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Why Canada Produces More NHL Players U.S. hockey development is at a crossroads. With the [...]
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We’ve all done it. Pretended to be our favorite athlete—driving to the hoop, scoring the [...]
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Why Small Intentional Decisions Matter. We’ve all been there. A tournament 45 minutes outside a [...]
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In a world of constant comparison, identity is under pressure, and grit is what holds [...]
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Why Canada Produces More NHL Players U.S. hockey development is at a crossroads. With the NCAA now allowing more CHL players into college hockey, many coaches worry that Canadian players will increasingly earn spots that once went to Americans. But this isn’t really a CHL story. It’s a U.S. hockey development story. The numbers make […]
In a world of constant comparison, identity is under pressure, and grit is what holds it together. We’ve all heard it: “Kids these days aren’t built like we were.” And honestly… that’s true. But not for the reason people think. It’s not that kids are softer. It’s that they’re growing up in a completely different […]
Every season we try to anchor our team with a theme—something that captures how we want to play and who we want to be. A few years ago, that word was grit. It fit the game perfectly. Hockey is a little grimy. A little chaotic. It rewards the player who keeps going when things aren’t […]
Youth hockey tryouts in Fairfield County reveal something fascinating every year. Parents become anxious, conversations become tense, and behaviors sometimes emerge that seem… out of character. Which raises a strange question. Why are parents so emotionally invested in something they are not actually participating in? The players are the ones trying out. Not the parents. […]
A lighthearted guide to surviving hockey tryout season If anxious energy could be measured with a thermometer, Fairfield County would be in the middle of a heat wave. It’s hockey tryout season. The nervous chatter. The heightened gossip. The speculative “I heard they’re taking six forwards from the A team…” All hallmarks of tryout uncertainty. […]
CONNECTICUT HOCKEY PARENTS: READ THIS CAREFULLY This isn’t about coaches. This isn’t about ice time. This isn’t about practice plans. This is about us. The Hard Truth On a per‑capita basis, Connecticut — along with New York and New Jersey — produces far fewer high‑level hockey players than comparable regions. That includes: NCAA Division I […]
Every hockey coach I talk to can’t stop talking about the way Team Finland played at the World Juniors. They punch well above their weight in NHL representation. And for years, USA Hockey has studied the Finnish model—trying to decode what people often label as “skill development.” But here’s the reality check. If Finnish players […]
But… it’s actually kinda funny) Let’s be honest. Two of the dirtiest little secrets in youth hockey: 1️⃣ Mite parents absolutely know the score of every game 2️⃣ Everyone says rankings “don’t matter”… while secretly refreshing them like the stock market When my boys were in Mites, I’d hear legends about managers rearranging schedules like […]
Understanding and Encouraging the Development of Hockey IQ A few years ago, I was out for a skate and found myself watching a Junior kid and thinking, “man, this guy is so dumb out there.” The words slipped out before I even realized what I was saying. Then it hit me—I coach in the same […]
