The jump from prep, high school, and 15O, 16U and 18U hockey to juniors has always been big.
“I was the most nervous I’ve ever been for playing hockey,” Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass.) said of his first game with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers. “Like, more nervous than for my first college game.”
It's expected. Most players go from living at home or at their prep school to being on their own in junior hockey. They're living with a billet family. Life is different.
And that's just off the ice.
Just like the USHL, the QMJHL is a big jump for players. Some thrive the second the car door opens, and they put their feet down in their new home city. For others, it takes longer.
And for some, the QMJHL isn't a fit.
When I sent out my QMJHL player poll, I was curious how players reacted to such a wide array of on- and off-ice adjustments. They were playing at a higher level and in a new country.
In part 1, we covered what their initial expectations were and how they matched reality. Part 3 will be coming soon.
All players were granted full anonymity. This also wasn't limited only to New England-born players — I cast a wide net for this.
Let's dive in.
The biggest on-ice adjustments
There was a common theme here.
"The pace and physicality of the game," one player said.
That's understandable. Players in the league are often bigger, faster and stronger.
"The speed of the game," another player said. "It is way more physical and faster than what I was used to, so that was a bit of an adjustment."
That higher level of speed forces players to make quicker decisions. Time and space are harder to come by, which can impact production.
"The biggest adjustments were gaining more confidence, quicker thinking and puck touches," a player said.
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A common view of the QMJHL is that it's a more offensive league, which can lead to inflated numbers — and a lack of structure.
But that wasn't what one player experienced.
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"I think the biggest on-ice adjustment for me was the structure part of the game up there," that player said. "The coaches are very dialed in with the structure and making sure you're in the right position without the puck."
Younger players entering the QMJHL are often just trying to keep their jobs and survive. But several older players on the verge of making the jump to college chose the QMJHL last year to get some extra seasoning.
Their role changed when they entered the league, marking a different kind of adjustment.
"Playing with more confidence and learning to be the guy that plays a lot and has to make plays in order for my team to win," another player said.
That's one way for players to gain confidence in the QMJHL. Another way is adjusting to the different way of life off the ice.
The biggest off-ice adjustments
For those who have been living under a rock, the "Q" in QMJHL stands for Quebec. While there is quite a bit of English spoken throughout the cities, French is the official language.
"A lot of the guys are French, so there was a lot of French in the room," a player said. "It was fine, but sometimes it got a bit much."
Players who were already in the QMJHL understood that with New Englanders coming in, French likely wasn't their first language.
To keep them around, the French players had to make them feel comfortable.
"The French guys were good about speaking English around the room so that the American guys didn't feel out of place," another player said.
One player even mentioned that the language barrier was "no big deal."
School is always an off-ice storyline in junior hockey. How much school is being done? Where are the kids actually going to school?
The QMJHL takes it pretty seriously. Some teams require players to attend the local public school. That can be a bit of a change from going to a prep school.
"Going to public school in person was a huge adjustment," a player said.
Still, most players enjoyed school being taken seriously.
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"I liked how the Q forces you to take two classes per semester," another player said. "So whether you like it or not, you stay on top of school before college."
Along with school, players are staying with billet families, who volunteer to house players during the season, which isn't specific to the QMJHL.
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It's still an adjustment.
"It's not something I was used to," one player said.
"Just being with a billet family for the first time and not being at your own house," another added.
Among all the answers, there was an undercurrent of off-ice prep life preparing players for off-ice QMJHL life.
"Having years of prep hockey experience prepared me well," said a player.
Surprises
The best teams come together immediately. It's hard to find a feuding championship team full of icy relationships.
But junior hockey is different. Players are constantly battling with each other for spots on the team, in the lineup and higher in the lineup. Sure, you're competing with other teams. But you're also competing with teammates.
It would be understandable if established QMJHL players were standoffish with newbies coming from New England.
According to our poll, that wasn't the case for respondents.
"How fast our team bonded due to us all being in the same situation," one player said.
"I think how welcoming the team was," another player said. "They were all great guys, and I loved them."
Some players mentioned the professional treatment being a surprise, which was a common theme in part 1.
"How well they treat the players," a player said. "They make sure you're very taken care of with all amenities."
The travel is different. The days of going from Mount St. Charles to South Kent or Nobles to Belmont Hill are long gone.
"I'd say how long some drives are," a player said.
Most players arrive in the QMJHL from prep teams and academies. Hockey academies rarely have crowds other than parents and scouts. Prep schools will sometimes have rowdy student sections, but that's about as far as it goes.
READ MORE: Part 1 of our QMJHL players survey
It's different in the QMJHL when players skate out into full buildings.
"What surprised me was how much the city really supports the team," a player said. "Hockey is basically religion in the Q. Every rink you play in, the fans are going nuts and are all in."
