What Is A Youth Hockey Family Advisor?

What Is A Youth Family Hockey Advisor?

A Youth Family Hockey Advisor is your go-to person throughout your player's entire hockey journey. This is the person who helps hockey parents cut through the noise, make smart decisions, and build a real plan. Not a sales pitch. A plan. At Pro Ambitions, a Family Advisor stays with you until your player reaches his or her goals, whether that means playing high school hockey, getting recruited to a D1 program, or signing a professional contract. We also make calls on your behalf when the time is right, using relationships built over decades in this game.

Setting Your Hockey Goals and Building a Plan

Start Earlier Than You Think

Formulating a plan at youth age is not overreacting. It is the difference between being reactive and being ready. We work with families of players who have aspirations to play competitive AA and AAA club hockey, high school, prep school, college at the D1, D2, or D3 level, juniors, or pro. The earlier you identify the goal, the more time you have to prepare properly.

What the Plan Actually Covers

A real development plan covers training, equipment, camps, tournaments, club team selection, academic support, and standardized test prep. Every piece matters. If your player wants to pursue a D1 Ivy League program, the academic component is not optional and it does not happen overnight. These schools are recruiting students who also happen to be elite hockey players. That standard takes years to build toward, and families who wait until the player is 15 or 16 to think about grades and test scores are already behind. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Why Work With a Family Advisor?

Twenty Years of Real Experience

Jeff Serowik, founder of Pro Ambitions and former NHL player, has spent twenty years helping players and families find the right club team, get recruited by prep schools and colleges, navigate the junior hockey landscape, and reach the professional level. This is not a service built on theory. It is built on relationships, experience, and an honest understanding of what it actually takes to advance at every level of this sport.

The Pathways Are More Complex Than Ever

Today's youth hockey player has more options than any previous generation, and that is not automatically a good thing. More options mean more chances to make the wrong move at the wrong time. With the help of experienced advisors, we guide families through every pathway available, from local club programs all the way to major junior and pro opportunities. We are seeing families come to us for this kind of guidance younger and younger, across all sports. That trend exists for a reason.

Meet Patrick Schaefer

As parents, we always want to help our children reach their academic and playing goals. The hockey world presents many different avenues for young players today, from high school and prep school to amateur clubs, academies, and junior hockey. At times, it is genuinely hard to know which route is right for your kid.

Patrick Schaefer has worked as a Head Coach and Counselor with Pro Ambitions. A native of Hilliard, Ohio, Patrick grew up playing youth hockey for the Cleveland Barons Youth Hockey Club before making the leap to the Barons NAHL team. As a rookie, he served as the team's Assistant Captain and earned NAHL North Division All Rookie Team honors. He went on to play two seasons for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, where he ranked 3rd in the league in plus/minus and was a finalist for the Kurt Hammer Award, which recognizes leadership and community support.

Patrick then played for The Ohio State Buckeyes, earning two Scholar Athlete honors and becoming the first player from the Columbus, Ohio area to suit up for the program. He played five seasons of professional hockey in the ECHL and CHL. After retiring from playing, Patrick became the Head Coach and General Manager of the Providence Capitals USPHL Elite team, then served as Assistant Coach for the Springfield Jr. Blues in the NAHL. He has lived every stage of this process as a player, captain, and coach. That is exactly the kind of perspective your family needs sitting across the table from you.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should we start working with a hockey family advisor?

The honest answer is sooner than most families think. By the time a player is 13 or 14, meaningful decisions about club teams, prep schools, and training have already been made by other families in that same recruiting pool. Starting the conversation at 10 or 11 gives you time to build the right foundation, academically and athletically, without scrambling to catch up later.

What does a family advisor actually do on a day-to-day basis?

A family advisor helps you evaluate your player's current level, set realistic goals, identify the right programs and teams, and understand the recruiting timeline for the path you are targeting. They also make direct calls to coaches and programs when the timing is right. This is not just guidance from a distance. It is active involvement from someone who knows the people making the decisions at the next level.

Is family advising only for players who want to play college or pro hockey?

No. The goal could be making a competitive AA or AAA club team, getting into a prep school program, or simply making sure your player develops in the right environment for their age and skill level. We work with families across every level of ambition. What matters is that your player has a goal and you want a real plan to pursue it.

How is this different from just hiring a private skating or skills coach?

A skills coach makes your player better on the ice. A family advisor makes sure that improvement is pointed in the right direction. Training without a plan is just hard work with no map. We coordinate the full picture, including which teams to try out for, which camps build the right exposure, and what academic benchmarks need to be hit along the way.