try-out

Question
hi  mr. martial  I  played  triple-a  hockey  from 02-06 from 07-08  I  played  in  the sr. chowder cup in  boston in  08   I  was  drafted  in  the  secound  round for  a  single-a pro team  in  the  all  american hockey  league  but  the   team  folded Im   looking  to  play  semi-pro or proffesional  how  would I do  that   thank  you   nicolas  vertucci

Answer
I'm a big believer in ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE... so if you have the heart and LOVE the PROCESS to get there -- in my opinion you DO have a chance!

You will obviously have to work your way up ...  pay your dues...

Here are some links for ya:  (Some may have expired - so you may have to google around to find something similar!!)

If you are looking for minor pro - there are several leagues you can look up --  SPHL (http://www.thesphl.com/), UHL (http://www.theuhl.com/) and CHL (http://www.centralhockeyleague.com/)to name three, or if you want to go to Europe - you can check out the Elite League (http://www.eliteleague.co.uk/) -- if you really want to aim higher you can try ECHL or AHL as well.  They usually have their open tryouts a little later in the year - but obviously much tougher to "break" in without an agent...

You can also buy the Hockey News or maybe look up their site - they will occasionally have an ad or two in there about OPEN FREE AGENT CAMPS (see: http://www.ihchockey.com/news.htm OR http://www.bloorstreetwest.com/hockeytech_old/agentcamp.html) for Minor Pro players who want to get scouted and maybe get an "agent".  These camps will get you exposure and from there you may get a tryout...  be prepared as sometimes it is in Europe...  It pays decent in Europe -- but it can be a trek if you are not used to it!

Know that there are alot of "players" on the market --  so what will make it tougher for you is that you don't have a track record...  i.e. recent stats? references.  However, some coaches are more open to 'risking' than others - you may have to PR yourself for that.

Notwithstanding -- if you can stand OUT each and every game they watch you play -- you may get a shot somewhere and the key will be for you to keep the same level of play (or higher) going.

Feel free to follow up with anything if I missed something or if you wish that I elaborate.

Thanks and good luck with the puck!

Martial