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	The following letter was written by Tim Pratt, former President of NEPSIHA. We at PlayYourGame.com felt that this letter was a great introduction to what New England Prep School hockey has to offer. To date, the preps have produced numerous NCAA players and a number of notable NHLers, such as Brain Leetch. The New England prep schools remain the most important recruiting ground for Division I college hockey programs in the east. In the 1999-2000 season alone, close to 150 former NEPSIHA student-athletes are on the rosters of the twelve ECAC Division I and nine Hockey East schools. 58 of these are at Ivy League schools, and 46 dot the rosters of the four Beanpot schools (Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern). This does not even take into account the many more who are playing in the other four Division I leagues nationally, those who took a year off before going to college, or the slew who have gone on to highly successful and competitive careers at top-notch Division II and III programs. On the women's side, 83 former NEPSIHA student-athletes play in the Division I ECAC league, and many of our Olympic gold medalists from Nagano toiled in the prep schools during their formative years. Prep school is a wonderful option for many boys and girls for a number of reasons, and hockey players are no exception. Most importantly, student-athletes receive educational opportunities second to none and are able to grow and flourish in a nurturing and challenging environment with low student-teacher ratios. While alternative hockey options for advanced players often require adolescents to sacrifice their educations in order to play at a high level, at prep school kids truly do get the best of both worlds: they can play an extremely competitive and exciting brand of hockey while getting a top-quality education. Finally, with over fifty member schools, the preps offer a variety of educational environments suitable for a wide range of students, from high achievers to those in need of more individualized attention. Most schools have two, three, and even four teams for players of a variety of abilities. There truly is a school for everyone! As coaches and educators, we are enormously proud of the impressive accomplishments of our former prep school student-athletes, both on and off the ice. Most know that prep school alumnae include Stanley Cup winners, NHL All-Stars, Olympians, NCAA champions, and Hobey Baker Award recipients. We are equally proud, however, of the many more who have gone on to distinguish themselves in the classroom and in the "real world." Sincerely, Tim Pratt St. Paul's School Former President, NEPSIHA List of Prep Schools
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