September is a busy month for college hockey recruiting in North America. As teams are gearing up to start the regular season, there are lots of showcase tournaments where players have plenty of opportunity to show their stuff in front of scouts.

One of the most common questions I get from players, parents and coaches about the whole college hockey recruiting process is:

“What are the scouts looking for?”

There is really no easy answer to this since a college hockey coach needs to fill their roster with players who fill a position and role, which changes year-by-year based on their team’s particular needs. 

To keep it simple for you, I’ve broken it down into what I call the “3 As”: Academics, Athletics and Attitude


ACADEMICS:

When it comes to academics, the better your grades and test scores, the easier it is going to be for you to get into the school.  Having high marks and scores will only help you throughout this process. I’ve seen far too many players focus all their time and energy on the hockey side of things only to miss out on a great opportunity because their academics weren’t up to par. You want to use your ability to play hockey to get a better academic opportunity.  We aren’t chasing million dollar NHL contracts here. We are looking to get a great education that we can use for the rest of our life, while also playing elite level hockey.


ATHLETICS:

Coaches aren’t just looking for the players with the best skills. Don’t get me wrong – your skating, shooting, stickhandling, passing and checking are critical to you getting noticed, but college coaches need much more than that. They are looking at your coachability, game sense, competitiveness, consistency and evaluating your potential to develop into an even greater player once you arrive at the next level.  These aren’t always things they can see directly from the stands, but I can guarantee that the scouts will be having a conversation with your club team coach to get the inside scoop of what you’re like on and off the ice.  


ATTITUDE:

Last, and certainly not least, is your attitude.  This can make or break the entire recruiting process for a player. A player could have great academics and athletic ability, but if they have a bad attitude, they won’t be able to go anywhere.  Bad body language and lazy habits have cost many talented players their chance at playing at the next level. This is not an over-exaggeration. There are more than enough quality female hockey players in the world who are elite players, with excellent academics and a great attitude. There simply isn’t a reason for a coach to “risk it” with a player who doesn’t have all three.  Coaches need to be able to visualize you being a part of their team. They want to see how you interact with your teammates, coaches and opponents. They want to see how you recover from making a mistake or having a tough game. They are watching you when you walk around the rink. They see how you carry yourself away from the ice. This stuff matters.  It is about much more than just your playing ability.


BOTTOM LINE:

Scouts and coaches are looking for the COMPLETE PACKAGE. That’s what the “3 As” are all about. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and discipline to get there.


But the payoff is worth it.



To help you figure out & navigate the college hockey recruiting process,  I’ve created a step-by-step guide called THE SCHOLARSHIP PROJECT.

It walks you through everything from how to get noticed, how to contact coaches, how to narrow down your choices and how to make your decision.

The process can seem scary and intimidating – so I’ve used my 15+ years of experience helping families navigate the process to put together this easy-to-use manual for you.

Check it out here:
https://totalfemalehockey.com/scholarship-project/


Work Hard. Dream BIG.


Your friend and coach,


Kim



Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director & Founder, Total Female Hockey