USA Hockey Article

[greybeard58]

http://www.mghca.com/news_article/show/ ... _id=115187

05/07/2014, 5:45pm CDT
By USAHockey.com


The dream of playing college and professional hockey grows in most players’ hearts with each passing season. Those aspirations sometimes make it difficult for developing players to hang up their skates in the offseason, for fear they’re missing opportunities to improve and take another step toward their dreams.

But while it might be hard for them to take a break from hockey, that’s precisely what they should do, despite plenty of persuasive attempts to convince kids, parents and coaches otherwise.

Showcase Exposure Not Always Meaningful

The dream of a scholarship or a college hockey roster spot often draws players to summer or spring showcases that pit them against other youth hockey players. The promise of exposure to collegiate coaches and other scouts may very well be a reality, but it isn’t necessarily a guarantee that attending the showcase is the right choice.

According to Bob Daniels, who recently completed his 22nd year as head coach at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., these showcases are rarely as influential as players and parents think they are. Daniels said he and his staff refrain from making serious decisions on recruiting based on performances at showcases.

"What happens a lot is there is someone behind the event trying to convince young players and their families that their showcase is the place to be,” Daniels said. “Maybe they know a few college or major junior coaches are going to be there, and they use that to get other people there. They’re trying to make a profit off the event. This isn't always the case, but it is sometimes."

It’s the Season That Counts

In general, Daniels believes young players can attract the eyes of the right people by playing well on their regular teams, whether it’s a school, town or junior league. Summer hockey, while fun for a lot of kids, comes with characteristics that lead Daniels and other coaches at prominent college programs to disregard much of what happens at showcases.

"We're very cautious about making assumptions on players' talents at these camps,” Daniels said. “A lot of times, some of these young people haven't been playing for a few weeks or they've been playing non-stop and they look tired. We try not to make our decisions based upon the way players perform at these showcases. We want to see players during



their seasons to make our decisions on the players we want to play for Ferris State." Take a Break
Aside from issues with showcases in general, Daniels and a growing number of hockey and conditioning coaches believe too many young people focus too much on playing hockey throughout the year.

As much fun as it is for young people to keep playing hockey year-round, taking a few months to play other sports can be beneficial. Using the offseason to play lacrosse, baseball, soccer or another sport or activity helps players develop a varied skill set and greater overall athleticism. It also gives players a mental break from hockey, which keeps them mentally fresher during the regular season.

Playing year-round hockey, even for the most serious or talented young hockey player, puts them at risk of burning out or sustaining overuse injuries.

"We actively encourage our players to stay away from the ice for a while after our season ends,” Daniels says. “When you spend so much time on the ice, you risk overuse with things like groin pulls or abdominal strains. For players around 13 or 14, many of whom haven't really started growing yet, the chance for muscle overdevelopment or injury exists as well."

Even Daniels himself, a man who has made a successful career out of the sports, enjoys spending time away from the hockey rink.

Continue Training

The coaching staff at Ferris State encourages its players to spend their offseason getting physically stronger while maintaining their physical conditioning.

"We want our guys to spend the couple months after the season in the gym, getting physically stronger or even out on the golf course,” Daniels says.

As players turn 13, 14 or 15 years old, the desire to keep playing hockey beyond high school or other leagues only grows. Their training period should be extended as well if they are serious about a future in hockey.

However, some of the options available to draw the eyes of collegiate coaches may not be as promising as they seem.

“We don’t make assumptions on players during these showcases,” Daniels says. “If a player performs well during their regular season, they’ll be seen by the right people.”

[jg2112]

I've never seen a sport tell its participants to stop playing it more than hockey.

Soccer associations don't repeatedly punish my in-box with requests for my child to stop playing.

My son's basketball associations don't tell me to quit playing in the summer.

What is the psychology behind repeatedly asking hockey players to stop playing hockey? The research behind hockey (was it Hal Tearse?) indicates you get about 25-30 minutes of good skating at a practice, about 15 minutes or so during a game.

Yes, it does make sense to take time away from the sport. There are built in breaks between association and AAA in the spring, summer and fall. But the same folks who tell kids to stop playing are the same ones who publish posts indicating top-level players need to skate about 250 hours a year to develop. How can you do that without playing most of the year? And why the continual beating over the head asking kids to not get in a few 90 minute practices and some games in June?

[Froggy Richards]

I've never seen a sport tell its participants to stop playing it more than hockey.

Soccer associations don't repeatedly punish my in-box with requests for my child to stop playing.

My son's basketball associations don't tell me to quit playing in the summer.

