There are many advantages to playing town youth hockey vs. playing on a  traveling club hockey  team. If the town in which one lives has a strong program then the majority of players will be better served by staying in town. Many years ago, playing club hockey meant that you were an elite player. There is a lot of money to be made in club hockey so over the past 10 years there has been a tremendous uptick in club teams thus watering down the talent level. There are rare instances where club hockey can offer an advantage, but those cases are VERY rare.

• Marblehead Youth Hockey has an equal time playing policy.
• Work with coaches that are invested in the community.
• Local practices at Salem State and Lynn vs. traveling over an hour to practice.
• Focus on fundamental development vs.only  winning.
• Youth hockey is considerably less expensive than club hockey.
• Play with schoolmates and friends.
• Opportunity to play in the St. Lambert Tournament.
• The Valley Hockey League has parity rounds to find the correct level of play for each team.
• Opportunity to play in local tournaments as a team.
• Invest in the community that invests in you.
• Develop lifelong parent and player friendships.
• Ability to play on VHL All-star team in the NEHL league:   http://www.thenehl.com/