attend NHL training camps, get cut, attend an AHL camp, get cut, attend an ECHL camp, etc...

That's just how it works and junior teams have monetized what's now become a "legacy" type of event.

Kinda like how the All Star game in every professional sport used to actually be something and now...well...it's just a marketing gimmick where they try to sell naming rights to big corporations.

Same deal -- it's a money grab where they might uncover a diamond in the rough. Maybe.

By mid to late August, a fresh crop of different color helmets and shells will roll in, high end guys that didn't even consider attending this super early "main" camp that just didn't make the cut in the USHL or NA...well, they'll trickle into NCDC camps and fill out the final rosters.

And the guys at this camp that don't make the cut -- they fill out the rosters in the USPHL Premier or other Tier 3 leagues.

The youngest guys have the attractive safety net to play U16 again and bulk up for next season and try again next year as a more viable contender.

At the same time -- this specific NCDC camp was for the program we currently skate for. The same program my middle son is aiming to play for the season after next.

We didn't have to attend this camp, obviously as the staff all already know who he is and what he brings, and there aren't any expectations of making an NCDC roster as a 16-year old...but we did it as a show of committment that this is where Duncan seeks to advance to. And then Henrik too.

So we attended this one.

We're not hitting an NAHL "prospect" camp in Danbury -- equally convenient for us to attend -- next weekend.

We're also not attending another NAHL "main" camp we've been invited to either. Additionally, no combines on the calendar this year.

They're not actually looking at players as young as 14 at these things so it's not really a tool to get your player's name out there either -- it's a money grab. 100%.

I've often said, beyond bantam hockey, only participate in things that will open doors down the road along the path your player wants to go down.

This NCDC camp checked that box.

Flying out to a tryout camp with the Idaho Spud Kings?

Yeah...not so much.

I say that now...but watch one of my kids get drafted by the Spud Kings in a couple years... That'd be too funny if I have to eat my words!

Go Spuds!

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Chris Rutsch

Hockey Dad

Year round, I spend a significant amount of time and money transporting my three boys to and from freezing cold ice rinks. Not because I expect them to make it to the NHL but because I know the rigorous youth hockey experience will serve them well in the future.