Marco Pietroniro: Building Better Hockey Players Through Development

In this episode of Stops and Starts, Marc sits down with longtime hockey coach, former professional player, and Universel Academy leader Marco Pietroniro to talk about one of the biggest questions facing players and families today:

What is the right development path for your player?

Marco shares his journey from youth hockey in Montreal, to junior hockey in the Q, to playing professionally overseas and in North America, before shifting into coaching and player development. The conversation dives deep into the modern hockey landscape, including prep hockey, junior hockey, the NCDC, USPHL Premier, CHL opportunities, college pathways, and why development is not always about chasing the biggest logo.

Marc and Marco also discuss the importance of trust between families, coaches, and players, why some athletes need more time to develop, how Universel Academy structures its program, and why the right environment can make all the difference for a young player trying to reach the next level.

This episode is especially helpful for hockey parents, youth players, junior prospects, and families trying to understand the many different routes available beyond the traditional “all or nothing” hockey path.

For more information about Universel Academy / Collège Universel hockey, contact Marco Pietroniro at [e-mail].

00:00 – Welcome to Stops and Starts
00:32 – The mission: helping families understand different hockey paths
01:37 – Introducing Marco Pietroniro
02:03 – Marco’s youth, junior, and professional hockey journey
02:57 – Finding his “NHL” overseas
03:40 – From pro hockey to coaching and junior hockey
04:20 – Shifting from winning to player development
05:51 – Why trust is critical for hockey families
07:18 – Honest conversations with players and parents
09:15 – Why not every player is a D1 or NHL prospect
11:54 – Marco’s move into Bishop’s College School
12:10 – Coaching to develop instead of only coaching to win
13:09 – The vision behind Universel Academy
15:15 – Giving young players a challenging development environment
17:28 – Why Universel Academy plays younger players at higher levels
19:00 – Confidence, opportunity, and learning from mistakes
20:30 – Why ice time and special teams opportunities matter
22:58 – The gap between youth hockey and junior hockey
23:45 – Why experience at the junior level is so valuable
24:28 – Universel Academy team structure and locations
24:50 – U18, USPHL Premier, NCDC, costs, travel, and academics
27:50 – A day in the life of a Universel Academy player
29:10 – Ice time, skills sessions, and practicing up a level
30:50 – Universel as a bridge to higher levels of hockey
33:07 – Global Advancement and player placement
35:10 – The changing junior hockey landscape and rule changes
36:16 – How college hockey timelines are changing
37:08 – Who benefits most from the new hockey landscape?
38:42 – D3, U Sports, Europe, and nontraditional pathways
39:36 – Marco’s thoughts on the future of the NCDC
40:52 – Why the NCDC can be a stepping stone, not an endgame
41:59 – More opportunities through CHL, OHL, QMJHL, and other camps
43:03 – Why opportunity and development matter most
43:37 – How to connect with Marco and Universel Academy
44:05 – Closing thoughts

Creators and Guests

Host

Marc Genest

Born and raised in Canada, where hockey isn’t just played—it’s lived. Marc brings over 450 professional games of experience and more than a decade of player development to athletes serious about reaching the next level.

Guest

Marco Pietroniro

Academy Director for Universel Academy Premier

What is Between the Shifts — Presented by StopNStarts Hockey?

Between the Shifts is a monthly show for players, parents, coaches, and youth hockey leaders navigating the fast, confusing and often expensive world of youth hockey. Hosted by a former professional player, coach, and parent, and owner of STOPnSTARTS Hockey, Marc Genest. We carve into player development, real-life family stories, coaching culture, costs, training pathways, and everything young athletes and their communities are facing today. Whether you’re in a traditional hockey market or growing the game in the South, this podcast helps you make smarter decisions, understand your options, and avoid common pitfalls. Join us for honest conversations that empower families and fuel hockey dreams.

thanks for joining us today on Stops and Starts for our fifth podcast. We're kind of new at this still and, and trying to figure out and bring in some interesting guests. Um, our mission is to shed some light to players and families that there is a different path for every player.

[00:00:32] Marc: And I think that's the most important thing to understand. This, this, this career, this hockey journey is difficult and certainly can be tough at times for certain players to find their right path for development and to maximize their development. And I, I think the idea of having a company like us or a firm like us is to help shed some light on, you know, what, what might be the best path for me?

And today, we have an awesome guest with us Marco Pietroniro. he is with Universelle Academy. I've known Marco over 20 years. Wow. Gosh, been a while, Marco. Oh my gosh, we're getting old. But I keep saying that every podcast. It seems like all my guests I've known for over 20, but anyway.

