PREP SCHOOL SELECTION GUIDELINES
By Tom Keegan
Editor - Prep School Hockey Guide
Reprinted with permission of the Prep School Hockey Guide

The Prep School Hockey Guide is intended to give you an overview of the various private boarding and day schools in North America which offer hockey programs at a competitive level for high school age boys and girls. While we diligently attempt to provide the most current information, this is not always possible.

The schools in this guide have been arranged alphabetically. The hockey programs range from very competitive to competitive. In our opinion, however, the best measurement is not merely the won - loss record, but instead the number and quality of players that continue to play at the college level after secondary school. We suggest that you review the college rosters contained in our College Hockey Guide as a good means for evaluating the success of the boarding schools found in this guide.

New England prep school hockey is legendary for its ability to provide college hockey with well-prepared student-athletes that succeed in the college hockey environment. Even though boarding and day prep school hockey accounts for only about 5% of the secondary school hockey population, they supply more college hockey student-athletes than the other 95% of public and private high schools.

So why are prep school hockey players so sought after by college hockey recruiters? According to college coaches it is just simple math. With limited amounts of time and recruiting budgets it just makes more sense for a coach to scout a prep school hockey game than a midget or local high school game.

Even though the individual and team skills might be comparable, the midget or high school game will offer far fewer academically and financially qualified players. So why not scout a prep school game where 100% of the participants are in college preparatory programs and will likely attend college as opposed to the public school game where only 20% to 40% will attend college or the midget game where 10% to 20% may attend college. Scouting a game where 35 to 40 players are college-bound versus a game where as few as 2 to 4 players may seek a degree just makes good sense. Add in the fact that prep school players have already experienced a boarding situation and the chance for success is much greater for the prep school player.

The annual cost at most New England boarding schools is in the $30,000 to $40,000 range for tuition, room and board which rivals the cost of an Ivy League college education. Most of these prep schools also have very high selection standards which make admission at the better preps just about as tough as the Ivies. Application deadlines are generally in mid to late January and acceptance letters go out in mid March.

The prep school application and admission process is one that requires consideration and deliberation and plenty of time. Your planning calendar should allow several months for information gathering, several more for prep school visits and at least another month for completion of application materials by you and your current school. Plan to start this process about a year before your anticipated entry date.

As you begin to investigate schools you should determine what you are looking for in a boarding school. Boys, girls or coed? Secular or religious? Big or small? Boarding school, day school or a combination of both? There are also academic, social and facility comparisons to be considered. Some of the better prep schools may be too academically challenging for you. School visits should help you determine how you might fit in at the various types of prep schools.

Once you have narrowed your choice to four to six schools, including one or two safety schools, applications must be completed. SSAT tests should be taken by January at the latest so that the schools receive the test results on time.

Prospective prep school student-athletes are normally interviewed by the admissions office. Since your desire is also to play hockey you will certainly want to spend some time with the hockey coach to determine if you and your style fit in with the coach and his style. It is important to remember at this point that the prep school is looking for student athletes, just as you are looking for the proper academic and athletic prep school environment.

I strongly suggest that you include a meeting with the college counselor in your visit to the prep school. This individual will play a very important role in the college selection and admissions process, and you need to feel as comfortable with the college counseling staff as you do with the hockey staff. You may want to check with some of the seniors to determine whether or not they have received adequate guidance and exposure through the college counseling office. The ultimate measure of success at the prep school level should be acceptance in the appropriate college program.

Prep schools in New England are, in most cases, classified either Division I or Division II. While this is some measure of determining both program strength and strength of schedule, it is not 100%. The stronger Division II programs will be competitive with all but the best of the Division I programs. Division I and II programs often play against one another and occasionally the Division II programs will beat even the best of the Division I programs.

The best Division I programs work hard at being the best. In many cases the coaches of these programs are recruiting players with the intensity of an NCAA Division I coach. Recent competition for some premier US and Canadian hockey talent seems to have spread from US College vs. Major Junior to US Prep School vs. Major Junior and Junior A. Luckily, in most of the New England prep schools, hockey is kept in perspective and the schools are looking for the well-rounded student-athlete. Most of the prep schools in, and around, New England will play from twenty (20) to thirty-five (35) games. Players on the top teams, as well as players on teams which play the top teams, are heavily scouted during the season which runs from November into early March. We often hear of players that have gone off to play at one of the top prep school programs. While these top programs may attract a lot of good players, many find it difficult to make the team. Quite often these programs will cut players from the varsity roster that could have played on other Division I teams in the area. Your exposure to college scouts will certainly be better on a slightly less competitive varsity team which plays the better competition than playing on the second team at a school which has a reputation as a "hockey factory".

Another area to investigate is the team make up. Does the school typically bring in an inordinate number of seniors and/or postgraduate for the hockey program? This may be great if you are a senior or post grad, but of some concern if you are a sophomore hoping to play at the varsity level. There are several boarding schools outside of the east which also play highly competitive hockey. Players on teams such as Shattuck-St. Mary's in Minnesota will also get plenty of exposure and will probably play fifty, or more, games in a normal year. Several boarding schools in Canada also have competitive teams which play Junior A or B schedules as well as competing against the top US prep school teams.

You have taken a good first step in the search process by procuring this guide but don't stop now. Investigate all of the prep school hockey programs just as thoroughly as you would a college hockey program. Ask questions! You will find that the typical prep school hockey coach and admission personnel want to see you make a good decision even if that decision leads you to another school.