Roles of a Family Hockey Advisor
The Family Hockey Advisor industry has seen a steady incline through the 2010’s and has since exploded post covid. In the sport of Ice Hockey, the Family Hockey Advisor is a necessary component to any players path to Collegiate and Professional hockey. However, with the influx of Family Hockey Advisor’s that have now introduced themselves to the market families, are struggling to navigate the creditability of many of these advisors. We at Tri-State Athletic Consulting have decided to help our readers navigate through the process with powerful tips, questions that you should ask and what are the expectations for the Family Hockey Advisor.
What is a Family Hockey Advisor, and do I need one?
A Family Hockey Advisor is a trusted person that will help guide your family through your athletes academic and athletic career path. Their guidance begins with building a realistic game plan that if executed properly will help the athlete achieve their goals both academically and athletically. Although every player is different, every game plan should include some variation of the following: Academic strategy, Player Development strategy, Youth/Prep/Junior/College Placement strategy and Financial Aid/Scholarship strategy. Throughout the execution of the gameplan the Advisor should guide the players family to the best of his ability with experience, education, facts, thoughtfulness and care for the family needs.
Do you need a Family Hockey Advisor?
The simple answer to this question is no, a player can navigate through their career path without the guidance of a professional. But like in any industry having a professional with experience and connections helping your athlete will help maximize the athlete’s potential. In many circumstances having a great Family Hockey Advisor is equally as important as having a great Coach that supports your family. If you are green to the recruitment process of Youth/Prep/Junior/College, it would be wise to invest into a Family Hockey Advisor who can help navigate the recruitment process for the family.
How to find a Family Hockey Advisor?
Like Financial Advisors, Real Estate Agents and General Contractors asking families you know for good referrals is always a good step. If you are a parent to a younger player, ask some of the older player families in your program if they recommend anyone specific. If your player is older 16+ chances are your player has teammates that have a Family Advisor. Also do not hesitate to reach out to a trusted coach who can point you in the direction as most coaches work directly with Family Advisors. Like anyone you invest into do your own homework on the person you are trusting.
Interview Questions to ask Family Hockey Advisors
What do you like about my players’ game specifically?
Where do you normally place your players? Junior Leagues/Teams. Youth Teams. Prep School. College.
How would you help my player, what is your specific plan for him?
Do you help with player development? Video work, phone calls, seeing him live, scouting reports.
How often can my family expect to hear from you/what is your availability?
Where are you located and where would you say your largest network is generally from?
What is your placement rate into Collegiate Hockey?
What is the average financial aid package your clients typically receive for College?
What are some things you can expect from your Family Hockey Advisor?
Every Family Hockey Advisor has a different way of operating so we can only speak on behalf of what our Tri-State Athletic Consulting Clients receive. With over 10 years of experience in the Family Hockey Advising industry our advisors have working backgrounds in Major Junior, College, USHL and NAHL hockey. Our advisors believe the following helps families achieve their goals:
Communication - This can be done weekly or monthly, but it needs to be done. Some advisors like to communicate once a week with their clients while others communicate on a need basis but at minimum once a month. The best advisors communicate as much as needed to help their clients achieve their goals. If your family is going months without hearing from your Family Advisor, there needs to be a correction.
Professional Experience - Presenting factual information and reasoning for the family to help the family make the best decision for their player.
Being active in the rink - An advisor should at least once a year make a great effort to come see their player at the rink. If the advisor cannot arrange to see the player live, video review sessions or professional scouting reports to help the player progress in their career.
Active well drawn-out game plans - At TSA our advisors give our athletes various game plans but our most popular is providing 6,12,18,24-month strategies. This allows families to stay on a strong accurate road map.
Placement - Helping place the player into a solid organization or school. No advisor should EVER guarantee placement, all they can do is help network for their player and give the player every opportunity to perform in front of scouts.
Being a resource for your player - A lot of times your player’s advisor is the coach away from the coach. They will need to lean on the advisor for help with hockey related issues that can only be answered by people with experience such as coaches, scouts or players themselves.
The Rescue Button - Every player is going to get cut or traded at one point. A lot of times this happens to our Junior Hockey Players and College players while they are on campus. The advisor needs to act swiftly to create options whether that’s other Junior opportunities or transfer portal options. The advisor must be proactive during this time for the family.
Cost
The average annual cost for Hockey Family Advisors across the industry is $3,200. With yearly renewal fees for their services.
At Tri-State Athletic consulting we hope this information is useful in your families search for education on the hockey advising process. If you feel like your player is ready or is in need of a Family Hockey Advisor please contact us directly by submitting your application. One of our trusted advisors will reach out to you directly.
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