Um, and I've watched him shift his focus from the professional playing career to professional coaching to junior coaching. But what was really cool is to see him delve into the youth hockey development. So without further ado Marco Pietroniro, welcome to the podcast today.

[00:01:37] Marco: Hi,

Mark.

[00:01:37] Marc: Thanks for having me.

Good. So Marco let's kinda dive into this thing and, and just tell us about your career and, and how it led us how it led you to where you are today. Like your, your youth hockey career, your professional caree- your junior career, your professional career, and, and how it led you to, to the path that you took with your hockey career today.

[00:02:03] Marco: Wow.

There, there's a lot to be said, but, you know, as far as

my,

my playing career, you know, I I grew up in, in Montreal in Canada, so I, I played my youth hockey in Montreal and then drafted in the Q. I played in the Q,

and then from the Q, I didn't play my overage year and I went overseas to Italy.

I have my passport, I have an Italian passport, so which allowed me to look at different

options.

And while I was playing Midget AAA, my dream was to go play overseas. Obviously, the NHL was my dream, but, um, that, that's a different dream in a sense that it's, it's difficult to achieve. And, um, I,

I,

I, was you know, in the best league possible at the junior level, and then I went overseas

and found my NHL

[00:02:57] Marc: NHL

[00:02:58] Marco: and gave me a lot of

Experience and

good,

good life lessons, you know.

So, um, really enjoyed being overseas. I was there for eight years and then I went to the U- the United States to play in Boise, Idaho in the West Coast Hockey League where we

met.

And then,

Ended up

Starting my own junior team, then went on to coach in the Central Hockey League, head coach, GM with the Sun

Dogs.

So af- after

the

Sun Dogs I was able to coach in the Q.

I

coached in Val-d'Or and I coached in Baie-Comeau. Was able to, um, win, win the cup in the Q with Val-d'Or and then went on to the M- to the Mem

Cup.

And, I really enjoyed, you know, the,

the work.

And this is where the shift kinda

happened.

Don't get me wrong, I love winning. But the transition that happened for me is is to teach how to

compete

while you're developing. Not everybody is at the elite level, you know, at 15, 16, 17 years old. And most of our players, most of the families that join us, is

they, they want or need time to develop.

And, and that's, that's where my focus is

at,

and that's where the academy's focus is at. And while we provide a structure we

Focus on development, but don't get me wrong, we do compete.

So, you know, we

think

that winning seven out of 10 battles will make us a better And sometimes it's not necessarily to strategize on the X and O's to, to be the best

coach,

because it doesn't allow the players to grow necessarily. They fit in the system and some players are great with system and they, they will do well to, to a very high

level.

But we don't wanna

necessarily

focus on, you know, the way a team should play, but more the way the individual needs to

get ready to be ready

for the next level, whatever that level is. That's our

focus.

We ask our coaches to keep their flavor. We want them to be unique, but at the same time, they need to buy in the development of our

athletes, whether it's on the ice or off the ice.

There's a lot that needs to happen for somebody to be successful, and I would say that

the biggest factor is this trust factor. Once when they come in, you know, the trust is there on our part, and

then from them is to learn to know who we are and why are we doing what we're doing. And then after that, it, it's pretty simple to move forward.

You

[00:05:51] Marc: you know, that's an interesting fact that you talk about trust because I think, you know, from, from an outsider looking in, I mean, no, no better way to trust a guy that has five boys that also play professional, that had to go through similar developments, different paths.

You have five boys that- Yeah ... currently play professional hockey, which I think is amazing, and kudos to you, Marco, not just as a guy that develops other, other players, but the fact that, you know, five of your boys play professional is, is truly, a, a, an accomplishment and, and really proud. I've gotten a chance to meet all of them and, and fantastic boys at that too, so good on you.

But from a trust factor from a family- Yeah ... like, if I think that, "Oh, my gosh, this guy, I mean, all five of his boys play professional under your tutelage," right? And, and, "Oh, my gosh, m- maybe there's a better opportunity for me as an outsider coming in where..." I- I'm not saying that just because your five boys play prof- professional, that my boy's gonna play professional.

My point is that I think that leads me to trust you a lot more and, and believe in what you're teaching and showing. Th- that would, that would make you a, a really high priority for a, a parent like myself to, to say, "Hey, um, I, I'd like to come and be part of what you're doing over there," because that might be a, a, a good opportunity for, for development because it clearly has been proven for your five kids, right?

[00:07:18] Marco: Well, yeah, and it's, it's more kudos to them because you, as you know, it's not, it's not easy. You know, the, the, the path to become an athlete, you know, i- in any sport, you know, people think, "Oh yeah, he's playing hockey," you know, easy life. No, n- not, not exactly. You know, it's a, there's a lot that goes into it.

