Home / Information on Sports / Icehockey Scholarships USA ICE-HOCKEY SCHOLARSHIPS IN THE USA icehockey scholarships icehockey scholarships Sport at Universities and Colleges in the USA in general: The amateur sport in may countries is characterised by the division of sport clubs in club leagues. Competitive athletes usually practise their sport as members of traditional clubs and compete with other clubs in leagues according to the level of their competitiveness. In the USA, these traditional sport clubs do hardly exist. Competitive sports are almost exclusively practised at colleges or universities or the professional level. While athletes also compete in various leagues, the classification of teams within these leagues is not solely based on the level of their competitiveness, but rather on the size of the individual college or university. The following categories of divisions are distinguished: the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) I, II and III, and the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). The NCAA I comprises of the biggest colleges and universities in the country. In general, it is fair to say that the level of sports practised in this division is the highest. However, the athletic strength of the individual teams varies greatly, and a strong team in one of the other divisions may well play at a higher level than a weaker team within the NCAA I. The NCAA II contains smaller universities and consequently a wide scope of teams on various competitive levels. The NCAA III is generally viewed as the weakest division. However, this league does not offer scholarships. The fourth league, the NAIA, can be compared to the level of the NCAA II in terms of the level of its teams, but it does not comprise as many sports. The best timing for a icehockey scholarship: The best time to go to the USA with a sport scholarship is right after graduation from high-school or up to two years after. As a rule, only athletes ages 18 - 24 can compete within the college leagues. Consequently, coaches are increasingly committing to younger athletes as this gives them the opportunity to work with the athletes for a longer period of time. Of course, it is also possible to go to the USA for one year only. However, with every season of sports practised in a club league after high-school, the athlete will lose one year of eligibility to play in the college leagues. The rule is: the earlier you go, the better!! Icehockey scholarships in general: Icehockey is a very popular sport for both men and women at American colleges and universities. Round about 1000 universities and colleges award one or more scholarships to very talented icehockey players which enables them to participate in collegiate and intercollegiate matches and possibly also national championships of the respective division. Competitive level among holders of icehockey scholarships: Athletes, who would like to compete in the NCAA I should compete at the highest amateur level in their respective countries. To compete in the NCAA II or NAIA, one should start in the 2nd or 3rd highest amateur league. Of course, this estimate can only be seen as a rough guideline an varies from country to country. Requirements for a icehockey scholarship: Athletic scholarships for icehockey can be arranged very well. For strong icehockey players on the level of the First Division the chances to receive a full scholarship are relatively good. In order to further raise the attractiveness of your profile and thus receive higher scholarship offers, it is important that you try to participate more in ranking tournaments in the time prior to your studies abroad. This will enable you to further improve your ranking. An athlete’s position in the national or regional ranking is not, of course, an aspect that can be relied on 100 %, as other factors may influence the level at which the individual athlete will compete. These factors include recent injuries and the length of time that the sport has been practised. Often the athlete’s potential is a vital aspect, as coaches know from experience that even moderate athletic performance can be boosted immensely with their intensive training methods. In these cases, detailed explanations, compelling photographs of the athlete in action and, most importantly, an excellent video according to our advice are even more important. To find out whether you have a chance of obtaining a icehockey scholarship and therefore being placed in a college team, please complete our non-binding and risk-free evaluation form so that we can get a detailed picture of who you are. If we estimate that you stand a chance to win a scholarship and be placed in a team, we will send you a document with detailed information about our services and the necessary procedures. Please understand that we will not (!) provide you with this document if we think that you do not have a chance of winning a scholarship, as we work by success-oriented terms and thus have to