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Hockey parents and talented kids with dreams of playing in the NHL will eventually have to make a decision on whether to take the major-junior route or opt to play college hockey.

That was a decision current Canadien Torrey Mitchell and his parents had to make years ago.

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Back in 2005, I asked Steve Mitchell — Torrey’s Dad — to write a column for the Montreal Gazette explaining how the family decided it would be best for Torrey to take a pass on junior hockey and go to a U.S. prep school. The decision paid off in the end in more ways than one, with Torrey — who grew up in Greenfield Park on the South Shore of Montreal — now playing as a 30-year-old for the Canadiens with dreams of winning a Stanley Cup.

Here’s the column that Steve Mitchell wrote:

A hockey success story

PUBLISHED ON APRIL 3, 2005

STEVE MITCHELL

SPECIAL TO MONTREAL GAZETTE

There are many sound reasons why a talented young hockey player from Quebec might choose to attend a prep school in the United States rather than go the major-junior route. But it certainly wasn’t an easy decision for my son Torrey, who just finished his freshman season at the University of Vermont after being selected by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round of the 2004 NHL entry draft.