And when I say the trust, you know, i- is, A, a lot of times if you're not the elite guy, and this is what we deal with, you know, for us, you know, we have some elite guys. We have guys that are gonna go to Q camps. You know, there's guys going to the OHL camps. You know, there's guys going everywhere where the level takes them.

But at the same time, it, when an athlete or a family, they have to trust, you know, saying, "Okay, I, I believe this guy will be honest with me. I believe this guy will tell me how it is," without sharing my personal opinion. My personal opinion is not needed. But if I can share with you, for example- Anything that needs to be said to a parent has, obviously there's a way to say that, but it has to be known.

You know, if the kid is behind because he had injuries, because he didn't have any opportunities, there's always a why, but it remains that the athlete has, you know, a lot of potential that is not developed. So if we wanted to make, if we wanna make sure we develop it, you know, it, it has to be with trust on both sides, otherwise it will never work, you know?

A- and being able to say, "Hey, you know what? He's missing a step. We're gonna get there," versus saying, "Hey, you know, he's missing a step, he's never gonna play," which is more our time. When we, when we grew up in the game, you know, you, you, you, you didn't, you were not allowed to make many mistakes. You know, if you made mistakes, you, you were riding the bench, and if you were producing, you were playing.

Well, the game has changed, and not every elite kid, you know, from 12 year old to 17, is gonna make it to the NHL. But the path to become an athlete is not only the NHL. There's a lot of opportu- opportunities, there's a lot of avenues that you can take, you know, and education is a big part of it. And being able to play at the university level, the college level, U Sport, you know, wherever your level will, you know, get you, that's the key, you know?

And it's, it's, it's important to understand where the kid wants to be and then the reality of where he can be, and that's probably the biggest challenge that we have is sometimes a kid that's not a D1 kid, not because, you know, he, he doesn't have the talent, but he's behind, let's say, you know, in percent, in the percentage of the kids, you know, that, you know, for example, a 20-year-old today in juniors is an '05, an '06, sorry.

So if that kid is gonna have a big year this year but he's not playing in, in you know, in the CHL and he's not playing in the USHL or in top leagues in Europe, it's gonna be tough to play D1 now with the rule change. But that doesn't mean you gotta give up, you know? A- and we need to understand who's coming to us, because if that's, if it's all or nothing, he's not the right fit.

The family's not the right fit. You know, the kid needs to be passionate, and wherever he's gonna end up, it's gotta be worthwhile for him to make those sacrifices. Otherwise, you'd be ahead to just not- not commit to do any of those sacrifices and just move on with your life. But once the, once the game's, once the game go through your veins, it's unbelievable.

You know? So whatever happens, it doesn't matter. In my you know, in my example, you know, I found my NHL overseas, and today I, I wouldn't change anything, you know? I, I, I'm so grateful I was able to do this. All my boys are back in Europe right now, you know, a- and it's a great life. You know, yes, there's a lot of sacrifices, but it started with, with believing in playing the game at the highest level possible.

And it, if it's not the D1, not the NHL, there's a lot that is offered to you, but it's not easy to get. And those communication are sometimes not easy, but a lot of people, if you match it with education, a lot of people are gonna follow that path. You know, 'cause just hockey for hockey, yes, it's fun. But if you're trying to become a professional hockey player and you just focus on this, you know, the percentage are a little bit tough

[00:11:54] Marc: Yeah. Well, I wanna go back Marco. So you, you ended your professional career in coaching and then moved back home. And then obviously I'm sure your boys were young at the time, so that led you to BCS, is that correct?

[00:12:10] Marco: Yes, it led me to BCS, yes. When I came back you know, I came back to Canada, I coached in the Q, and then after my seasons in the Q, um, I had this job opportunity at BCS, which is Bishop College School. Um, it's it, it's a private school in Canada, and I really I really enjoyed that time. That's where my, you know, my shift happened, you know, between coaching to win and coaching to develop.

You know, I realized that whether we win 4-3 or lose 4-3, everybody's gonna eat and, you know, you can slack off on the pedal a little bit as far as the results of the hockey game and more the results of the players, and that's kind of where my shift happened with Bishop College School. And then I realized that there was an opportunity for me to, you know, kind of put that DNA in, in my own program, and that's kind of what I did

[00:13:09] Marc: Yeah. Now your program at Universel is a little bit different than BCS obviously. You got a little bit different model. Um, did you ever think that the model would always be a tier two junior to go into Universel, or that just happened because of all the changes in, in the landscape of junior hockey?