deny our services if we have doubts about an applicant. Icehockey training on a icehockey scholarship: Naturally, icehockey practice is not conducted in the same way at every university. In general, five practice sessions a week of 2 – 3 hours each are held on the icehockey court alone, and additional strength and conditioning training is required as well. As icehockey coaches are sometimes paid according to the success or performance of their teams, icehockey practice can seem tough compared to German standards and therefore also takes up a significant amount of the time spent at college. Because of the challenging training, icehockey players often reach previously unattained levels of fitness and performance while playing at college, and several go on to be professional athletes after they leave university. Icehockey season: Icehockey season of men and women always begins in winter (Fall Term/ August). Generally, it makes sense to apply for a icehockey scholarship beginning in autumn (Fall Term/ August), as you will already be part of the team during the training phase. However, it is vitally important to remember that the application process requires a certain amount of handling time, and applicants should therefore have themselves be evaluated at least three-quarters of a year in advance, or better, even earlier. It is also possible to arrange icehockey scholarships half a year after the season has begun, in spring, for instance if a player of the collegiate team has been injured and the coach needs to recruit backing athletes. At this point in the year, though the number of scholarships offered is rather limited, the chances to be placed immediately prior to the beginning of the season are not bad in icehockey. Icehockey National Championships WOMEN: NCAA I+II (together): March MEN: NCAA I+II: March IMPORTANT FOR ALL ATHLETES WHO RECEIVE A POSITIVE EVALUATION RESPONSE: Should you decide to study in the USA with an athletic scholarship, it is extremely important, especially if you play a ball sport, to produce a strong and demonstrative video. It is very difficult for coaches to visualize the actual playing level of, for example, a icehockey player on position two in the Third Division, unless he or she happens to have had a Third Division athlete from the same country on his or her team before. Therefore you need to be convincing by providing very detailed information on your history as an athlete on the one hand, and a strong video on the other hand. So take your time and try to produce the video exactly as explained in the video instructions. Keep in mind that you are competing for up to 45 000 US $ a year for a duration of four years. Therefore, the 160 € the Sports-Media-Team requires to professionally arrange the raw video material you provide on VHS is a necessary aspect of our services, without exception. Through this process we simply want to maximize your chances of obtaining the largest possible range of good scholarship offers. Regarding the content of the video: It is best if you are filmed for the duration of set during an official icehockey match or team game in your icehockey season. That will provide the Sports-Media-Team with suitable video material to produce a) a Highlight Video and b) a longer, not as heavily edited video. Your opponent should be of approximately equal strength, as you can not present your skills optimally when playing either a weaker or much stronger player. In addition you should also shoot material during training in which you focus on showing all basic hits, volleys, overhead shots and serves as well as drills from all aspects to show positioning, game tactics and legwork. Please keep in mind that the video should not only show your technique itself but also the following flight path and direction of the ball, so film the drills from both the front and back! Scholarship-Ticker Value of Scholarship-Offers for our Clients in the Year 2009/2010 over 20.400.000 US$ Ads

Changing of the guard? Youngsters aplenty for women's national teams 04-09-09 Back On a youthful U.S. team, veteran Julie Chu (13) still enjoys success. Her squad downed Canada 4-2. Photo: Jeff Vinnick / IIHF VANCOUVER – One key element for women's hockey success at the 2010 Olympics will be integrating youngsters seamlessly into the lineup. That's already coming into play as the Hockey Canada Cup pre-Olympic test event at GM Place continues. On Thursday, Sweden beat Finland 3-1 and the USA defeated Canada 4-2 to wrap up the six-game preliminary round. Those two matchups were likely previews of the bronze-medal and gold-medal games respectively. The USA claimed first place in the round-robin and will play Finland in Saturday's first semi-final, while second-ranked Canada will take on Sweden in the late semi-final. The tournament's top goal-scorer so far is a 19-year-old forward. Canada's Rebecca Johnston, who is hoping to appear in her first Olympics, has amassed five goals. The ultra-youthful Swedes managed their