Forum > General Youth Hockey Info
Shortening the bench
Guest:
Do good coaches shorten the bench? What level is right to do so?
Do good coaches preach their going to shorten the bench, but never really do so (as a scare tactic).
I was always under the impression (as a parent) if you say something you do it?
Guest:
I have experienced a wide sampling of bench shortening. One coach played line 1 every other shift while line 3 would see 2 very short shifts per period. Line 2 saw about 80% of the shifts of line 1. Coach would punish line 3 for perceived bad plays while lines 1-2 played unstructured, sloppy hockey. End result was Line 1-2 were gassed in the playoffs and line 3 actually played very well. Another experience was shortening in situations to check best players from the other team, especially at the end of games.
Guest:
Define "good coaches"? So called "good coaches" at PHC, LF, JrF, and other AAA rinks shorten benches at 9U and above. PHC is notorious for playing 2 forward lines and 2 D pairs when playing top teams. Parent get to spend $1500 on travel and hotels for their kids to play 2 shifts a game. Parents need to wake up and realize no bench should be shortened until the kids reach 15U. The one exception is in the last 4-5 minutes of close game and you are either trying to hang on or come back. Other than that all kids should get regular shifts. Remember the worst kid on a AAA team at 10U may be the best kid on the team by 15U. Development should be 100% priority, not winning. Only way to develop is to put kids in all situations. Top level teams care about winning only and will drop your kid for a better player at a moments notice. If your kid gets cut from AAA, stop joing the AA program at that rink. Your kid has no shot at getting back to AAA at that rink because they want new $ coming through the door. You are already a captive customer. How many parents whose kids are cut from AAA are offered AA with the promise you kid will still get to practice with AAA and have a shot at rejoining team next season? Now, for those of you who have been promised this scenario, how many actually make it back to AAA? My bet would be less that 1%. Parents need to wake the F*ck up and learn what the rinks do to get you to stay. I will also bet that 99% of the kids on so called "top AAA teams" will not play college, let alone go pro. I will also bet that a larger % of kids on AA teams make it further than those kids on AAA since 9U.
Guest:
Coaches should be rolling lines evenly until maybe 5 minutes left in a close game. 0.0001% of these kids are going to the next level. We are abdicating our responsibility to be developing skills for young men (mostly) that will serve them in life, not just hockey. If you get to bantams and are on an uber competitive team and that's the understanding from the get-go, so be it. Those kids may have a chance to get to juniors or NCAA. But everyone else is bound for beer league and the greater work force. Stop living and dying by how your kid's hockey team does and teach them skills for life.
Guest:
Sorry that should be .00001% AREN'T going to the next level
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