[00:13:29] Marco: Yeah, no, I, I, I always had the vision to, to, to build a program that could be all the way to Tier 1 hockey. So now we're at Tier 2, but if there is an angle to get to Tier 1, we definitely would look at that, you know, 'cause it's, it, it's fun to be involved in, in growth and it's fun to be involved, you know, in creating opportunity for, for families and players that come to you that didn't necessarily, you know, had the chance to be the top guy, you know, when he was younger or, um, suffered injuries.

So, so their development is a little bit slower but they have a good upside and they love the game, and that's wh- that's why we're there and that's why we created this, is that they can move forward, you know, in having a dream to, to play at this game at a certain level, and we push for that, you know?

So that's why the shift in, you know, development versus game result was important to me and everybody that comes with us, that's, that's how we want them to breathe, you know? We wanna make sure that they're here for development. You know, obviously everybody has their little career into this, you know, coaches, you know physiotherapists, you know, fitness people.

Everybody wants to move to the next level. But we try to surround our, our families and athlete with the best people possible, you know? A- and a lot of guys that coach the game, um, obviously they coach for a reason, is, is that they wanna win hockey games, they wanna win championship. But once you're dealing with youth hockey, you know, anybody, anybody, you know, 20 and under our model is really focused on development

[00:15:15] Marc: Yeah. And even your time at BCS, Marco, I always known you to have younger teams than most of the American prep schools, right? Like, I always known you to have more 17, 18 or 16, 17, 18-year-old players. A- again, the idea behind that is to put them in an environment where, A, the game is very challenging. They get to learn and develop maybe at a, not necessarily a quicker pace, but certainly get to see a higher level of hockey, right?

And, and I think that you've carried that over to Universelle. Your junior teams, albeit whether they're playoff-bound, championship-bound, that's not the focus. The focus is about putting y- young hockey players in an environment where they can develop and grow, um, I, I wouldn't say at a fast pace, but I, I think they wouldn't get that opportunity somewhere else.

We already know that the NAHL is mostly a 19, 20-year-old league. That's no secret. Um, I, I think the landscape in the junior hockey is going to change, but your focus is still remains. I mean, you've got some U- U-17, U- U18 kids last year that had some games played at the USPHL Premier level, which I think for them you wanna talk about development and eye-opening.

That also m- makes the player feel and realize, like, "Oh my gosh, like yeah, I know this is USPHL and, and not the OHL or the Q, but man, these guys are good. These are good hockey players. I, I need to get stronger. I need to get faster. I need to shoot the puck harder. I need to be, make quicker decisions, better decisions.

I need to read and react." So tell me about your concept again, to reiterate, 'cause I think you've touched on it already, that it's not just about winning, right? It's about development. And, and that's what I love about your program, Marco. I love about what you're doing over there. Obviously, um, you know, my son's been over there with you now two out of the last three years.

Um, and, and I've seen it personally from, from my own perspective, but I've also watched other kids develop where some of the kids here from Raleigh have moved on to your program. And I was just on, on the ice with them early this morning, and man, you could see the changes in their face and their, their abilities, and they're, they're, they're just at a different level now in just one year's time.

[00:17:28] Marco: A- and that, that really is the focus of the program, Mark. You know, is yes, we, we tend to be young. Um, you know, we- both of our USPHL teams this year, they were, you know, one was the youngest team in the league, the other one was the third youngest in the league. We didn't have any 19-year-old, we didn't have any 20-year-old.

It's all young guys that have a certain potential, and they need to be exposed to a good level. And also, we can't kill their confidence. It's, it's an aspect that they need to have. So we have all levels. We have U18, we have USPHL Premier, and we have NCDC. And when we see the opportunity to play somebody, it, it's to make sure they realize, you know, the right aspect of the game that they need to grow into.

A- and that's the key right there, is that, you know, after they play, it's, it's not to harp on their mistakes, but it's to understand what they understood of that game and where they see themself. And some see it very clearly, and some have no clue. And the ones that have no clue, we need to get them there to make sure that they, they understand they're competing against a 20-year-old.

He's 17, and yes, maybe he was the best of his region, but hockey's a small world, and it, it gets good really quick. So if you don't take the step to be good, and if you don't have the opportunity from the program, the coach you play for you know, if you and I play on the same team, you know, and I'm getting all the opportunities, I could be less of a player than you are, but I'm getting the opportunities.

I'm gonna have success if I deliver. I'm, that equals success. If you don't get any opportunities, you go home frustrated and, you know, you don't get power play, you don't get PK, you don't get five-on-six, you don't six, six six-on-five. Everybody needs to have a little bit of moment to see what they have, you know?

