Coaches teaching the game of hockey versus playing to win

[Guest]

“My personal complaint about coaching is selecting kids from evals simply because you've had them since Mites. Year after year I see deserving kids overlooked because the coach has his "kids".

Precisely!  I’ve seen this with multiple programs and argued with coaches as to why they passed on clearly superior skaters in favor of those already on the roster. Repeatedly was told it “wouldn’t  be fair to cut little Johnny...  He’s been with the program since Mites....” Never mind that he wouldn’t make the third line on a house team much less even hit the ice on a T1NO program.  Saw this repeatedly. Tells you everything you need to know about the coaches and the programs.  Evals are nothing but a money grab. Don’t waste your time and money or raise your kid’s expectations.

[Guest]

I have been coaching for years in tier ll youth hockey and it's not a secret that the teams are already assembled before the tryouts. We know who isn't going to make it and we know what we need to fill the vacancies. It's tier ll, we're not paid coaches and for the most part the kids are all friends who have played with each other from the first day the started. It's unfortunate to cut some players but they don't all progress at the same rate and winning is most definitely part of the equation but it's not the most important part. My objective is to prepare them for bantam to have the tools necessary for them to be successful and that includes knowledge of the game and positioning. It's not tier 1 where in the past teams would be different year in and year out with constant cuts and changes. While that does still seem to be the standard its become increasingly more obvious tier 1 teams are just happy to take on new players as long as the family can pay the tuition. In the end it's been the same for decades. You have teams whose coaches are playing to win at all cost and teams who just follow the organization instructions and teach. I like to keep it simple and include both. The kids either listen or they don't, the listening part is the parents responsibility.

[Guest]

“My personal complaint about coaching is selecting kids from evals simply because you've had them since Mites. Year after year I see deserving kids overlooked because the coach has his "kids".

Precisely!  I’ve seen this with multiple programs and argued with coaches as to why they passed on clearly superior skaters in favor of those already on the roster. Repeatedly was told it “wouldn’t  be fair to cut little Johnny...  He’s been with the program since Mites....” Never mind that he wouldn’t make the third line on a house team much less even hit the ice on a T1NO program.  Saw this repeatedly. Tells you everything you need to know about the coaches and the programs.  Evals are nothing but a money grab. Don’t waste your time and money or raise your kid’s expectations.

I don't mind loyalty to player if there isn't a big gap between the players being decided on. And maybe I'm like this because my son got cut a few years ago in this situation. We had 2 players come to try outs from another club. My son and and another life long club member got cut in favor of these 2 players. Maybe I'm a little bias, but I know my son was almost at the same level as these 2 players. Hell, the coach even told me it was neck and neck. Well, he finds a spot on another team. We got the last laugh because he made the playoffs and they didn't. Also, one of those 2 outside players ended up quitting before the end of the season and the other didn't come back the next year.
Even after the bitterness of getting cut, he came back the next season because he wanted to play with his friends.

[Guest]

The best coaches out there stress fundamentals.  I’ve seen this for years.  And the majority of times they win because they combine that with knowing the teams talent and hiding weaknesses.  Parents will tell their kids what they need from their perspective and here lies the problem.  Don’t get me wrong there are some coaches out there that honestly know hockey but have a hard time teaching it to others.  These are usually the young ones.  Some coaches will only recruit the top players making it appear that they are the best coach.  This has really hurt youth hockey.  The dream team will win due to their talent alone but almost never finish as they don’t have chemistry.  So all about winning is really hurting youth hockey players. 

[Guest]

Will say it again, ability to skate proficiently, all directions using all edges backward and forward is what allows teams and players to have confidence in playing their positions,  making and receiving passes on the move and heads up. That's rare in tier 2 at any level, so when clubs begin cherry picking a group of kids who have been developed by skating coaches,  the hockey coaches look like wizards. The answer is simple: create pure skating skills tests to advance through hockey levels,  force kids to prove and certify they can skate proficiently with increasing skill set --like martial arts belt tests with independent judges-- before they are even allowed to try out for next level, and every team will be equally coachable, every player equally able to do the skills and drills asked of them. You'll also see injury numbers drop.

[Guest]

Will say it again, ability to skate proficiently, all directions using all edges backward and forward is what allows teams and players to have confidence in playing their positions,  making and receiving passes on the move and heads up. That's rare in tier 2 at any level, so when clubs begin cherry picking a group of kids who have been developed by skating coaches,  the hockey coaches look like wizards. The answer is simple: create pure skating skills tests to advance through hockey levels,  force kids to prove and certify they can skate proficiently with increasing skill set --like martial arts belt tests with independent judges-- before they are even allowed to try out for next level, and every team will be equally coachable, every player equally able to do the skills and drills asked of them. You'll also see injury numbers drop.

Skating is a huge factor that definitely is a major consideration but if you choose kids solely based on skating, you will miss out on kids with hockey sense, vision, ability and athleticism that cannot be taught.  You will have kids that fall a tier below some skaters who end up being much better performers based on the strength of their other skill sets.

[Guest]

Those kids with “hockey sense” will go nowhere unless their skating skills are on par. Youth hockey today is ridiculous, I have never seen any skating correction in any team practice we’ve ever attended. Youth hockey is expensive after school care for kids, it’s like having kids play travel soccer without knowing how to walk or run.

Instead all these dad coaches focus on “life lessons” because they know they can’t teach anything about hockey. Or they focus on nonsense like kumbaya “we are all brothers” bs, how can kids feel like they are truly brothers with such varying levels of skills and commitment between players on the team?

And parents keep paying money, thinking their kid is actually improving. This is why parents are willing to pay extra for AAA, even if it is watered down, to at least try to get away from all of the bad hockey and coaching.

[Guest]

Show me an NHL player that cannot skate exceptionally well... If you cannot skate no amount of “hockey sense” can make you a superior player. In addition to utterly useless coaches I blame USA Hockey and its worthless ADM nonsense. One size fits all training produces lowest common denominator players. Do USHL and NAHL coaches follow ADM....