JOIN THE 7 OTHER ILLINOIS RINKS/ASSOCIATIONS HOSTING A HWAA TRY HOCKEY FOR FREE DAY!

Hockey Week Across America, will be highlighted by Try Hockey For Free Day on Saturday, February 25, 2017. Associations will introduce new kids between the ages of 4 and 9 to youth hockey for this season as well as capture interested families for the following season. February is a great opportunity to attract new families who are thinking hockey because it's winter. This will give you an advantage with your spring programs and identifying new families for next fall. The FIRST 300 associations to register will receive jerseys, giveaway items, marketing tools and much more. Join the Leafs Hockey Club, Franklin Park Ice Arena, Sabre Girls Hockey, Park District of Oak Park, Pekin, Admirals and Rolling Meadows Renegades who have already registered! But, don't delay...registration closes on Friday, January 11, 2017! MORE INFORMATION>>

Acceleration increased by 10%:  8U skating acceleration speeds increased as the ice surface size was reduced. Average skating acceleration speeds were 10 percent faster in cross-ice hockey compared to full-ice hockey.

Top Speed Reached in 65 feet:  The average distance 8U players needed to reach top speed was 65 feet. Advanced skaters  reached top speed in 60 feet or less. The cross-ice playing surface is 85 feet in length,  meaning 8U players can and do reach top speed in cross-ice hockey.

What Does It Mean? Effective skating, especially at higher levels, is a combination of turns, pivots, stops, starts and transitions. It's been said that the NHL's No. 1 skill isn't top speed; it's the ability to change speeds and accelerate quickly. Cross-ice hockey trains players to skate the game, rather than simply skating fast in straight lines. It provides more acceleration, more agility and more engagement. It also doubles players' puck-handling opportunities. VIEW INFOGRAPHIC>>

AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT MODEL PROVING EFFECTIVE IN COLLEGE RANKS

By Mike Scandura ~ Dana Borges got a taste of pro hockey, playing for one season in France, but when he returned to the United States, he commenced his coaching career.  After serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Stonehill College, he moved onto Colgate University where he is currently a volunteer assistant coach for the men's hockey team.  When he delved into coaching, it had a profound effect on him.  "Once I started focusing on a coaching career, I gravitated to the American Development Model in terms of understanding how important it is for player development," said Borges, who was the youth hockey director for the Walpole (Massachusetts) Express during his time on Stonehill's staff. "It's important for the amount of touches and repetitions players get in game-like situations. That's what enables them to develop at a high rate, so they can compete in a game scenario."  FULL ARTICLE>>

By Jayson Hron ~ Hockey carried Kory Scoran from his Canadian prairie home to Michigan's Soo Locks and then to Idaho, where he embarked on a seven-season professional playing career.  After a stopover in Holland and a stint in Kansas, his heart - and his future wife - remained in Boise, so it was no surprise when the 6-foot-3 defenseman played his final ECHL season with the Steelheads and then made his home in Boise.  He's been at Idaho IceWorld ever since, building a model municipal youth hockey program and helping the community's travel hockey leaders bridge differences that fragmented Boise's talent pool for years. Now, with the travel teams consolidated and Boise's in-house program thriving, the community's hockey future looks bright. FULL ARTICLE>>