If you (or your child) is a high-level hockey player looking to play at the highest levels, you’ve probably been courted by many advisors, agents and other consultants in the barrage of emails, texts and other communications. You might be looking around at all your teammates who have hired advisors or agents to help place them on a team. It can be a big investment, so the question is, should you hire an advisor? Let’s take a deeper dive and let you decide.
The History of Family Advisors
Until just a few years ago, advisors, more appropriately referred to as family advisors, were almost always agents who were representing only top players who were D1 college bound and likely to be drafted to an NHL team. Because of NCAA regulations, an agent MUST receive payment for any services provided before a player signs a professional contract. Any agreement, either written or unwritten, that provides free services in exchange for a future payment or benefit can strip a player’s NCAA eligibility. Therefore, the top players who were pro or collegiate bound would pay their agents (usually a nominal flat fee of the “going rate”) and get the occasional check in to make sure they were on track. To differentiate the services and stay NCAA compliant, the agents in this capacity were “family advisors” until the player was turning pro, at which point the moniker “agent” could be used and contingency contracts could be signed.
It’s important to remember that these players were top-level, already getting interest from collegiate and professional teams. The advising fees were simply a formality to maintain compliance. These players were good enough that they didn’t require extensive services, such as placement.
So What Changed?
The NHLPA passed a statute requiring all agents representing NHL players to be certified by the NHLPA. Other professional leagues followed suit requiring their own certifications. Suddenly, many smaller agents were finding it difficult to attain certification, and hence represent players in professional leagues. Yet it didn’t take long to discover that families with amateur youth players were still willing to pay pre-professional fees in order to guide those players’ careers.
Since then, a new industry of advisors who are advisors only (not agents) has arisen. No longer calling themselves “family advisors,” advisors have found ways to lure families in with promises of placements to teams where they’ll get “exposure” to coaches at all levels. This is a total paradigm shift from the initial purpose of a family advisor, and has become big business. The “going rate,” which was the former guideline to maintain a player’s NCAA eligibility, has increased exponentially, being set by whatever people are willing to pay. Some advisors now charge annually, rather than a one time fee. Others have become more creative, and charge a monthly subscription for 24/7 access to advice.
The Wild West of Advising
With no qualification requirement, and advisors working as consultants, anyone can be an advisor. The most successful ones represent high level players, charge an annual fee and boast of connections with other coaches and programs. Oftentimes, these advisors are also scouts for junior teams. Junior scouts rarely get a regular salary – most are retired, independent scouts and do it based on a “finders fee” from teams to bring kids to “main camps,” showcases, and even placements on teams. So, while parents may be paying top dollar for an advisor, they may be unaware that the advisor is also scouting for a team, being influenced by the lure of a payment from that organization.
While this double dipping might seem like a conflict of interest, there is no such guideline or industry standard to prevent this. As long as parents are willing to pay for a placement, this model can and will persist. And for some people, this model is acceptable. They believe it is worth putting their money into giving their kids the chance to show their ability, and the kickbacks are simply part of the industry.
However, many families get lured in to false promises, believing that their above-average or average player just needs a “connection” to give them success. At the end of the day, these families are often left bitter that they paid tens of thousands of dollars to advisors, training programs, ID and “Main Camps,” combines and other events that have amounted to very little, if any, success. How many kids have you heard about that just couldn’t “cut it,” or had horrible coaches and experiences after being made promises of success after the “right” placement? They leave the sport disillusioned and feeling betrayed by the sport they loved.
At a certain level, your placement can’t be bought or sold. A very close friend of mine is the Chief Amateur Scout for an NHL team. He told me years a go that they have never, nor have their affiliates, ever made a decision based on what an advisor has pitched to them. They make their own decisions with their own staff based on what they think will contribute to a winning organization. In the end, everyone’s job is create a winning organization. You’re either good enough to contribute and get playing time, or you’re not. That can’t be bought or sold.
So, do you need an advisor?
The most simple answer is no. You don’t need an advisor. As someone who provides consulting services as an advisor, I firmly believe you don’t need one 90% of the time. If you are good enough, you will get exposure. Technology is at the finger tips of everyone. Scouts can see your statistics and video clips through numerous on-line platforms. They talk to other scouts. If they like what they see, they’ll come see you in person. None of that requires an advisor. The old adage “cream rises to the top” is still applicable, no matter how much money changes hands.
