Recruiting for college hockey begins at an extremely young age. I began noticing the arenas filling up with scouts in 9th grade, so I began the recruiting process early myself. I first contacted college coaches the summer heading into 10th grade to introduce myself and express my interest in playing in the NCAA. To be best prepared to make the jump to college hockey, as well as to best showcase my abilities to college coaches, I played on one of the top Under-21 travel teams in North America. I attended many recruiting tournaments from the age of 15.
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Everyone follows a different timeline for when they start playing junior hockey, but this was my best option because the team was based out of my hometown and many of the girls that I had grown up playing with were going to be playing on this team. I also attended a skating and on-ice skills session once a week to develop my skills for college hockey. Your process might look different and that's okay! Here are some tips to help prepare you for college hockey no matter what your recruiting journey entails:
1.) Focus on fitness
Off-ice physical preparation is equally as important if you want to prepare for a faster and stronger collegiate game successfully. When you get to college, one of the first team activities you will have is fitness testing, so it is important to make a good first impression to both your coaches and teammates. Additionally, strength and conditioning sessions will become a daily part of your schedule, and there is no point being behind at the start.
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2.) Grades matter
Academically, I began focusing more intently on my studies to make myself a more attractive recruit for a school and began studying for the SAT/ACT. It's a little different being from Canada because standardized tests are not required for entrance into our universities so this was something that I had to do on my own time. I was lucky that many of my older teammates had the same goal as me to play in the NCAA so I was motivated by them and followed a similar timeline, taking them in the winter of my sophomore year.
Related: 5 Reasons Grades are Important as an Athletic Recruit
3.) Work hard
If you are interested in playing hockey in college, the best way to prepare for the experience is to remain committed to your goal and work hard both on and off the ice. Besides being instrumental components in the recruiting process, these character traits will be essential to your experience and success as a college athlete.
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* Originally published on February 3, 2023, by Krista Yip-Chuck