And if they fail, that means, okay, he's not ready yet, so we need to continue. And, and that's really the basic of what we try to do. And yes, working with young players is our focus because if we work with them for more than a year- i- i- where, where everybody's winning. It's a winning combination, you know, because we're getting him ready to get to the next level.

The off-ice component, you know, the fitness side of the game is super important. And like I said earlier, if somebody has an injury or, or went deep in the playoff somewhere, and you don't have a full summer to recover and get ready it's difficult. So the young guys, you know, we, we, we force the young guys in the gym, you know.

And the older guy, the 19, 20-year-old, it, it has to be his decision. Otherwise, you know, I can't be there for every game he's gonna play to push him. You know, he has to be able to push himself. But at 15, 16, they, they, they don't get that. So we push them to give them the right structure. And once we feel they have it, we kinda let them be a little bit so that they can commit to what they wanna do.

And some succeed and some, you know, cheat their way a little bit. And then that's a conversation that we have, 'cause if he's cheating himself, you know, that's- he's only cheating himself. You know, in the end, that, that's how it goes. So we like to have, you know, young players because we think that we're a stepping stone to another level.

So if they play for us for a year, two years, three years, and they get to another junior level, that would be, let's say, the CHL, we're super excited for them. You know, if they get to the BCHL, we're excited for them. They get to USHL, we're excited for them, you know. But obviously, lateral movement, you gotta look at your opportunities and what that looks like, because it doesn't matter what program you play for, you know.

If it's for your Instagram page, y- y- y- you're not gonna have success. You gotta look at the opportunity, and you gotta look at the amount of time that you're gonna be on the ice to be better, to grow and develop. That's the focus for us.

[00:22:58] Marc: think there's a big stopgap, right? There's a big gap, I think, between youth hockey and junior. And I, you know, I, I don't really care what level of junior that is, 'cause the 19-year-old is still 19 years old, and the 20-year-old is still 20 year old. So in order for you to maybe potentially, if your dream is to play in the OHL or the Q or, or the BCHL or the USHL I, I think one or two years of junior experience would pay dividends for you and prepare you a lot better than walking into a junior camp for the first time and just being a little bit overwhelmed at the size, the speed, the strength of some of these guys when coming to play for a program like Universelle at the prep level is, is certainly an opportunity to help you get there

[00:23:45] Marco: Oh, absolutely. You know, they, there's nothing like experience. If you don't experience it, y- y- you're never gonna get it. You know, you're always gonna think it's something else, but, you know, really it's the, it's the, it's to go into it and live the experience. And, and whether it's a, it's a positive or a negative ex- experience, it's gonna make you grow.

It's gonna be good. In the end, in the moment, it's tough when it's negative and it could also be challenging when it's positive. But in the end, growth is the key, and those are the communication that needs to happen with the athlete, with the families. Otherwise, y- you're just, you know, you're walking in circle and, and you're not getting anywhere as far as growth goes.

[00:24:28] Marc: Now I wanna talk, Marco, you have multiple teams at multiple levels, right? Like, you have multiple U18 teams. Talk about that. Talk about the multiple teams at the junior level as well, in different locations just to try to let everybody know, you know, how many kids you can entertain, how the application process works.

[00:24:48] Marco: Okay

[00:24:48] Marc: touch on the cost of the program per year

[00:24:50] Marco: Yeah, we, we have two U18 teams a third one to be built. One is in Gatineau, Quebec. The other one is in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and the one to come is gonna be in Quebec City. And then we have two Well, we actually have three in USPHL Premier franchise, one in Gatineau, one in Sherbrooke, and one to be in Quebec as well.

That one in Quebec is hasn't got off the ground yet, but it will for the '27-'28 season. And we also have two NCDC team, one in Sherbrooke and one in Vermont. The one in Sherbrooke plays games in Quebec and in Sherbrooke, and the one in Vermont plays in Vermont and in Sherbrooke. We also have the potential to create another one NCDC team in Gatineau.

And, um, you know as you can tell, it's a lot of teams, but, but the, the growth, you know, in non-sanctioned hockey for us is huge 'cause, you know, we, we're on the i... There's, there's no limits as far as what we can do, and we wanna remain competitive, but there's a big demand that, you know, people wanna continue to grow, wanna continue to develop, and that's, that's what we focus on.

So those are the teams we have. Obviously playing NCDC is a little bit less costly, just 'cause it's the highest level. There, there's sponsors that goes into it. It's a little bit different a little bit different setup. But overall- Ah ... you know, the fees are, like 8,000 bucks Canadian plus the room and board.

Then the USPHL Premier is the most expensive one. It's 18 five. And that's, There, there's travel in there. The everything is included. Same thing with the NCDC. I didn't mention it. And then the US- the U18 is also 18 five, and that's, you know, obviously when the kids travel, they car- they travel by bus.

