Whether you're a motivated young player or a grizzled veteran looking to give it one last go, our pro hockey calculator will help you determine your chances of playing professional hockey in the minor leagues (not the NHL).
Fill out a few questions below based on your age, playing experience, and level of training on and off the ice...
Note: The % results you see from our hockey calculator aren't set in stone. They are simply intended to paint a helpful estimate for you based on a limited set of variables.
If you're reading this post, you're likely a motivated hockey player with ambition to play at a higher level.
Do you have what it takes to play at the pro level in the minors though?
It depends.
Over the years, we've seen all types of players make it to the pro level both in North America and in Europe with unique playing backgrounds. Sure, we've helped plenty of players who are coming out of NCAA (DI-D3), USports, and junior leagues. But we've also helped many players with lighter resumes, stats, and various gaps in play in their aim to play at the pro level too.
As you read this....this may be a situation you're in, therefore, we feel it's important to cover.
Every single players path to playing minor professional hockey is unique (including yours).
With there being a wide spectrum of levels + tiers, there's a lot of places for players of varying skill sets to land.
This being said, it's important for every player though to be realistic in their entry point.
Just as you wouldn't go from sitting on a couch today to competing in the Olympics tomorrow, same goes with upward trajectory from one level to the next in all sports (including hockey).
You'd probably start by working you're way up depending on your circumstances, right?
Let's say you previously played some junior level hockey and were a good player a number of years back. For one reason or another (finances, injuries, personal reasons, etc), life got in the way and you haven't been playing in a bit. Maybe you're still skating and working out, but not in a competitive tiered league.
In your heart, you still believe you have the skill/drive to keep playing. Your belief doesn't match your resume though (at least not on paper).
In this situation, you can wish all you want that a team will pick you up, but if you don't have a way to intrigue them or have a direct route in, it's going to be next to impossible to garner interest.
Why is this?
Because they have a plethora of available players (both locals and imports) with strong resumes who don't have gaps in their play.
For a player like this, you need three components:
1) Realistic Perspective- you need a realistic perspective in terms of an entry point, whether it's starting out in a lower pro tier and moving up based on good play or flying over for pro tryout to earn a contract (you can't simply expect to start in a top league- it's not feasible).
2) Access- with this, you need direct access in order to make these clubs in the right levels aware of you. Without this, there's no way for them to learn about you.
3) Communication- if clubs hear about you and it's not conveyed in the right manner, it's unlikely they'll have interest. Especially if you have a lighter resume on paper, your communication needs to be crafted in a manner where your strengths are emphasized on and it's low-risk to the team.
With all of three of these components put together, you stand the best chance to make that dream more achievable.
Along with this....you need to put in the work day in and day out.
Everything from your on ice habits (high tempo training, getting on the ice with high caliber players) to your off ice habits (hockey workouts to your nutrition) plays an big role in your ability to accomplish your goals.
We hope this article was able to provide you with a bit of helpful information based on our experience.
If as you read this, you're motivated to continue playing, don't hesitate to reach out.