first victory (and goals) of the tournament after being blanked 7-0 in each of their first two games against the North American powers. Canada ran into penalty trouble with some undisciplined play versus the USA, taking seven consecutive minors at one point. Jenny Potter scored a pair and Hilary Knight had a goal and two assists in front of 6,833 fans. “I've had Hilary since she was a freshman down at Wisconsin, and in the last 15 or 18 months she's really grown as a player,” said USA coach Mark Johnson of one of his brightest young talents. “People have seen that who've been around our program and the international game. She scored a nice goal, and she plays well with Jenny out there.” Want proof that youth is being served? Except for the USA, all the Hockey Canada Cup squads feature players that were born in the decade that brought us Bill Clinton, Nirvana, and the Internet (the 1990's, in case you're still wondering). Even bearing in mind that the average age of female players skews younger, since this is still a developing sport, the numbers are interesting to contemplate. Among the second-tier powers, Sweden stands out as a team in transition. Its roster includes 11 kids from the 1990's, two of whom only recently turned 17. They include forwards Johanna Fallman (June 21, 1990), Cecilia Ostberg (January 15, 1991), Erika Grahm (January 26, 1991), Tina Enstrom (February 23, 1991), Isabelle Jordansson (March 8, 1991), Klara Myren (May 25, 1991), and Anna Borgqvist (June 11, 1992); defensemen Emma Nordin (March 22, 1991) and Annie Svedin (October 12, 1991); and backup goaltenders Valentina Lizana (March 30, 1990) and Josephin Lennstrom (August 23, 1992). To really put things in perspective, only four of the Swedes were born before 1985. It will be difficult for Sweden to replicate its silver medal exploits from the 2006 Winter Games. Tre Kronor's go-to players are still the 1970's-born stalwarts, who helped them to a surprise silver in Turin: forwards Maria Rooth and Erika Holst, and blueliner Gunilla Andersson. Of course, 20-year-old forward Pernilla Winberg is a threat too. Meanwhile, Finland's roster includes four 1990's-born players: forwards Michelle Karvinen (March 27, 1990), Minnamari Tuominen (June 26, 1990), and Linda Valimaki (May 31, 1990), and defenceman Tea Villila (April 16, 1991). For some other teams, it's just a question of bringing in a little new blood. Canada, the defending Olympic champion from 2006, has 18-year-old forwards Marie-Philip Poulin (March 28, 1991) and Brianne Jenner (May 4, 1991), both of whom are expected to develop into impact players. The host team will have to help make up the scoring deficit with the loss of such longtime aces as Vicky Sunohara and Danielle Goyette. “I think Brianne's played quite well,” said Team Canada captain Hayley Wickenheiser of Jenner. “She's a big body, she plays hard, and she goes to the gritty areas. She creates space and opportunities. She has a legitimate chance of playing in the Olympics if she can keep up the pace at this level.” Changing of the guard? “It's been that way the last few years for us,” Wickenheiser said. “We've brought young players in that need to step into more of a leadership role. More is expected of them. After the last couple of Worlds, we've got a team that's coming together well. It's just a question of putting all the pieces together.” Between a quarter and a third of Team Canada is expected to retire from international competition after the 2010 Games, too, but the Canadians will have an easier time replacing their stars than other nations due to their perennial depth. The Americans, who suffered from the lack of Cammi Granato's veteran leadership in Turin and surprisingly fell 3-2 to Finland in the Hockey Canada Cup opener, will have to prove in Vancouver that the experience they've gained in winning the last two Women's World Championships can translate into Olympic gold. They boast speed, skill, defensive awareness, and aggressive forechecking, but do they have the mental toughness required in the Olympics? Capturing gold in front of sparse crowds in Harbin, China (2008) and Hameenlinna, Finland (2009) offered a very different atmosphere from what will confront the Americans if they face Canada for gold at a sold-out, screaming GM Place (will be renamed to Canada Hockey Place) in February 2010. From the current group, only Potter and defensemen Angela Ruggiero will be over 30 when the Olympic tournament kicks off. The average age of the current group is 23.5 years old, and the 2010 Team USA will feature at least 15 Olympic rookies. Team USA's youngest forwards to watch include three 20-year-olds: Knight, the leading scorer for the University of Wisconsin Badgers in 2008-09, and twin sisters Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux, who play for the University of North Dakota. The Hockey Canada Cup runs through September 6, when the gold-medal and bronze-medal games will take place at GM Place. LUCAS AYKROYD