Are you searching for hockey agents (or an agency) that can help you advance your hockey career?
If so, you've come to the right place...
We'll help cover that for you in this article.
We will cover working with hockey agents in Europe since that's what we have specialized in for over a decade, having helped players place in dozens of EU countries each year.
How do I pick a hockey agent?
The answer to this question is heavily dependent on your playing experience (hockey resume).
Highly scouted players coming out of major junior (OHL, WHL, QMJHL), NHL draft picks, and top-NCAA hockey players have likely already been reached out to in many circumstances by an agency or two to help them in landing a pro club.
For the majority of junior and university players though, it's on you to be proactive in interesting a hockey agency to work with you.
You might be in this situation yourself...it's not a bad thing at all.
It just takes a little more work upfront since you're less well known to European clubs (for now) & you first need to showcase yourself more to prove you can play pro hockey in Europe.
When it comes to picking a hockey agent or agency to work with, one of the most important factors you should look for is the overall connections the agency has in the countries/leagues that you're looking to play in.
Our agency focuses solely on helping players play hockey in Europe so we have way more resources and depth dedicated to this alone....
How much does a hockey agent cost?
The cost to work with hockey agents (or an agency) will vary based on what level you're playing at.
If you're playing in a top European hockey league such as SHL, NLA, Liiga, you're paying more since agents are taking a small percentage cut of a large contract deal.
If you're reading this article, you probably don't lie in the camp where you're looking to make hundreds of thousands of dollars per year playing though....
You'll likely pay an agent/agency anywhere from hundreds to a couple thousand dollars tops depending completely on the level of service they're providing for you.
Tip: always check that an agency has some written testimonials from players. This is a helpful indicator that other players had a positive experience as well.
What does a hockey agent do?
A good agent or hockey agency should help provide you with the following:
1) access (the ability for you to get your name in front of the right people at clubs).
2) professional guidance (everything from outreach and communication to contract oversight and ensuring your team takes care of you during your time there).
The players interest and well being should always come first...no exceptions.
If the hockey agents you choose are well connected to enough clubs throughout leagues at the level you're trying to play in, you'll have way more opportunities available to you.
Do European players work with hockey agents?
Yes. Working with a hockey agency in Europe gives you an unfair advantage when it comes to finding a club to sign with.
If you have superb numbers and a top notch playing resume, you may garner interest without one. If not though, you're limiting your opportunity to the places where you could potentially play.
Why?
You won't be able to get your name in front of the right people at each organization throughout many countries. A good hockey agency can help you do this quickly.
We covered this further in European Hockey Agents.
As mentioned earlier in this article, an important factor to consider when deciding whether you should work with a hockey agent or not comes down to their resources and professional communication.
Having build up our connections around Europe the last 10 years, we have built relationships up through all EU countries that have a good level of hockey played there.
These connections and insights are invaluable for each of our players.
If you're in a place right now where you have the desire to play hockey in Europe but want to discuss the best path to do that, send us a message by clicking the link below and we'll let you know if we're able to help you.