When it comes to choosing a hockey agent in Europe that is best for you and your hockey career, there are a number of factors to consider and important questions to ask.
By the time you're done reading this article, hopefully you'll be better equipped to determine which route to take based on your own situation.
We'll break this article down into three sections so it's most helpful for you.
- How do you find a good hockey agent in Europe?
- European Hockey Agents (Europe)
- Do I need a hockey agent to play in Europe?
Let's get started.
1) How do you find a good hockey agent in Europe?
Figuring out how to find and select hockey agents or an agency to work with is a complex question.
The reason why is that depending on your hockey background (stats, leagues you've played in, skillset), you'll get a very different answer.
If you've been a highly touted player, were drafted to the NHL, and have thrown up strong stats consistently up to present day, it's likely that some agents will come reaching out to you automatically.
The reality though is that for the majority of players including yourself, hockey agents likely are not lining up at your door.
Don't worry...this is normal.
Even players we work with from college, from NCAA Div1/3 and USports don't necessarily have a cake walk from graduation to finding a pro team in Europe either.
If it's your first time playing in Europe, there's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to understanding the various:
- LEAGUES
- style of play & skill level (per country)
- salaries
- perks
- cultural experiences of playing hockey overseas (varies a ton per region)
A good agency should have a sound understanding on each of these aspects in detail.
Here at our agency, we speak with players looking to play pro hockey in Europe on a weekly basis.
It's our goal to be candid and transparent with each player.
We want to help you land a team while being realistic. If you'd like to contact us, click here
You want to work with a hockey agent or agency who has your best interests in mind (not their own). ALWAYS.
This leads into the the next section which covers European Hockey Agents
2) European Hockey Agents
If you have NHL/AHL experience and plan to play in very top elite leagues in Europe, you need to work with an agent who is certified to represent players in that specific league.
For example, if you want to play in the Swiss National League, you need to have representation from an agent who is a Swiss Certified Agent.
Here are a few additional elite leagues where you'd work with an agent who is certified to represent players here.
- DEL- DEL Certified Agent
- Liiga- FHPA Certified Player Agent
- SHL- SICO
If you don't have elite level hockey experience at the collegiate, major junior, or pro level (NHL/AHL), many of these agents won't be interested in representing you.
Don't worry...
We're going to cover what's the best alternative for your situation.
The next step down on the ladder is where the majority of players find themselves.
You have good playing experience (either at the pro, collegiate/university, or junior levels), but you still have more to prove and value to bring than what it shows solely on paper.
There are a number of great hockey agents and agencies that help place players in Europe. We help many players find clubs ourselves and enjoy working with several other agencies.
We also offer player collaboration representation as one of the routes in which we work with players.
What is that?
In short, we help put you in contact with clubs we work closely with all over Europe where we feel you can actually play. You're then able to speak with a ton of clubs directly to land a best fit.
Going this route saves dozens of our players a ton of money each season.
3) Do I need a hockey agent to play in Europe?
It depends.
If you have a strong hockey network and friends that are already on a wide variety of clubs in Europe where you'd like to play, you might not need one here because you can get a referral directly through them (this isn't common).
You may be able to land a club this way, but you're likely not in this situation.
Another huge factor to consider is the available resources a hockey agent/agency has compared to you.
A good agency or agent has been in the space for years and has hopefully built up a solid level of industry knowledge (good connections with teams, etc).
This can ultimately save you a ton of time, money, and can help you land a much better hockey contract (or a paid pro hockey tryout where the club has you fly over for them to see you on the ice).
If you're in a position where you want to play hockey in Europe and think you have what it takes, drop us a line below and we'll best provide you with guidance based on our expertise (whether that's working with us or referring you to someone else).
