A MESSAGE FROM OUR TSA HOCKEY ADVISORS
Important info and frequently asked questions regarding hockey advisors and what they do for both players and families
Our team of advisors broke down some of the most frequent questions asked by parents and players. Our goal is to educate families on the importance of hockey advisors for certain players, and what services they provide.
Advisors - Does my son or daughter need one as they progress in their hockey careers?
This is a question many parents have when their kids reach midget hockey. Midget hockey is typically the age where hockey goes from fun to a business. Parents typically do not understand the role of an advisor or if it is even necessary. For our readers benefit we answer some common questions that families have asked us in our interviews.
Does my son or daughter need a family advisor?
The simple answer to this is no. You don't NEED a family advisor to have a successful hockey career and many kids do go onto college without one. However, the family advisor certainly makes things a lot easier as they are considered the expert in navigating the hockey landscape. If you look directly at the top two leagues in the United States, the USHL and NAHL. You would find that roughly 90-95 percent of those players have some sort of representation. Simply put in real life terms, if you do not know what to do with your money...you hire a financial advisor. If you need a house, you hire a real estate agent. You can sort your money without a financial advisor or buy a house without a real estate agent but having a professional working for you makes it a lot easier. Same goes for your child's hockey career.
What is the role of the family advisor?
Depending on the advisor, there are several things you can expect. A lot of advisors handle their business in different ways so we will speak generically. The advisor's main purpose is to steer your son or daughter's hockey career to their ultimate goal of playing college hockey or even, in some cases, pro hockey. Along the way, the advisor will help in the development process critiquing the performance of their player, communicate with the family their outreach to coaches and most importantly help with placement. Once the player is in junior hockey the advisor helps with communication to the coaches and if cuts or trades happen (which will happen to your son more than likely at least once, studies show) they will help put the situation at ease. The advisor should have a good relationship with the family and an open line of communication at all times.
Is it true if your good enough they will find you?
The answer is yes, if you are good enough, they will find you. But this is only true for the top five percent of players at a given age. The other 95% of players are very interchangeable and develop at different rates and sometimes fly under the radar or get forgotten about. There is also a term we call exhaustion rate which is where a good (but not great) player is playing on a top organization for several years and just can't get over the hump. By the time they are a second year 18 they are wondering what happened. Sometimes a change of scenery is all that player needs, which is something your advisor would recommend.
Types of advisors?
Like all industries, there are certain types of advisors and not all are the same. There are firms that focus on the blue-chip top 5% of the prospect pool, there are firms that do both, there are firms that play the numbers game and get as many clients as possible, there are firms that take the guys that fell through the cracks. The best advice we give a family is do your homework and interview the advisor prior to signing up for anything.
For example, our firm focuses on the under the radar types/late bloomers/guys who fall through the cracks, if you are committed to Michigan and are projected as an NHL draft pick, we are not the firm for you. Obviously, this goes both ways do not sign on with a firm that handles those type of players if your son is not one. Again, to put it in real life terms, if your financial advisor typically handles multi-millionaires and you are not one, do you think you will get the best service for your current situation? Probably not.
Do we have to pay and what are the fees?
Yes, you need to pay your advisor per NCAA rules. All advisors must be compensated for their work. That payment is decided by the firm and differs from firm to firm.
My coach is helping me with placement, do I need more help?
Coaches are suppose to help with placement and the best one's do. But there are a few realities that you need to be aware of. Your coach does not have enough time for you. Between his family, coaching, preparing for games, paperwork, worrying about 25 guys on the team, meetings and probably a commute to work. There is not a lot of time left for you specifically. Simply put you should always have more people looking out for your athlete than not and it really does not matter who gets your athlete the commitment as long as he or she gets there.
What are kickbacks?
Kickbacks are where an advisor receives compensation for player placement to a particular team. There is nothing illegal about this and it is not for us writing this article to decide what is right or wrong. Our advice is to ask the question if the advisor accepts them and then ask yourself if you're okay with it.
The Best Advice We Can Give
If you are wondering if your family needs an advisor, you probably need one realistically. As a parent you are trying to help your athlete reach their goals and have already invested thousands of dollars into the sport. Your athlete is an INVESTMENT and should be treated as such. Just like a skating coach or a skills coach the advisor is the next piece to their career. We suggest speaking to families that have advisors, doing your homework and getting one that you feel comfortable with and let them help your family navigate the rest of your athlete's career.
If you feel like this article has helped you and want to speak more in depth about any questions you may have, please reach out to info@tri-stateathletic.com with your name, contact and meeting inquiry in the subject line. One of our consultants will reach out to you for free to discuss your family's needs and try to point you in the right direction, even if it is not with our firm!