Summertime

Summertime is not exactly the time to think of ice hockey but being a Head Coach I do spend a little time thinking of the upcoming season which is three months away. At this point I have decided to have two organizational meeting in September or early October. One meeting will be with all the new players and parents. Right now it looks like I may have as many as 10 new players. The second meeting will be with the whole team. Right now there are no off season/summer practices for my team. Next I will start work on a practice plans for the start of the season and topics for the organizational meetings.

USA Hockey website

During the off season one place to keep track of what is going on in the hockey world is the USA Hockey web site. The site has something for coaches, parents and players of all ages. USA Hockey also has facebook and twitter sites so, check them out.

Age Specific module for Training

A part of the new USA Hockey coaches training program will be age specific modules for every age group. I think this is a good idea because there are certain skills that need to be taught to each age group. This will help build a better hockey players. This will also help coaches focus their practices and make them better but we have to wait until September to take the modules online.

USA Hockey Store

USA Hockey has opened a store in Lake Placid, New York. The store opened June 1st and will sell apparel as well as other items unique to USA Hockey. If you are in Lake Placid check the store out and let us know what it is like.

Instructional Players

In the our league we have instructional players on some teams. Instructional players are players that just started playing hockey. These are players who may have just started skating , may not shoot well and do not know how to check/ make body contact. The jump from instructional to high school games can be difficult and coaches should be careful about what situation to put instructional players in. You do not want them to get hurt or lose confidence in their abilities. I will have at least three instructional players on my team this fall.

I support the new rules

After reading the new rules that USA Hockey has approved I support the concept behind the rule. Teaching good checking skills early is important but it must be consistent. I grew up playing hockey in New England. We were taught to keep our hands down and check with our shoulders or hips. Then I moved to Maryland and started coaching at the Bantam level. One of the first things I noticed about bantams in Maryland is that they like to hit but always have their arms up. When I asked the players why they hit/check this way. The players said "how else should I check" so, I spent time teaching checking. Concussions are always a concern when young players play hockey. Teaching how to check correctly is important.
      Next up are instructional players.

New Rules for Hockey

At the 2011 Annual Congress held by the USA Hockey Board of Directors some rule changes were made that will effect high school hockey as well as hockey in general.
1.  Starting with the 2011-2012 season there will be no checking in games until the Bantam level which is (13-14 years old).
2. Starting with the 2011-2012 season all coaches will be required to take an age specific module.
3. The directors also passed a rule prohibiting checks that make contact with the head or neck.

   More discussion to follow.