Where You Come From Doesn't Matter!

National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

People often wonder if where they come from has an impact on where they go in life. And, while that’s a difficult and complex question to answer in most respects, it’s not a tough question in regards to youth hockey. No, in terms of youth hockey, the answer to this question is a resounding “no.” Where you come from does not seem to have an impact on success.

In fact, youth hockey programs have spread all around the globe in recent years, which means that no one area has a particular advantage when it comes to the sport. Players get recruited from the United States, British Columbia, Alberta, and many other places. Living in a “wintry” state or area is no longer an advantage since ice rinks are everywhere. Furthermore, good coaches and organizations are everywhere too, giving almost all young players an equal chance at hockey success.

Recent statistics even support the fact that good players can (and do!) come from anywhere and everywhere. Players who are reaching the NCAA level are coming from all over the world. Take, for example, the 47 hockey players from Minnesota who recently joined the NCAA. A whopping 41 of them played hockey in high school, and this group was comprised of students from 31 different schools, some private, some public. This figure and others like it show that where you come from really doesn’t matter much in terms of hockey success.   

The only thing that truly matters is working hard and taking advantage of all the opportunities available, a great and hopeful lesson for young hockey athletes all around the world to learn and take heart from.