Ten years ago this month, the USA Hockey board of directors unanimously approved the launch of a new paradigm in youth athlete development: the American Development Model. The decision created a better way to play for American youth, dramatically improving the hockey development environment in the United States. The NHL became an early champion of the ADM, throwing its support behind the initiative. The ADM has since spread across the nation’s entire sporting landscape, as it was subsequently adopted by numerous national governing bodies, local youth sport clubs and the U.S Olympic Committee.
Blending the latest sport science with proven childhood development techniques and decades of high-performance hockey wisdom, USA Hockey’s ADM debuted in the 2009-10 season. Its age-appropriate, age-specific competition and training structure provided a nationwide blueprint for volunteer-led associations, coaches and hockey directors to create the best possible youth hockey experience, placing a heightened emphasis on skill, fun and long-term athlete development principles.