Promise of high-level hockey comes at a cost for prep school players at Circle K Classic

A look at the high cost of high-level hockey The promise of high-level hockey comes at a price for prep schoolers at the Circle K Classic. Is it the only way to get there?

Calgary is set to host the Circle K Classic, welcoming some high-end talent and pricey prep schools for the annual U18 AAA hockey tournament.

For many Canadian kids who dream of playing hockey at a high level, attending a prep hockey school, like the Edge School in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League (CSSHL), is a path to get there.

Since 2013, the amount of NHL draft picks that attended CSSHL schools has risen dramatically.

Last year, the CSSHL had a record number of players selected in the NHL Entry Draft with four in the first round. In 2013 there were two, in 2019 seven, and in 2024, it had 25 players selected in total.

For parents like Doug Bartole, whose son Kyden plays for the Edge School’s U15 AAA team, it was an attractive option to help him pursue his goals.

“I think typically parents will do whatever they can and whatever is within their means,” said Bartole.

“We’re not a whole lot different in that mentality, so this is part of the decision-making process that came into play.”

'The whole package'

Edge charges annual tuition fees of $20,925, plus a four per cent annual contribution to the Edge School Foundation Endowment Fund.

There is also an annual $670 student activity fee, while team fees to play hockey range in price from $15,000 to $20,000.

“It's the whole package where you've got the high-performance gym that's sitting there coupled with access to doctors, physio, chiro, psychologists,” said Bartole.

“It’s one package that is in one place."

Last year, the school had three former players drafted in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, including Terik Parascak, who played four seasons at the school and was chosen in the first round.

Bartole felt it was the right decision after speaking with a parent who had one son get drafted and another earn a scholarship.

“We did our research,” said Bartole. “He was kind of my ultimate decision maker in there.

“He’s telling me that he just sees kids that go there and just develop better than most of the kids that stay in quadrant.”

'It's a lot of money'

However, not all parents are comfortable paying that much money. Ian Couture’s son Ethan plays for the U17 Calgary AAA Northstars.

“It’s a lot of money to go to these prep schools,” said Couture.

He pays just over $6,000 in fees for his son’s hockey, along with a few cash calls for road trips and tournaments.

“For every person it’s different, for us, the Calgary Northstars work, the quadrant hockey, there is a lot of talent there,” said Couture.

Craig Button, TSN’s director of scouting, says the cost of hockey has increased in many ways.

“From travel costs to ice time costs, and certainly that is going to keep certain players, certain kids out of the system, affordability becomes a significant part of chasing any dream,” said Button.

“There's going to be an economic cost.”

Facing off at the Circle K Classic

Among the teams playing in the Circle K Classic, some of the prep schools come with a high price tag.

Calgary International Hockey Academy has a listed annual tuition price of $26,500, and OHA Penticton is over $35,000.

Last year’s champion, Shattuck St. Mary’s, has a price tag of $62,000 USD plus other fees, while hockey is an additional $10,000.

The school had three former players selected in the first round of last year’s NHL Entry Draft, including Macklin Celebrini, who went first overall.

“There’s a real edge (to) the whole academy program,” said Button.

“They're getting the resources. There's no question that they're going to have an opportunity to have a greater opportunity to be able to go and build, develop, grow their game and become better, and that's just a simple fact.”

Prep schools like the Edge offer financial assistance. For Button, he understands the costs high-level players and parents are facing, but he wants the focus to be on overall participation.

“High-level hockey has to be an end game. I think participation has to be the first thing. If we don't have participation, you can forget about high end,” said Button.

“I think it's really important that we give kids the opportunity to participate and not think about high level, think about participation.”

The Minnesota model

While some parents in Canada are forking over tens of thousands of dollars for their children to pursue their hockey dreams at prep schools, Minnesota, known as “The State of Hockey”, has been able to keep it more affordable.

Mike Snee is the vice president of foundation, hockey partnership and community relations for the Minnesota Wild. He was previously the executive director for College Hockey Inc, an advocacy group to help grow NCAA hockey, and before that he served as the executive director for Minnesota Hockey.

Snee said in Minnesota that the approach towards developing hockey players is rooted in one word.

“The key word is really community, " Snee said. "(You play) hockey where you live, you play as a young person for the non-profit community hockey association – and then you play for your high school."

“It’s exactly like football is played in the entire country," he said, "and you play it in a community-owned football field. That’s exactly how Minnesotans play their hockey.”

“It might be novel when it comes to hockey, but it's pretty typical when it comes to how we deliver sports,” said Snee.

The most expensive years for players in the state is U15, where in Minneapolis, fees are around US$2,200 (Registration Info), much lower than prep schools in Western Canada and community association teams in Calgary.

The Calgary Buffalo Hockey Association charges $4,435 for their AAA team and $3,600 for their AA team. The Calgary Northstars charges $6,248 for their AAA team and $3,400 for their AA teams.

Snee concluded that the most a parent that is “all in” ends up paying would be $6,000, and that would be for additional coaching and year-round play.

“Then when you get to high school, the high schools subsidize a significant amount, just like they do for football,” said Snee. “A very competitive, aspirational 17-year-old high school hockey player can be all in for everything except the equipment in the $4,000 range.”

He says the school fees for that are around $500, with some schools in the state having their fees covered.

“I would say a high school hockey season can be no more than $1,000” said Snee. “The coaching is phenomenal, so many former NHL and college players are coaching … I would say the coaching is tremendous.”

The players there are on the ice five to six times a week, which he describes as a “full commitment.”

According to Snee, the state boasts 58 current NHLers, more than any other state, while almost one of every three American women in the PWHL are from Minnesota.

He estimates that approximately 60,000 kids in the state play hockey.

“What's common and what's similar amongst all of the full size sheets of ice in Minnesota, with the exception of a couple, is that they're not there to make a profit. They're there to serve the community,” said Snee. “They're there to make hockey affordable and accessible as possible in the communities where the buildings are built.”

Nine of the 25 players who made the USA World Juniors team grew up playing Minnesota community hockey and seven played high school hockey.