The, the hotels are included. The meals are included. The ice time every day, off ice every day. Um, you know, we also have tutors for, for school that are involved in classrooms. You know, even though some of our athletes, they s- they they study online, they are mandated to be in a classroom with our tutors, and that's, that's the only way we do it.

We're not a punitive program, but if you don't attend your class with the tutor, you do not play. You can make 100 mistakes a game, that's fine a- and, and we'll work with you. But if you don't participate in your online class, not only your parents will know, you will not play. That,

[00:27:47] Marc: Yeah.

[00:27:48] Marco: that's not negotiable.

[00:27:50] Marc: Yeah, that's awesome. So a day in the life for a player at one of the, your Universelle team looks like what?

[00:27:56] Marco: early rise, you know, whether you start on the ice or you start off the ice that's, that's kinda where it goes. And then, you know, they start around 8:00. They finish for lunchtime, everybody goes for lunch, and then there's classroom from 1:00 to 4:30. And then they, they come back to the main area of our campus, and then there's dinner.

And by 6:00, they're pretty much done with their day, you know, their daily routine with Universal. A- and then they go back to either their dorm, their billet family, and we had a couple guys last year living in apartments. The older guys did that, so they, they were kinda on their, on their own after 6:00, and there's supervision, you know, at the dorm.

You know, our, We have so-called house parents and assistant house parent that are our coaches. They some of them live with the players as far as leaders in the house. So that's kinda what it looks like

[00:29:02] Marc: Yeah. Awesome. So and, and, and they're looking at one ice time a day Marco?

[00:29:10] Marco: yeah, one ice time scheduled a day, but they go on the, they can go on the ice more than once. And we, we have, sometimes we have positional practices, we have team practices, and we have skill practices. So they can go and practice with their team and then right after there's a skills session for the forwards, then the forwards will stay and practice.

So they, they, they can also, a kid that's U18, for example that we think is doing well, we could challenge him and have him in a, in a NCDC practice. And the kids, they like that, you know, and it pushes them without having to push them too hard. The focus level is different, you know, when you're playing with guys that are zipping the puck, you know, and the goalies that are sharp.

You know, a goalie that's a 19-year-old versus a goalie that's 15, they're not, they're not taking the shots the same way. So the kid that's coming in, you know, and he's scoring goals at the, at the 18 level, um, goes and practice with the NCDC and then goes, "Man, you know, I only scored a goal today. It was tough practice."

But they realize, okay, there's, there's more, you know? And that, that's, that to us is self-explanatory. You know, they go, they, they live the experience. Some are super hard on themself and they come back and they're, like, mentally destroyed, and we're like, "Hey, it's not a big deal, you know, just keep going.

It just gives you an idea of where you're at, and we like your practice. Don't worry about the rest," you know? But that's, that's the the confidence side of, of the game. You know, the mental side is, i- is so big now that, you know, kids need to learn from the experience, and sometimes that experience, you know, being on s- on your team only, it doesn't provide that

[00:30:50] Marc: Yeah. And again, for me, right, everything I've done coaching here in, in the Raleigh area is all about development. My focus has matched your intent as far as development. We've never really, I've never really coached a, a team really in the top 50 yet. You know, I've been able to help a ton of kids move on, and some have moved to your program, and, and some even went to BCS.

So f- for me, it's, it's about, you know, just another level of development. And f- what you're doing at Universal is pretty awesome in the fact that, you know, right now you're kind of a, a bridge gap between, you know, a tier one junior or even a university. 'Cause I think, you know, as we see the NC d- NCDC gain more credibility in the recruiting world, you're gonna see more players coming out of that.

And once the dust settles with all this rule change and new junior leagues and new junior teams, I, I, I think you're gonna see Universelle even a, a, a bigger player in this youth program. And that's why I'm happy to partner with you, Marco. I think this is an opportunity for Universelle to really, um, you know, hit the stage and hit the stage running in regards to letting know what your program is about and where they're at.

You'd be s- shocked at how many people, I mean, are familiar with the, the, the famous prep school programs in the United States just because they've been around for a long time. But man, a l- a l- a, a lot of these programs are not for all the kids. And I think at the end of the day, what you have to offer is pretty special.

Um, so I wanna talk about the other phase of your program, global advancement. Um, I know you have a placement company. And again, when I approached you with what I was doing I'm ... I, I always ask my guests, you know, "What are your thoughts?" When I started Stop & Starts. And, and really what I offer is guidance.

You know, like, I talk with players that play with you that, you know, are struggling with where they're at. They're not getting as many games as they wanted to get, and maybe some of those conversations have been had. But still, again, they, they'd still reach out, and I still help them with what they're doing even though I'm not a placement company.

