On the ice, Jim Tufts approaches high school hockey the same way he has for the last three-plus decades coaching at Exeter High School.
Off the ice, he's had to change on the fly.
"I used to encourage my Bantam-age kids to stay in Bantams and play against kids their own age," said Tufts. "Part of that was because I had so many juniors and seniors ahead of them. That's not the case anymore."
Nowhere has the high school sports landscape changed more in the last decade than it has in hockey, in large part because of the other options available for skaters, many of whom see those options as paths to greater — or quicker — success.
It's a problem unique to high school hockey, the way its competitors play parallel seasons in a way AAU basketball teams do not. The "other options" typically fall into two categories — prep schools, whose costs (more than $40,000 a year in some cases) rule it out for most families; and junior hockey, which has mushroomed in the last decade.
"It seems like every year it gets worse and worse, which is why this is an issue," said St. Thomas Aquinas coach Andrew Leach, a former junior player himself. "I don't know where it's going to go, unless someone puts a mandate on how many (junior) teams or leagues there are."
While leagues such as the USHL (Tier I), NAHL (Tier II), and Eastern Hockey League and U.S. Premier Hockey League (Tier III) have proven track records of sending players on to Division I and III colleges, they sit at the top of a junior hockey pyramid whose bottom is murky, at best. USA Hockey only sanctions 12 junior leagues across the country.
"There are way too many junior teams and way too many junior leagues, and everything is getting watered down," said Leach. "Kids are leaving high school for the wrong reasons."
The numbers don't look too bad. In the last decade, New Hampshire has added six boys hockey programs (35 in 2002-03 to 41 this year) and Maine has added eight (54 to 62). But it hasn't produced more players — participation in both states is slightly down, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations — nor has it produced a better product.
"I constantly get, 'How many kids didn't come back?'" said Tufts. "All the kids that didn't come back went for a variety of reasons. I hope it works out for them. But I love the kids I have in the (locker) room and that's my focus."
When a star leaves his high school to play against better competition, coaches usually accept that. But it's when the third-line winger or fourth defenseman who's being courted, they scratch their heads.
"We've had a couple kids the last two years, JV-level players, that are playing on junior hockey teams," said Tufts. "Those kids are paying the freight."
"I'm all for kids moving on," said Leach. "If a kid comes to me as a freshman or a sophomore and is developing and his dream is (to play at a higher level), I'm helping the kid move. ...; But many are promising (players) dreams that they won't ever have."
What junior offers that high schools cannot starts with ice time, a 50-game schedule — or more — instead of an 18-game one. Also more time on the ice, often at a better facility, with instructors who are full-time hockey coaches instead of full-time teachers or full-time salesmen.
But a spot on a junior team — even one that's not dubious — is not an inside track to college hockey.
Leach knows from experience. Growing up in Albany, N.Y., he played for his local junior program and then in the USHL before heading to UNH. What he sees today are organizations fielding multiple teams because they have the resources — players — to do so.
"A lot of it's money-driven," said Leach. "You can't really make money on one junior team. You can make money on three junior teams."
Playing college hockey is a long shot for most local players and playing on scholarship an even longer one. There have been success stories — Jon Higgins stands out recently — but even the Division III game today has a heavy dose of Canadians and out-of-region players.
"We try to have team meetings, speak to the parents before the season starts and let them know the reality of their sons going on to play college hockey," said Manchester Memorial coach Mark Putney, whose team won the Division I championship last year. "Not to be pessimistic, but the reality is a very, very slim chance."
Some coaches draw parallels to societal changes with the movement they see. Rather than put in the work needed to get better within the high school program, players will pay for the right to be told they're just fine.
"Kids that used to make their way from JV to varsity leave because they have other options," said Tufts. "If somebody ends up on a JV basketball team, they work their tail off and get to the varsity (the next year)."
Last month, Hollis-Brookline administrators decided to cancel the team's varsity season after only eight skaters and one goalie came out for the team. It came on the heels of the tragic death of Cam Ricard, a senior at the school, who was involved in a car accident on his way back from a junior hockey practice.
And it's not just the small programs or the local programs that have taken hits. The two teams that met in last year's Division I championship — Memorial and Manchester Central — are both struggling with numbers, with fewer than 30 players each coming out.
"For the second year in a row, I have a goalie I found in the halls of Central High School," said Central coach Brian Stone. "I don't know what it's going to be next year."
While a spot on a junior team can cost a family thousands of dollars each season — no cost to play at Exeter, Tufts noted — there are hidden costs, too: giving up a chance to play with the friends you grew up with, in front of a community that appreciates you.
Tufts talks about Higgins when he talks about players who did it the right way. The Stratham native played his four years at Exeter, prepped for a year at Phillips Exeter, played a year of juniors with the Green Mountain Glades and reached a Frozen Four with the University of Vermont.
"He had the best of both worlds," said Tufts. "He played with his friends and had a great career. And if you're going to play at (the college) level, you're going to play a year of juniors anyway."