It’s so simple, but so true. If you are a great player you will have success. You can’t buy a spot on a team if you’re not good enough to fill that role. It may be a harsh reality check, but if you think you’re good enough, and you’re not getting the ice time you think you deserve, then you aren’t as good as you think. If you’re putting up numbers and performing, then you need to look at what the limiting factors might be. Are you a good person? A good teammate? A leader on or off the ice, vocally or quietly? In rare instances, you may be objectively one of the best players on the team and just not be in the right organization. In that case, you should have no problem finding a team that’s a better fit, without an advisor.
In my next article, I will be giving out some free general advice about what I have seen to be the best steps to having a successful hockey career. In summary, it’s simple: You should be spending 90% of your time and money in development, and about 10% in exposure. The truth is, very, very few players are willing to put the needed effort into developing into an elite level player. Rather than spend both in-season and off-season on development, most kids get lured by greedy teams and scouts into expensive ID camps and showcases where chances of advancement are usually less than 1%. Being a great hockey player is the best “exposure” you can get.
It’s simple. If no one is calling you and your numbers are average, but an advisor gets you placed on a great team, what do you think your odds are of playing really are?
When is an advisor needed?
There are actually two scenarios in which an advisor is most useful. First, is if a coach is making promises to a kid and/or family. Having an advisor step in to make sure everyone has a proper understanding of what the players role will be, and if a contract is really being offered, can be helpful. Many coaches are also owners of the academies they coach for. Prep school coaches are often admissions advisors whose jobs are to fill beds at a school. Having an advisor that has worked and will continue to work in the industry will demand more respect and honesty from these coaches than a random family.
The second reason to hire an advisor is having a consultant when you’re unsure about how to navigate the youth hockey industry. All the texts, emails and solicitations for camps, academies, tryouts, etc. can be overwhelming and confusing. Again, not only are some of these “sales pitches” aren’t just unethical, but often filled with complete lies. It is so hard to resist when someone texts you the first time and says they saw your kid play and are interested in having them come to their camp, or join their academy. The truth is, 99% of the time these are form letters.
These entities have gotten extremely creative. One I read from a scout said another scout had seen a kid at a showcase, and recommend that he take a look at this kid, asking the kid out to an invite-only camp. It looked very personalized and specific, until the family realized everyone on the team got the same email. Another mom got an email stating that her son was on the current top scouting list of 2005 birth year players. Interesting, considering that her son had quit hockey two years prior.
As someone who worked in IT for decades, I suspect that these email lists aren’t just bought from showcase organizers and teams: Zip code scraping is another creative ploy that can be used to target specific populations with plenty of disposable income to spend on traveling to main camps and junior tryouts all summer. An ethical advisor can help you filter through the noise and save you thousands of dollars and keep you focused on the best opportunities for exposure and development.
What should I look for in an advisor?
If you are a high-level player looking to have a professional or NCAA career, look for an advisor that can provide the services you really need. If you’re new to the world of youth hockey, an advisor should be true to the tittle “advisor.” Regular check-ins to see if you’re taking the right steps to empower yourself and make sure you’re on the right development path should be at the core of advising services.
An advisor should also be a mentor. If you’re applying for prep school, what should you expect? What schools are best suited for your specific situation? How can you best present yourself? If your end goal is college hockey, regular check-ins regarding grades and classes should be done. If you are having anxiety about your current situation on your team, what should you do and how should you approach you coach? These are all life skills that will pay dividends as you navigate your hockey career.
An advisor should also be accessible. You shouldn’t have to wait a week, or even 3 days for an advisor to get back to you when you need guidance, or at the very least set up a time to talk.
An advisor also needs to be transparent and honest. Are they really looking for the best fit for you? What are teams really saying about your athlete? What is the probability of getting to a top team where you’ll get top ice time? Are they willing to sit down with you ahead of time and use accessible data to set realistic expectations?
The bottom line is, if you decide you really want or need an advisor, figure out what is important to you and interview the potential advisor. Things you’ll want to ask is what is the cost? Is is a one time fee, annually or hourly? What are the services that will be provided? How many hours a week or month do they spend on their average client or what is the specific, tangible outcome? What is the turn around time for communication? Is all this laid out in the contract you’ll sign? In the end, a good rule of thumb is like any other business decision. Determine what your budget is and what is an acceptable ROI (Return on Investment) for your family.
I hope this has cleared up some of the mystery around how advising works and helps you make decisions. Whether you’re looking to just tap into an advisor for a limited amount of assistance, or you are hoping for a turn-key solution to assisting your family in navigating the muddy waters of youth hockey, an advisor can help guide you if you approach it with realistic and informed expectations. Remember, however, that an advisor isn’t necessary for you to have a high-level hockey career if you put in the necessary work to become a top player and follow some general guidelines.
In my next article, I will be discussing some general guidelines that everyone can use on their own, advisor or not, to give you the best opportunity for development and success.
