For years, Section II hockey coaches have shared a common lament: Too many of their would-be top players are opting to suit up for elite travel clubs rather than play for their high school teams.

This year, those coaches have banded together in an attempt to change that — or, at the very least, to give the area’s top high school-age hockey players more incentive to play for their hometown squad. A brotherhood of four travel teams — two 16Us, two 18Us — have been created and promoted to local players, with the catch being that the squads’ seasons will wrap around the high school campaign. That means the teams will play games from now until the high school season starts, then resume their campaigns once the school season is complete.

“Our program, this is all pro-high school,” said Steve Hudak, a former coach at Shaker/Colonie, who is coaching the Saratoga Springs-based Blue Knights 18U squad. “During the high school season, [the players are] going to focus on their high school teams. We’re a developmental program.”

Juan de la Rocha and Dean Williams — head coaches at Shenendehowa and Queensbury, respectively — spearheaded the effort for area coaches to promote the wraparound teams based out of the Adirondack Youth Hockey Association, Saratoga Youth Hockey and the Schenectady Youth Hockey Association. All four teams started play Aug. 14 in the 2015 Empire State Summer Championships, which ran through Aug. 16 at rinks in Clifton Park and Loudonville.

“Players want more games and to get more exposure,” Williams said of why high school-age players are leaving their school teams for elite club squads, of which some — but not all — do not allow their players to compete on scholastic teams.

With the wraparound teams, de la Rocha said Section II kids now have the chance to play for a showcase-style team in addition to playing for their schools.

“I feel like we’ve put together something that’s comparable with this,” de la Rocha said.

Players from all around Section II have turned out for the four teams. Practicing Aug. 13 at the Clifton Park Ice Arena, Hudak’s 18U team — made up of soon-to-be juniors and seniors — featured players from across the Capital Region.

“This is my first wraparound hockey team in at least a couple years,” said Evan Maloney, who led Section II in goals scored this past winter while playing for Niskayuna/Schenectady. “Hopefully, I get to play some great hockey here.”

Hayden Haldane, one of Shenendehowa’s top returning players, said he was excited to get going with his new team — even “though we have [Saratoga Springs] kids on the team,” he joked.

“Off the ice, we’re good friends,” Haldane said of his high school season rivals.

Both Haldane and Maloney are top players in the area, the caliber that might be tempted to leave their high school team for an all-year club team. In the past, Maloney said he has considered playing for non-high school programs, but his desire to play for his school has always won the day. Haldane said the new wraparound teams should make the decision for top players to stay with their high school teams more palatable.

“This definitely gives us more exposure, but also gives more kids a better look at playing high school hockey,” Haldane said.

Ron Kuhl, who lives in Clifton Park, helps run the Adirondack Jr. Wings, which competes with Section II for the area’s top players. The Jr. Wings are a developmental program which plays in Troy, but has players on its teams from New York and New England. While area coaches are promoting the wraparound teams partially as a way to keep players from Kuhl’s squads — Kuhl said his program has three teams, two of which allow their players the option to still play high school hockey — he said he does not necessarily see the new wraparound teams as his competition. Might he lose some players because of their formation? Yes, he said, but he expects to still get his share of players and understands why high school coaches are trying to find a way to protect their players from leaving their teams.

“I’ve been involved in the local hockey community for 20, 25 years — and I was a high school coach for five years,” said Kuhl, who coached at CBA. “I know the battles they fight . . . Their top players do want to play a higher level, so they might consider leaving their program.”

While Kuhl said programs like his are better equipped to help an athlete find a home at the next level, he said he knows playing for a high school team has a major appeal to many kids who still want the opportunity to play in more of a showcase environment, too. His own son, Cam Kuhl, played for Shenendehowa through his sophomore season before opting to play in the elite U.S. Premier Hockey League.

“Honestly, I think it’s great,” coach Kuhl said. “I think that if players do want to play more hockey and don’t want to play with an organization [like the Adirondack Jr. Wings] because it’s more expensive or they don’t want that type of commitment, then [the wraparound teams] are another avenue to play.”

Kuhl said comparing programs like his and the wraparound teams is an “apples and oranges” situation, with his teams focusing more on individual player development at a higher level of competition than the wraparound teams — but the Section II coaches supporting the wraparound squads beg to differ.

“We don’t see what we’re offering as anything lower than what they’re offering,” de la Rocha said.