The Hidden Struggles of Junior Hockey Players: Balancing Dreams and Reality

The High Cost of Chasing a Hockey Dream

Playing junior hockey is a dream for many young athletes across Canada, but it comes with a cost that goes beyond finances. Players’ rights are owned exclusively by one organization, and the team can use those rights as it sees fit.

Sometimes the goals of the organization conflict with what the player wants both professionally and personally.

George Preston Arena is one of the largest buildings in Junior B hockey, holding up to 1,500 people. (Elijah Ford / BCIT News)

The Executive Perspective: A Two-Way Street

Chris McNally governs the White Rock Whalers, who currently have the best record in the Harrold Brittain Conference of the Pacific Junior Hockey League, one of the largest Junior B leagues in B.C. McNally has more than 20 years of experience in minor and junior hockey, both as a player and an executive.

Chris McNally’s White Rock Whalers currently play at Cenntenial Arena, which was built in 1967. (Elijah Ford / BCIT News)

McNally has handled numerous requests from players, including concerns about ice time, personal support and asking for a move elsewhere. He said that although players’ interests should be a high priority in managerial decisions, the commitments they make to a team should generally be honoured.

"It needs to be a two-way street," said McNally. "I think this is where parents and players have to sort of reconcile the obligation they do have when they sign with the team. At the end of the day, we’re worried about the team that’s on the ice and in our dressing room, and if you’re not a part of that, then you are a secondary part of our day."

Unrealistic Expectations and Limited Opportunities

McNally believes that an issue behind some current player management relationships are unrealistic expectations that are put in place when an athlete first commits to the team.

"The biggest issue is there are too many offerings that are serving an ambition rather than a real opportunity for hockey players," said McNally. "I think that with the landscape, there’s so much sort of preying on parents’ and players’ desires to go super far in a sport that only a fraction of a percentage of players can ever make it to an NHL or college or even the WHL level."

The Player's Reality: Balancing Multiple Commitments

Longtime PJHL forward for the Langley Trappers Patrick Coopman was traded to the Abbotsford Pilots, which required a commute twice as long as his previous one. He said the variety of schedules within junior leagues makes it difficult for players to balance hockey with other commitments.

"Players, they’re doing things outside of just hockey. Some teams practice during the day, which works for some guys, some teams practice at night, which works for some guys. If a guy’s doing full-time school and he gets traded to a team that practices in the middle of the day, you can’t work around that really."

The Critical Transition Years

Junior hockey players range from 16 to 20 years old. Players in their 19- and 20-year-old seasons typically face greater challenges balancing hockey and other pursuits once they are out of high school. Fluctuating post-secondary schedules and outside jobs become high priorities in these athletes’ lives.

According to Coopman, a typical PJHL schedule includes two to three on-ice practices a week with dryland training afterward. Teams also play one or two games a week, depending on the time of year.

The Reality Check: Education Over Hockey

In most cases, school and work take priority, especially considering that fewer than a dozen NHL players spent even a short period developing at the Junior B level, according to Elite Prospects.

The Call for Better Communication

Coopman says the change he would most like to see is better communication between teams and players.

"In my ideal world things would just be open and honest. I’ve sent some messages to my coach before and haven’t really heard back, so just better communication would go a long way."