I don't do any of that. I'm basically just a consulting company that helps them navigate different paths. Yeah. And I can certainly shed some light on possibilities. But I wanna talk about global advancement and what you guys do as well as a subsidiary of what you're doing over there at Universelle.

[00:33:07] Marco: Yeah, we do, we do a little bit of everything, but the, the, the, the big part of our program, you know, is to make sure that all the players have an opportunity to go at the next level, whatever that lex- next level is, whether it's D1, whether it's D3 NCAA, or it's ACHA, you know, it's U Sport. Um, we have good connections but the better connection that we have is with the players that come and play for us.

You know, those guys, you know, it's, it's easy for us to work with them every day, and it's easy to understand what they need and where they should be a good fit, you know? So that part of what we do, we don't have a ton of players, you know, it's not it's not a one-size-fit-all, you know? We just try to make sure that the c- the ones that come with us, that we help them get to, you know, their, their, their dream spot per se, but at the same time, that reality is important.

So we have a consulting base, and we also have players that we need to transfer to agents just because they're, they're, they're better than the average player, and that, that average, that average player could go with guys like us, with consultants, you know, and, and a placement company. But the top guys that are gonna be drafted, you know, in the Q, drafted, you know, in the CHL, drafted in the USHL.

You know, it's, it's above what we do. But we move on to place them with different companies, different agents a- and they, they move on with those guys. Not that we're not part of it, you know, we like to communicate with the parents, you know, of what it's gonna look like in the future. A- and a lot of times, you know, I can't predict, you know, what's gonna happen, but we have a good idea once we got the kid at 18, 19, depending on the opportunity that he was given, we have a good idea where he's gonna land.

And now the landscape is changing with the rule changes which I think is beneficial to the athlete, you know, in a sense that nobody needs to hide anymore. You know, I think the, the, the best hockey, the best junior hockey league is the CHL. Then I think we have the USHL that's right there, and then we have the BCHL, a- and I don't think nobody comes close to, you know, the first two.

And if you can play that level, go for it. You know, you ha- you, you keep your school elig- eligibility, and you're measuring yourself with the best players in the world. So let's go. Let's have at it. And then in the past you wanted to keep, you know, your eligibility years, you know, you wanted to make sure you didn't make mistakes and didn't compromise the education, and now it's wide open, and that's perfect for the athlete, you know?

And then, you know, they at this point I see it as everything is a service- And the, the programs that are not giving services, you know, they're gonna pay the price. Because in the end, you know, the program that's, that's giving the service that it's supposed to be, they, are gonna place players.

They are gonna move

players

[00:36:16] Marc: think for me too, Marco, I think it gives, um, an extra year or so. Like I, I remember playing, I went to college my freshman year at 18 years old. There's very few guys that'll do that nowadays without them being generational players. I'm talking Eichels, Tkachuks, Celebrinis. I mean, a- again, I wasn't a generational, generational player by any stretch, but you're gonna see a lot less of that.

You know, the average age for a NCAA freshman is 20, 21 years old. I know with the rule change at 19, getting five years of eligibility from that point on might change that a little bit. But still, at the end of the day, y- you're gonna get an extra year of development, an extra year of being ready. What do you think that's gonna do for the schools?

You think that's still gonna ride high on early commits, or you think that's gonna delay them committing players a little later?

[00:37:08] Marco: I th- I, you know what? I think, you know, m- my opinion on this is that, you know, the, the top players will benefit from that rule change. You know, it, it, it's clear the ones that are playing the CHL and the USHL, it's clear that their path to the NHL i- is kinda, you know, not the same, but very similar for all top players.

Like, if you're a good player in the CHL, you're gonna end up going to college, and if you are a good player in the CHL but not yet the top, at 19 and 20 y- you're gonna shine in that league, and a school's gonna be looking at you, and you're not gonna miss your opportunity. The guys that are not playing in that league the rules is also beneficial because, you know, it allows, you know, the top to be at the D1 level, and then everything, I think, will stabilize itself in a few years, and you'll have players coming from all angles playing U Sport, playing D3, you know, playing ACHA.

You know, there's leagues growing in Europe, you know, so it you know, there's a collegiate league, university league growing in Europe. So all of these things are gonna be, um, pretty beneficial for the top player and also for the other player that, you know, is gonna ... D3's a good level. D3, after playing D3, you can play in Europe in certain leagues that will, will feed your thirst of, you know, wanting to play hockey,

[00:38:42] Marc: Yeah. And listen, Marco, you played in North America too. I played with guys that played D3 when Quinnipiac wasn't a D1 school. Very good players. Middlebury, good players. Again, right now, there's a lot of players playing hockey right now. For you to get noticed and recognized may not be a sign that you're not the best player, you just may have not gotten the same opportunities as another player has gotten on the team and might have been overlooked.

