IN THIS ISSUE

Best Practices for Structuring Tryouts

Landscape of Illinois Mite Hockey

What Should a 10 Year Do In July to Prepare for the Season?

Players Flock to MSU's ADM Learn-to-Play Program

Video: Cross-Ice Integral to NHL Development Camps

Video: Bob Mancini Addresses Playing Time

Just for Coaches: On- and Off-Ice Practice Plans

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Volume 2 Issue 8
July 28, 2015

BEST PRACTICES FOR STRUCTURING TRYOUTS

 

By Joe MeloniTryouts are a part of youth hockey at almost every level. As players grow, they become even more common, and for coaches, they become critical ways of identifying talent. But tryouts can be stressful, and if they aren't run properly, can be a missed opportunity.

 

Ultimately, the goal of any tryout is to find the best place for each young player to develop, and most importantly, have fun. Obviously coaches want to form teams that will be well positioned for success on the ice, too. Teams need a mix of talent, work ethic and character, and the way a coach runs his or her tryout will help reveal these qualities.

 

"I'm looking at the players' skills, instincts and heart," said Chuck Gridley, coach-in-chief of USA Hockey's New York District. "In addition, I want to see what kind of person they are, and how they fit into the chemistry of the team."

 

Finding Competitiveness

One of the most important aspects of hockey is its competitiveness. Hockey is made up of 1-on-1 battles all over the ice, and often, compete level is the deciding factor of who wins those battles. READ MORE>>

ILLINOIS ADM NEWS
LANDSCAPE OF ILLINOIS MITE HOCKEY
By Jim Clare, AHAI ADM Chairman
 

Several years ago, USA Hockey (the governing body for amateur hockey in the United States) launched the American Development Model (ADM) for player development at all age levels. AHAI and its membership has embraced the ADM throughout our programming by incorporating small-area games into practices, station-based training on a weekly basis, off-ice training, and age-appropriate training at all age levels.  Over the past three years, through the ADM program, USA Hockey modified mite player development protocols, including game limits on full-ice hockey and the start date for full-ice mite hockey. While AHAI supported this philosophy, it was clear that many clubs were resisting this piece of the ADM.

 

While we know that the ADM has a place in Mite development and that AHAI will continue its full support of that development model as part of the process for developing the strongest skills possible for all our 8 and under players; the direction that Illinois has taken regarding full-ice mite hockey is in direct opposition to USA Hockey's policies. As teams take their travel mites out of USA Hockey, it has greatly limited our ability to play any games. With most NIHL clubs moving their mites out of USA Hockey, NIHL dropped their Mite Travel Division. We wish nothing but success for those mites playing elsewhere and welcome them back as Squirts to the USA Hockey family. READ MORE>>

USA HOCKEY ADM NEWS
HOW 10 PRO ATHLETES DEVELOPED ATHLETICISM
By Jessi Pierce - Special to USA Hockey


How do we develop well-rounded athletes? These 10 current and former stars all followed a similar path. Here's what they did growing up.

 

Jordan Spieth, PGA

At just 21 years old, Spieth has rapidly climbed the ladder of the golf world. He recently won his second major golf title at the U.S. Open and ranks second in the world. Growing up, Spieth was drawn to golf, but also excelled as a quarterback, pitcher and point guard. Spieth's mom, Chris, said his talent for golf didn't emerge until later, but by playing other sports, his athletic prowess was noticeable early on.

 

"He hung up his golf clubs during football and baseball season - he was a quarterback and pitcher - two pretty big roles," Chris Spieth said in an interview with Purpose2Play. "Then, he'd pick up golf again when summer rolled around. It wasn't like he excelled in one sport over the other. He seemed to have a gift for them all." READ MORE>>

ADM ACROSS AMERICA
WHAT SHOULD A 10 YEAR OLD DO IN JULY TO PREPARE FOR THE SEASON?
PLAYERS FLOCK TO MICHIGAN STATE'S ADM LEARN-TO-PLAY PROGRAM
By Kenny Rausch, Youth Hockey Manager-

Q: What should my child be doing in July to prepare for the upcoming hockey season?

 

A: During the summer, your 10U hockey player should be experiencing other sports to get ready for the hockey season. Being an athlete first and playing a variety of sports at this age will pay huge dividends down the road in his or her hockey-playing career. The benefits are many. Refining motor skills, balance, agility, coordination, and spatial awareness are merely some of the traits that can be greatly enhanced by playing other sports. Playing invasion sports (in which one must attack or defend a goal) is particularly good for improving spatial awareness, which translates into improved hockey sense in our game. READ MORE>>

By Nick Barnowski - MSU Athletic Communications  The Michigan State University hockey team spent a little extra time on the ice this past winter. Following practice on Mondays, the Spartans returned to the ice for a different kind of skate - one that took them back to where it all began.

"I don't think it's too much to ask for 45-minutes out of your week to take the time to change a kid's life," defenseman Travis Walsh, a junior from Haslett, said.

 

Walsh and his teammates, along with the Spartan coaching staff, hosted youth skaters from the Lansing area at Munn Ice Arena in a "learn to play" program. The young players ranged in age from 4 to 8-years old. READ MORE>> 

ADM MULTIMEDIA

CROSS-ICE PLAY INTEGRAL TO NHL DEVELOPMENT CAMPS

ADDRESSING PLAYING TIME WITH BOB MANCINI

After they slip a sweater over their top prospects, NHL teams ship those talented teenagers to summer development camp for professional competition and training.

 

Cross-ice hockey is a staple of those camps, as teams look to maximize player development in the era of homegrown talent trumping free-agent frenzies. READ MORE>>

Bob Mancini USA Hockey American Development Model regional manager talks about how the ADM model addresses playing time in youth hockey. "Playing time is a hot button topic in youth sports, but it does not have to be." 
Liberty Mutual Insurance Play Positive®  invites you to  watch  Mancini in this exclusive video as he explains how reducing roster size keeps youth players and parents in the stands happy.
JUST FOR COACHES

PRACTICE PLANS FOR ON-ICE

PRACTICE PLANS FOR DRYLAND
This video was made at a recent coaching clinic. Stay focused on some of the drills taught to the Coaching Instructors as they can all be used to teach body checking/contact for the Pee wee aged skater during practices.

As has been relayed in the coaching clinics, while the new rule for body checking is bantam and above, we are required to teach checking in practice at the Pee Wee level in preparation for moving on. That is two years of checking drills before they hit the ice as bantams. Some examples of off-ice checking drills are demonstrated in the video above.