Duxbury had several players taking the ice in hopes of impressing both coaches.  They included Derrick (goalie) and Greg Williams (forward), Max Cook (defenseman), John Malewicz (forward), and Joe Kelly (goalie).

While players from all over the world now permeate the ranks of collegiate hockey, it’s never too late to put your name and face in front of as many college coaches as possible. It stands to reason that it’s hard to be recruited if the coach doesn’t know you’re alive.

Last week’s campers hope their efforts registered with Donato and Allain, both of whom average approximately 1000 inquiries per year from prospective student-athletes. If that number alone isn’t enough to scare a young player who has hopes of playing in college, then maybe the fact that only approximately 20 of those inquiries are considered serious prospects.

It can be a serious wake-up call for parents who dream of hockey paving the way to a free college education, when in fact the odds get even lower when only five or six players from that list of serious candidates are eventually selected, admitted and attend an Ivy League school.

While schools such as Boston College and Boston University can award partial and full Division I hockey scholarships, the same cannot be said for playing in the Ivy League where there are no hockey scholarships.

Coaches have a working knowledge of most prospects that they have scouted at national camps and competitive prep and high school programs, along with a list of referrals that come from emails and telephone calls touting the next Wayne Gretzky or Bobby Orr.

Even unknown players have been known to make the squad as walk-ons, the result of them having good academic credentials that earned them an evaluation and a chance to strut their stuff.

One thing the players learned at camp is that ability alone doesn’t always cut it when it comes to playing in the Ivy League. If only five or six players on average make it out of 20 serious and comparable candidates, why wouldn’t taking the top academics make the recruiting process a whole lot easier for both coaches when it comes to satisfying their admissions staff?

Honors and AP classes certainly help the prospect, while a C grade can be the death knell. Scoring 1800 to 2000 on the SATs puts a player in serious consideration for a spot, but scoring lower certainly won’t kill their chances, as long as there are whispers that their competitors are standing by waiting for a recruit to fall out of the recruiting process.

Despite their lack of athletic scholarships, the Ivy League schools still recruit NHL caliber players who have played at the highest level of competition with superior training regimes throughout their careers.

With the small number of openings every year in college hockey, the schools are in the driver’s seat when it comes to picking talent. Therefore, the days of the 18-year old high school player moving right on to college and cracking the roster has almost become a thing of the past.

Most freshmen are at least 19 when they enroll, and in most cases a roster can be dotted with 20-year old freshmen. A year of post-grad study is almost a necessity, or a stint in USHL junior hockey is equally advantageous, as the player gains maturity and increases his size and strength for the next step in fulfilling his dream.

Hopefully the camp was not only a learning process for all the attendees, but also a chance for one of them to step forward and keep his face and name permanently etched in both coaches’ memories.