This just gives you another opportunity for you to... Look at all the guys that have signed in the AHL from U Sports. I mean, that's been pretty significant. S- No different than the amount of players that signed coming out of the NCAA D1 as well. But yeah, I, I, I'm with you 100%. I think it's gonna...

It, it needs to settle down. There's just a lot of questions and a lot of insecurities out there. I think all the more reason to trust a program where you can go and develop. What are your thoughts on the future of the NCDC?

[00:39:36] Marco: I, I like, I like the level, you know? I think it, it grows every year. You know, I like the compete level, I like the speed of that game. For me, I, I think it's a great fit for, for players that wants, wanna move on, you know? And if you're a D1 guy, NCDC's not gonna slow you down. You'll, you'll find your path, you'll find your way.

Obviously, if you're a 20-year-old, it's different. But if you're 16, 17, 18 there's gonna be opportunities for you to be looked at. You know, it- they're finding players everywhere, and if you're at that level, you're gonna play at the next level. So it's not the NCDC that's gonna slow you down, you know, in any way, shape, or form.

I've seen a lot of good players that are gonna get opportunities. They were younger players this year, but they're gonna get a lot of opportunities, you know, at the U Sport level. They're gonna be flirting with the D1 level. And once they, once they go for that experience, you know, it's up to the player to perform obviously, but if they're given the the right opportunity, it, th- there's gonna be some good players coming out of it.

You know,

[00:40:41] Marc: think there's a lot of things

[00:40:42] Marco: I'm not saying NCDC to D1, but I'm saying NCDC to the BCHL or the CHL or the USHL. It's gonna happen and those guy- They're gonna find those guys.

[00:40:52] Marc: Yeah, I agree. And I think sometimes there's so much onus put on where am I playing? Like, I, I had some conversation with some kids this summer, and they were like, "You know, I really think U18 AAA or USPHL Premier are opportunities to get some games at the NCDC level might be a good fit for you." But y- you know, at the end of the day, th- they kind of turn their nose up to the USPHL or NCDC and, and say, "Oh, man, you know, it's just not where I wanna go."

I said, "Well, I'm not telling you that this is your endgame, but this is a really good stepping stone in order for you to continue moving on down your path, whatever that path may be." Um, but, but really struggling to, to see the the pros of the NCDC just because of the status of the league in past years.

But I, I do see the league growing. I do see the league expanding and, you know, we had a, a player from your, your team, Simon, the BCHL this year, so that's great news. Um, anyway it's just, it's just hard for me. I think the NCDC needs to doing what it's doing and just keeping its head down and keep grinding and producing players

[00:41:59] Marco: Yeah, no, and, and obviously, Mark, you know, the, the, the opportunities they come, they, they come obviously there's, there's a lot of leagues, but in, in the end, like we have five kids that played in our programs that are gonna go to Q camp and OHL camp, you know? And it's starting, you know, it's a start. Um, I think at least one out of five is gonna make a Q team, you know, or an OHL team.

So that, that alone is worth, you know, moving forward any kind of program just because the opportunities are not less than they were. They, I think with the rule change, there's more opportunities. The doors are more open to look at different options and, and for kids to come from our program to go in a CHL camp, it's huge.

You know? And obviously timing is everything. The younger guy has a better upside than an older guy, but, you know, the landscape has changed and that's part of the change, is that wherever you play, everything is possible,

[00:43:03] Marc: Yeah. And, and, and again, you just need an opportunity to play. You need an opportunity to develop, and if you don't do that, then you don't have a chance, right? You need to go to a program that you're gonna get those opportunities, and Universelle does a great job at that. Marco just wanna thank you for all your time today.

Just always enjoy chatting with you for sure and, and glad for you to shed some light on your program, the opportunities that are available. They just reach out to your website, Marco? How do they how do they get in touch with getting some more information about Universelle?

[00:43:37] Marco: I think they need to contact you. You're, you're the best salesperson I have that's not on the payroll.

[00:43:42] Marc: Yeah, yeah.

[00:43:43] Marco: No, no, they, they, they can reach out on our website and then, um, they can also reach out, you know to me directly at mpietroniro@uh,

collegeuniversal.ca.

[00:43:58] Marc: Well anyway, Marco, thank you very much for your time today. I appreciate you shedding all some light on your program and always enjoy talking with you

[00:44:05] Marco: Likewise. Thank you very much for having me. Take