In simple terms, an advisor is your primary source of information when it comes to making decisions concerning your next action. As it pertains to hockey, advisors are essentially the people outside your immediate family that you trust the most to assist you in making the right choices as you navigate through the hockey world. Advisors are typically people who have both played the game at the levels you are aspiring to, and, or also coached, general managed, scouted or owned teams at various levels. There is no criteria for someone to become an advisor. Heck, your uncle Ned who used to play semi-pro in the '60s could give you advice. Whether that advice will be useful is another matter. The point being, an advisor is any person who offers either their opinion or insight into the subject. In the case of compensated, professional advisors, their experience, knowledge, and professionalism should be gauged by you when deciding on which one to partner with.

The more appropriate question is whether or not if you need a professional advisor. ​ You actually already likely have multiple advisors and you don't even know it. You may have a relative or family friend who used to play junior, college or pro hockey. They may have coached. You may have a friend or friend of a friend who knows someone who knows someone who knows the coach of a program you are looking at. You may have a guidance councilor at school. ​ A professional advisor is different. While your Uncle Ned may have your best intentions in mind, he may be a slight out of touch with the way things work today. While the opinions of a mom whose son played somewhere last year says it's a good place, that may also be from a very narrow perspective. Professional advisors offer a variety of services, ranging from mentoring to placement to mental training and everything in between. Every player has different needs and depending on what you need, may depend on what advisor you decide to go with. The best way to determine if you need assistance from an advisor is to talk to one. They will lay out the services they provide and you will soon determine whether you need one or not.

Opinions on whether or not to have an advisor vary. Usually those with a better than average knowledge of the hockey landscape lean towards not having one, while those with little knowledge of "what to do" lean towards getting one. College Hockey, Inc; the lead source of information on all things related to the college game, has valuable information on the subject: "Family advisors can play an important role for developing hockey players as they navigate the options presented to them both on and off the ice. ​ Not all players and their parents have advisors, and they are by no means required, but many of those who do find them invaluable. Good advisors can also help prospective players understand and follow NCAA rules that ensure student-athletes maintain their amateur status." Read More...

No. Not if you aspire to play NCAA College Hockey. It is against NCAA rules to receive any form of compensation as an amateur student-athlete.

No. It is against NCAA rules. Agents are representitives for professional players. When the time is appropriate, your Advisor at Hockey Horizons will present you with options for professional representation.

No. It is against NCAA rules. Advisors must be compensated for their services. The verbiage concerning this appears in the NCAA Guidebook.

No. Like players each one is very different. Some simply offer advice, nothing more. Some offer add-on services like training or video review. Before deciding on the right advisor for you, we suggest you audit a variety of advisors and weighing their services, pricing and customer satisfaction before making a decision. Hockey Horizons is a full service hockey advisory and player mentoring service. For a list of our services, please go to the services section of this site. see Hockey Horizons Services

Yes. However, it is not recommended. Go with an Advisor or Mentor you most trust. While most quality advisors agree on many things, they may differ their opinion on others. This conflict of opnion could confuse you as you navigate your path. In the end, the final decisions you make must be yours. The right advisor will present you with all of the options available to you.

No, and for good reasons. Like any business, there are quality ones with the experience and knowledge to provide good service and others who lack the understanding of what their role is towards assisting a client. On the other hand, there are other college and junior coaches who support and appreciate the quality advisors they work with. There are quality advisors out there. While we at Hockey Horizons feel we offer a unique and comprehensive service to our clients. We have, on occassion, recommended potential clients to some of our colleagues in the field as we didn't feel those potential clients were the right fit for us. While our list of quality advisors is short, there are some trusted groups out there who do a good job.