Each year around this time, there are dozens of parents across New England ready to jump off the deep end due to their aspiring hockey player going undrafted in the USHL or failing to advance to USA Hockey Player Development Camps.
Chances are this won’t be the last time your child falls short of an intended goal. Very few rising juniors in high school will actually commit to a Division 1 college hockey program on or around Aug. 1.
None of these three milestones are make-or-break for your young hockey player. A number of players who were drafted to the USHL or who made national camp will be out of hockey in a few years. It’s been well-chronicled over the past half dozen or so years that committing to a Division 1 college certainly doesn’t guarantee getting there and being in the lineup.
There are also plenty of examples of players who flourished despite not making national camps or going undrafted in the USHL at younger ages. It’s not the end of the world. Instruct your child to use it as motivation.
After all, one of the best feelings in life is proving the naysayers wrong.
Here are three steps to take when dealing with the rejection of not making national camp or not being drafted by a USHL organization.
