Your kid plays hockey, and suddenly it seems like every other player has their own Instagram account.
Game highlights, training videos, tournament updates, team announcements. Some of these accounts look more professional than the social media accounts of actual hockey organizations.
And I can understand why parents start wondering whether their child needs one too.
Especially when they're watching other players tag teams, interact with scouts and share clips from every game.
Is this just part of hockey now? Are players missing opportunities if they're not putting themselves out there?
The short answer is no. Your child doesn't need a public social media account to get noticed in hockey.
But that doesn't mean social media can't be useful.
I think the bigger question is what you're hoping the account will accomplish, and whether it actually makes sense for your player.
Social media can help a player get noticed. But it's not what makes them worth noticing.
I work in social media and athlete marketing, so I'm certainly not going to suggest that having an online presence has no value.
It absolutely can.
Social media gives players opportunities to share their development, connect with people in the hockey industry and make their information more accessible.
But I think we need to be careful about confusing visibility with actual recruiting interest.
A player can have thousands of followers and very little interest from teams.
Another player might have no public social media presence whatsoever and be actively evaluated by multiple organizations.
Because ultimately, being visible online and being valuable to a hockey organization aren't the same thing.
Coaches, scouts and agents have been identifying players long before Instagram existed.
They're watching games, reviewing film, speaking with coaches, attending tournaments and evaluating players through their existing networks.
Social media can support that process.
It doesn't replace it.
Who are you actually trying to reach?
This is probably the first thing I'd encourage families to consider.
Because "getting exposure" isn't really a strategy.
Are you hoping college coaches will notice your player?
Are you trying to make game footage accessible to junior hockey scouts?
Do you want an agent or adviser to be able to review their development?
Or is the account simply something your child would enjoy having?
Those are different objectives, and they don't necessarily require the same approach.
For example, if a college coach has already expressed interest in your player, they may want updated game footage, academic information or a way to stay in contact.
That doesn't necessarily require an Instagram account.
A private video link, an email or an existing player profile may accomplish exactly the same thing.
The NCAA's recruiting guidance recognizes social media as one way recruiting communication can happen, but it doesn't require athletes to maintain public accounts.
And that's an important distinction.
Making it easy for the right people to find information about your player doesn't mean making their entire hockey life public.
I think parents need to be careful about turning their kids into content creators.
This is something I feel pretty strongly about, especially given the work I do in social media.
There's a big difference between helping a young athlete establish an appropriate online presence and creating an ongoing content obligation they never actually asked for.
Not every kid wants to post training videos.
Not every player wants their game highlights shared publicly.
And not every teenager wants their hockey performance, successes and disappointments documented online.
I think it's easy for parents to look at what other families are doing and start feeling like their child is falling behind.
But I'd encourage parents to ask whether their player actually wants an account.
And if they do, what they're comfortable sharing.
A 12-year-old doesn't necessarily need a public hockey identity because other kids on the team have one.
And a 16-year-old who wants to share highlights with coaches doesn't necessarily need to post every practice, tournament and offseason workout.
Your child can be serious about hockey without wanting to be a content creator.
I think we need to make more room for that.
If your player does want an account, keep the purpose clear.
I'm not against young athletes having hockey-focused social media accounts.
Quite the opposite.
When there's a clear purpose behind them, I think they can be valuable.
A simple account that makes it easy to find current game footage, basic player information and relevant hockey updates can be useful.
Especially as players get older and begin exploring junior, college or other development opportunities.
But I wouldn't overcomplicate it.
You don't need professional graphics for every milestone.
You don't need to post after every game.
And you definitely don't need to turn every aspect of your child's development into content.
I'd focus on making the information accurate, current and easy to find.
I'd also encourage families to think about who's actually consuming that content.
A highlight video that gets thousands of views from other hockey parents might be exciting.
But that doesn't necessarily mean it's reaching anyone involved in player evaluation.
And even when it does, a highlight reel is only one small piece of what an organization needs to assess.
There's a difference between creating content that performs well on social media and providing information that's useful to someone evaluating a hockey player.
Privacy and boundaries matter too.
This is another part of the conversation I think deserves more attention.
When you create a public account for a young athlete, you're making information about them accessible to people you don't necessarily know.
That might include where they play, when they're travelling, which tournaments they're attending and potentially details about their personal life.
I'd be particularly cautious about posting real-time locations, travel schedules or information that makes it easy to identify where a minor will be.
And I'd think carefully about who can contact the player directly.
USA Hockey's Safe Sport policies include requirements around social media and electronic communications involving minors. Other hockey organizations may have their own safeguarding and communication policies.
Those rules are worth understanding before encouraging your child to communicate with coaches, scouts or other adults online.
I'd also encourage parents to have ongoing conversations about what their child is comfortable sharing.
A parent managing the account doesn't automatically mean the player is comfortable having a public presence.
And I think that matters.
So, should your child have a hockey social media account?
I'd start with a few questions:
- What's the purpose? Are you trying to share film, provide player information, connect with hockey professionals or simply document their experience?
- Does your child actually want one? Or is this something you're considering because other families are doing it?
- Who are you trying to reach? And is social media the most effective way to reach them?
- What are you comfortable sharing? Think about privacy, direct messages, locations and personal information.
- Is it worth maintaining? Even if the account never leads to a recruiting opportunity?
If there's a clear reason to create an account and your player wants to participate, great.
If a private film link and an email address accomplish the same thing, that's fine too.
And if your child has absolutely no interest in maintaining a hockey account?
I don't think that needs to become another thing you convince them to do.
Your child doesn't need to become a brand to have a future in hockey.
I think we're going to see more conversations about personal branding and social media in youth hockey as NIL opportunities and athlete marketing continue to develop.
And there's value in helping young athletes understand how their online presence can affect future opportunities.
But I also think we need to be realistic about what social media can and cannot do.
An Instagram account isn't going to turn every player into a recruit.
A viral highlight doesn't guarantee a roster spot.
And a player who doesn't post regularly isn't necessarily missing out on opportunities.
Social media can help people discover a player. It doesn't replace the evaluation of whether that player is actually a fit.
For some athletes, building an online presence will make sense.
For others, it won't.
And I think parents should be comfortable with both answers.
Your child can be ambitious, committed to hockey and interested in playing at the next level without feeling like they need to document the entire experience online.
For more guidance on youth hockey, social media, NIL and athlete marketing, visit the Player Partnerships Parents Hub.