Advisor Horror Stories- the Final Chapter
Thank you to everyone who shared feedback and opinions on my Hockey Advisor Horror Stories these last few weeks. It was healthy input and open dialogue that will lead to a great upcoming interview with an Advisor on the Hockey Toolkit podcast (available on all major podcast platforms- please subscribe).
All these experiences have been taken from my decade of experience as a Junior Hockey General Manager on the East Coast. Ill conclude the series with some direct quotes and answers I’ve heard from Advisors mouths and then pose 2 Questions to the Advisory practice and ways when can clean up the business. On to the quotes…
“I judge who I want my players to go to by the number of times the coach is using his dry erase board on the bench.”- Advisor to a host on a popular podcast.
ANSWER- Parents… as a coach for almost 15 years in Junior Hockey, my focus during the practice week is to provide all the information and details they will need during the game. Not provide this info rapidly on a dry erase during the game. My focus during the game is managing the bench to maximize my roster and the matchups available to win the game.
“Don’t you think moving him up a level to another team will help his individual improvement?“- An advisor asked me this question when attempting to facilitate a trade from our program to another team that was reluctant to take the player.
ANSWER- Not necessarily… all programs are different and individual improvement is dependent upon the program, ice time, and resources available to that player within the program. Think of it as lifting weights… A strong kid can attempt a 225 lbs bench without ever lifting that amount, and you may succeed, but if you trained for a week, were taught form and technique and incorporated exercises for a few days or a week… youd crush that amount in short order.
“My Advisor told me I’m an EHL player and that playing a lower level is a waste of time.” – A player told me during his recruiting process with us, that eventually led to him signing an EHL contract with a struggling team.
ANSWER- All teams and programs are different and stronger or weaker than others. Players too often chase a label or the level rather than the opportunity for development and this really hurts their career chances. In the case of this player, they were a player who still had 3 years of Junior eligibility, and playing against older, stronger competition when they were coming from such a lower level of hockey proved to have been too much too soon. I liked their skill set and felt slowly adjusting to the level of play, given their time horizon, was a way better choice. They could play significant minutes at the lower level, build confidence and have success. Instead the player, based on his advisor’s decision, chose to play for the worst (record wise) team in our league and was in over his head for 3 years…Never advancing beyond that level and ending up on a club hockey team in college.
2 Questions for Advisors and Parents
Every Reputable Business that Deals with Underage People has to pass a background check… Why don’t Hockey Advisors?
- Teachers & Coaches Do
- Doctors & Lawyers Do
- Therapists & Counselors Do
- Police & Firepersons Do
Is it because of prior criminal behavior? I know of at least two advisors with prior criminal convictions barring them from ever coaching in Hockey.
Every Reputable Business that Provides any Person Advice or Counseling has a well detailed payment structure… Why don’t Hockey Advisors?
- Retainer or By the Hour?
- What does the billing cycle look like?
- Does the Counselor provide inperson visits or only remote visits?
- How much does the advice cost per hour/minute or per text/ email?
Is it because most communication is through text messaging and nearly impossible to bill properly? Is it because the hours and amount of time, do not properly align with a legitimate billing cycle? That most advisors operate their business as a part time side job while keeping their full time employment elsewhere.
Once again… not all advisors are bad. Established, trustworthy agents and advisors can provide help to some people. However, this business is unregulated and exists outside of any governing body. Most of the international advisors I have worked with have provided tremendous benefits for their clients and players. Visa paperwork, language and translation issues and much more are needed for these players to arrive, thrive and play hockey in the US. However, no background checks are required to become a player Advisor. Advisors are not approved or sanctioned. There simply is no oversight… so choose wisely who you are getting your advice from, and I hope this helps with players and parents in making their decisions. I hope this provided some insight and clarity.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Andrew Trimble
