Okay, so I’ve been getting a ton of questions about the “best” hockey prep schools in New England. It’s a tough question, honestly, because “best” depends on what you’re looking for. But I figured I’d walk you through how I tackled this whole research thing when I was looking for my kid.
First, I grabbed a notebook and started just listing every prep school I could think of that had a decent hockey program. I mean, everyone in New England has a hockey program, right? But some are definitely more… intense than others. So I used a search engine to find a general list about all related schools.
Brainstorming and Initial List
- Salisbury School
- Avon Old Farms
- Kent School
- Loomis Chaffee School
- Taft School
- And many many more……
Then came the real work. I started digging into each school individually. I checked out their websites, of course, but those are always going to make the school look amazing. I was more interested in finding stuff like:
- Recent records: How’d the team do last season? The season before? Were they consistently good, or was it a fluke?
- Coaching staff: Who are the coaches? What’s their experience? Do they have a track record of developing players?
- Facilities: Do they have a decent rink? Good training facilities? This might seem minor, but it matters.
- Alumni: This was a big one for me. Where do players go after prep school? Are they playing college hockey? D1? Any pros?
- Academics: Let’s be real, hockey isn’t everything. I wanted a school that would also challenge my kid academically.
I spent hours, I mean hours, on hockey forums. Reading parent reviews, player comments, anything I could find. Some of those forums are brutal, but you can sometimes get some real, unfiltered opinions.
I also tried to find any game footage I could. Sometimes schools post full games online, or at least highlights. It’s not the same as seeing them in person, but it gives you a sense of their playing style.
Narrowing It Down
After all that, I started to cross some schools off my list. Some just didn’t have the academic rigor I was looking for. Others had hockey programs that seemed to be declining. It was tough, because there are so many good options!
My final step, and this is crucial, I visited the schools that were still in the running. I talked to the coaches, I met some of the players, I walked around the campus. You get a totally different feel for a place when you’re actually there.
It’s best to make a decision that fits my kid after all above.
So, yeah, that’s basically my process. It’s not a perfect science, but it helped me narrow down the options and find a school that was a good fit for my kid. Your mileage may vary, of course!
