Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
Yes, all true.
But the draft offers a new dynamic in that the cut-off is September. So the 'young guys' are the guys born in the summer (like Bennett) and the 'older guys' are the kids born Oct-Dec (which is the opposite of the above study).
I doubt there is any evidence, and I would imagine that scouts consider it, but I think it is a definite factor when trying to compare two kids in junior and one of them is 11 months (or 5%) older
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Also all true, but what Gladwell proposes is that those early born kids are so much better younger (maybe 12% older at 8 years and January cutoff) that they simply develop into better players due to better coaching, more practise, etc. One would think later borns would 'catch up' over time, but would account for more early birth's in the CHL due to young Bantam draft age.
The same can probably be hypothesized for socio-economic advantaged kids. I expect a disproportionate number of elite hockey players come from 'wealthy' families. I expect there is no study for this, and is really only a guess based on my experience with a Jr. Hockey organization.