I've never posted in this forum, but this thread caught my attention. My family and I have lived in Canada for almost 15 years. Last summer we went back to Germany to visit family and we took the opportunity for my son (16 at the time) to try out for some DNL 1 teams. He got a spot in Dusseldorf and will move to Germany after his graduation in June 2020.
My son plays for our local Midget Rep T3 team, which is just a minor hockey team that plays in a competitive league. He never tried out for any above minor teams such as Minor or Major Midget, Junior A or B.
I'd like to share some of my experiences (even though I don't know how much they translate to Germany).
1. We were surprised how easy and inexpensive it was for my son to try out for the teams. All teams told us to just come to their practices for a week. We didn't have to pay a dime for the week (other than hotel & food). In Canada, trying out for teams involves try out fees and multiple try out camps. You can easily spend $5K (in fees only) in the summer to try out for a couple of teams.
Thanks for sharing.
One thing that has long stuck out in Germany is that players from North America or Scandinavia or Eastern Europe who are eligible for a German player pass are always very welcome - and sought after.
In general, teams are always looking for talent and the idea of having players "pay" to tryout is pretty foreign. The ice times are already subsidized in most cases by local sports federation funding and teams are allotted a certain amount of ice times to plan as they see fit.
In other words, even DNL teams will be very happy to have interested kids come tryout. I have seen that there have been times when they'll tell a kid after just a few drills that he can hit the showers, but in general, the need for finding capable players and perhaps even enhancements for the team is so difficult that the clubs are very open to giving guys a look.
2. It appears to me that the 3 top teams (Mannheim, Cologne & Berlin) are siphoning the top players (e. g. by offering development contracts with their pro-teams). The gap between the top 3 to the rest of the DNL is quite noticeable and in my opinion, is not ideal. Teams need to be competitive in order for players to improve.
Those three clubs have the top junior programs in the country and also offer the most opportunity, on and off the ice. In addition, they're able to run a workout, nutrition, and practice program that often looks light years different than even a few clubs playing in the very same league.
Otherwise, the Powerplay26 program is geared towards filtering out the best talent in the country to roughly 6-8 programs by the time the boys are 14 or so. The funding provided to teams, and indeed the leagues those teams are allowed to play in, are based on a star program and gaining these stars requires the clubs to meet often unobtainable goals with respect to the amount of coaches they hire, have on the ice, teams in the program, ice times per week, etc. This system virtually ensures that players with talent from smaller venues have to seek out greener pastures at an early stage, which in turn also prevents smaller clubs from gaining any ground.
But the DEB knows this and also knows that the biggest programs are geared towards developing the players in a manner they desire so as to create more viable candidates for the national teams.
And despite the current talent coming through (just look at how there may be 3 Germans going top 45 in the next draft), we haven't yet seen the real effects of the Powerplay26 program as it's still just gotten past its infancy.
It would have been REAL interesting to see, for example, Germany's team at the U18 worlds this spring. That may have been really telling after so many years in a lower division.
5. Hockey is expensive. It is expensive to run a hockey club/association and it is expensive for players to play. Teams need sponsors and fans, and this comes with exposure on TV. The streets in Canada are empty, the bars are full when team Canada is playing in the U-20 IIHF World Juniors. Unfortunately, Hockey in Germany doesn't have the same impact even though the sport is way more interesting and fun to watch compared to soccer. I hope the German National team will continue to play for medals and may attract new fans and players.
As a semi-pro many years ago, I didn't pay anything. Equipment was provided and I received 6 sticks (predetermined by the team) per season.
Then later playing for fun, I was dishing out roughly 390-460 EUR as my yearly fee. Naturally, equipment and travel, etc. were also private costs, but what is being paid to play is an INCREDIBLY different thing from some of the prices we see in North America.
I can say that the kids playing for the most competitive program around these parts are now paying 520 EUR per year + travel, etc. But they play 30+ games a year and practice 3 times a week plus a dry land session.
6. The DEL & DEL 2 needs to give young players opportunities to play instead of using foreign players, which I understand is difficult. Coaches are trying to keep their job and therefore need players that can play. During our tryouts we were told, the average DNL team creates less than 1 DEL/DEL 2 player per season. That's not necessarily giving the young players a lot of hope.
Rest assured, this has long been a topic and to be honest, we're already seeing many more young German impact players in the DEL - and beyond. The number of U23 players dotting the line-ups of teams in the Oberliga and DEL2 has grown significantly in recent years.
And the comment made by DDorf's coaching staff is, I believe, strictly in reference to the DEL, where you'll rarely see an 18-year old coming fresh out of the DNL. But the DEL2 has a whole bunch of U21 players who have, at some point, come out of the DNL. In addition, a couple of the teams have such strong youth programs that they're introducing kids 17-22 to their own pro team every year (think Kaufbeuren, Rosenheim, Landshut, etc.)
We are excited for next year and it will be interesting to see how my kid makes out in Germany.
Indeed! Keep us updated.
The DNL is a good address for any kid who has pro ambitions within Germany. There are nice opportunities as of the Oberliga and a player can have a VERY good pro life in the DEL at some point.