Colorado Delays Squirt Tryouts in Favor of Six-Week Evaluation
Imagine you’re a first-year Squirt. As a Mite, you played with friends on evenly drafted teams for four years. You do a few hockey camps in the summer while playing soccer. Then, hockey season starts. You skate a few times to get ready, then show up for Squirt tryouts that last week of August (also the first week of school). You skate the first night, go home, check the website and guess what? You’ve been cut—after a coach looked at you for maybe 30 minutes. Is this any way to treat a 9-year-old? Colorado thinks not.
The Potential of Late Bloomers
Just a few quick thoughts on the mindset of youth hockey. I have heard at least 10 parents, players and coaches claim that a 14-year-old kid is the best player in the world—or at least North America. Pretty ridiculous. Everyone in youth hockey is so concerned and preoccupied with the best player at his or her age group: Who has the most points, who is going to play junior early, who is being scouted.
Fall Bantam Development Camps
Three years ago, if Bantam hockey players such as forward Hunter Smith of Mound-Westonka and goaltender Matt Klein of Burnsville wanted to play fall hockey, their options weren’t great. Sure, they could try to connect with a private program and squeeze in dozens of games before the Bantam season began, but those opportunities included little in the way of actual skill development. Players such as Smith and Klein, who were more interested in advancing their abilities, needed a different outlet. Thankfully for the two youngsters and many others around the state, a new Reebok Minnesota Hockey High Performance Program (RMHHPP)—the Fall Bantam Development Camp—has since the filled the void.
What Makes the Metro Hockey League Work?
Last week we talked about the basics of the Metro Hockey League (Junior Gold). This week we’d like to explain why the league has been so successful the last several years.
XL Hockey League for High School Athletes!
The XL Hockey League is the perfect fit for any high school athlete who specializes in another sport, but still wants to stay involved with hockey, and for those who do not make their high school hockey team. The league is similar to adult hockey, so a high school student athlete can play no-check hockey, one day a week, and still have plenty of time to concentrate on their other sport or extracurricular activities.
No Name Original Kid of the Year
Brag to us about your original kid and win a Party at the xcel Energy center for up to 100 of your closest friends! The No Name brand of premium meat & seafood is looking for the No Name Original Kid of the Year. Now until February 18, 2011, enter to win by preparing an essay of 100 words or less describing why your “petite cut” age 5 to 18 should be the No Name’s Original Kid of the Year.
Details of Total Hockey Playmaker Fund Announced
Young hockey players in Minnesota to benefit from generosity of Total Hockey and its customers! Total Hockey has announced details of the Total Hockey Playmaker Fund. The Total Hockey Playmaker Fund will provide financial resources to Minnesota Hockey, the governing body of youth and amateur hockey in Minnesota. The intent of the Total Hockey Playmaker Fund is to increase participation in hockey throughout the state.
Junior Gold High School Hockey
Boys high school hockey tryouts start on Monday, Nov. 15. Most teams in the metro area will have more players trying out than open spots on either varsity or junior varsity. Where do the young men who don’t make the team go if they still want to play hockey? Although some quit the sport entirely, others sign up to play for a Junior Gold team in their community.
ADM Workshops for Long Term Athletic Development and Red, White and Blue Initiative
During November and early December Minnesota Hockey will conduct 12 American Development Model (ADM) workshops throughout Minnesota. Guy Gosselin, USA Hockey ADM Regional Manger, will lead the workshops and focus on sharing the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) principles and the implementation of the Red, White and Blue Hockey initiative. Understanding the LTAD principles is key to providing age-appropriate training for all of our hockey players. The Red, White and Blue Hockey initiative is a program designed for Mite/8U hockey players to increase player involvement, train them in ways that are appropriate for their age, reduce costs and, most importantly, do it in a fun manner so the kids come back.
6 Tips for Building Team Camaraderie
The best hockey seasons, win or lose, happen when everyone on a team gets along. When every player is supportive and friendly, practice and games—and the locker room—are fun. Nothing, even losing, causes more misery to parents and players than cliques and bullying in the locker room and on the ice. Plus, results on the ice indicate that closer-knit teams do perform better. So it’s no wonder that many coaches devote so much energy to ensuring that players not only improve their stickhandling skills but also their friendships.
