Hi Everyone, hoping this thread is still alive! I've been trying hard to get more informed about HPL. My daughter is entering U13 and has just been offered a spot on an HPL team (she's a D). Her minor association has both an A1 and A2 and the A1 team would place in Flight 2 so I would say this is more comparable to being AA and A. We really like the security of having a spot and not having to go through tryouts and we really like the coach who owns the team as well as his coaching school. Our daughter has also made the PCAHA development team for girls (which she can do in conjunction with being with her minor association). Because of the rules of BC hockey, she will have to forfeit that spot if she were to accept the HPL offer. Really feeling in over my head with the decision. She is VERY eager to do HPL but to be honest, worried about not being in good graces with Hockey Canada and potential consequences down the road.
I’m in the states but my daughter plays hockey and while I can’t specifically answer questions about the HPL, we had to make some tough decisions this past spring that may have future consequences as well, so I feel you, trust me.
My daughter took major leaps last year and wanted to tryout out for a few boys 12u AA teams this past spring.
On the other hand we have one of the best girls AAA teams in the country right in our backyard.
Even better, the coach from this AAA girls team knows my daughter from ADM and has been trying to recruit her for a couple yrs.
Our daughter hates playing girls hockey, and my wife kind of leaned on her to finally try out for this AAA girls team and my daughter finally agreed.
However, the first AA team my daughter tried out for sent us an offer and she wanted to accept.
We knew the AAA girls coach would see this as a slight when we had to tell him she changed her mind about trying out for his team.
It wasn’t a good look after telling him no no no, finally yes, oh sorry it’s a no again.
He may hold this against her if she ever wants to come play for that org now, and eventually she has to go through this org if she wants to play high level girls hockey one day.
In the end my wife and I decided to stop having a say in where our daughter played, and we explained the blow back and future consequences if she accepted the boys AA offer.
Ultimately, it just felt like it was time to let our daughter control her own fate and let her deal with the good and bad that comes from her decisions.