Your 16th year is like the Tyke years of hockey. Development on balance, flexibility, strength and endurance is required because your body height, weight and skate size has changed so much and so quickly. You are now starting the high performance level of the game.
You are eligible to get into highly competitive hockey leagues where teams have players that are 1 to 5 years older than you. They are big, fast and tough. Many of these teams only have room for 2 to 4 players of your age.
You and your parents stress about getting you on one of these teams. It's early, don't give up and don't panic or get frustrated about not getting to this level from where you were last season. Some players will achieve Midget AAA and Junior levels the following season even after playing down a level for a season. Be open to that as your other options might not come through this year.
Look at it this way. Some professional hockey players are in their 40s. That's a 24 year difference from where you are now. You have several years of development ahead of you before you reach your peak (early 20s). Keep at it. Source out qualified hockey training companies. 80 Hours Hockey is a service that we offer to help you keep track of your development and find training companies (www.80HoursHockey.com).
I'm almost at a point of suggesting that you take the year off from playing and put your time and money into development instead. Major Junior players are often told to work on their skating. They too need development. No matter what level you play at next season, don't ignore working on your skating skills especially over the next 5 years.