What is the psychology behind repeatedly asking hockey players to stop playing hockey? The research behind hockey (was it Hal Tearse?) indicates you get about 25-30 minutes of good skating at a practice, about 15 minutes or so during a game.

Yes, it does make sense to take time away from the sport. There are built in breaks between association and AAA in the spring, summer and fall. But the same folks who tell kids to stop playing are the same ones who publish posts indicating top-level players need to skate about 250 hours a year to develop. How can you do that without playing most of the year? And why the continual beating over the head asking kids to not get in a few 90 minute practices and some games in June?

Because USA Hockey is wary of AAA teams gaining ground and eventually moving into the Winter Season. They do everything they can to discourage participation in AAA hockey, under the guise of burnout, overuse, and saving money. We get several e-mails during the offseason that proves this. I'm not necessarily saying they're wrong, but that has to be the reason. To their Defense, AAA hockey doesn't do much for long term development, especially in younger players. They are better served by skills camps in my opinion. But some kids really enjoy it and want to play, and that makes it fine in my opinion, as long as they don't overdo it.

[InigoMontoya]

To their Defense, AAA hockey doesn't do much for long term development, especially in younger players. They are better served by skills camps in my opinion.

I have seen the exact opposite. A pile of kids go north for a week, to skate for an hour and to swim in the lake the rest of the day, with maybe an evening scrimmage. For the same money, another pile of kids get about 40 hours of practice ice, spread out in the spring and fall, accompanied by 3 or 4 tourneys (12-20 games) where they get a chance to apply practice skills and work a little on hockey IQ. I see a lot of AAA jerseys on the A team ice in the winter, and summer camp jerseys peppering the B & C teams. It's all good, but I don't see the value in 2 or 5 or 7 days in a row, in the middle of a 7 month hiatus.

[jg2112]

To their Defense, AAA hockey doesn't do much for long term development, especially in younger players. They are better served by skills camps in my opinion.

I have seen the exact opposite. A pile of kids go north for a week, to skate for an hour and to swim in the lake the rest of the day, with maybe an evening scrimmage. For the same money, another pile of kids get about 40 hours of practice ice, spread out in the spring and fall, accompanied by 3 or 4 tourneys (12-20 games) where they get a chance to apply practice skills and work a little on hockey IQ. I see a lot of AAA jerseys on the A team ice in the winter, and summer camp jerseys peppering the B & C teams. It's all good, but I don't see the value in 2 or 5 or 7 days in a row, in the middle of a 7 month hiatus.

My daughter would not be the player she is today without spring/summer training through AAA. The difference between what she gets in association hockey and AAA hockey is so stark that she treats AAA season as her "real" season.

In the AAA season, she is surrounded by players who can skate, who can stickhandle, who can shoot, and as a result her AAA coaches can play her in her best position (left wing) instead of the position she has to play out of necessity for her association (left defense) because she can skate backwards.

If we simply relied on her substandard association coaches, she'd be far, far behind other girls in her age group, compared to where she is right now.

[Froggy Richards]

To their Defense, AAA hockey doesn't do much for long term development, especially in younger players. They are better served by skills camps in my opinion.

I have seen the exact opposite. A pile of kids go north for a week, to skate for an hour and to swim in the lake the rest of the day, with maybe an evening scrimmage. For the same money, another pile of kids get about 40 hours of practice ice, spread out in the spring and fall, accompanied by 3 or 4 tourneys (12-20 games) where they get a chance to apply practice skills and work a little on hockey IQ. I see a lot of AAA jerseys on the A team ice in the winter, and summer camp jerseys peppering the B & C teams. It's all good, but I don't see the value in 2 or 5 or 7 days in a row, in the middle of a 7 month hiatus.

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I'm not referring to the camps where you go for a week. I think those are overpriced and generally pretty worthless.

We had four highly qualified coaches in our area put together a camp from March through May, break, and then start up again September through early November. They skate 3 times per week for 1 hr and 15 mins. 20-25 mid to top end kids from the same birth year, costs $500 for the entire offseason, (75 hours of ice time, $6.67 per session.) They pull in goalies as needed and they play for free. I can't imagine a better model. They get excellent skills training and the coaches are careful to make sure they let them have fun for at least a half hour of each session. And they get June through August off to play other sports, just be kids and enjoy the summer. My son did this last year and now this year and he loves it. And the improvement that they make from repetitive skills training is truly amazing to watch.

On a side note, my son also played AAA this year, so I'm not anti-AAA. He had a lot of fun and met some new friends that he will play with and against for many years. But after doing both and weighing all the pros and cons, I think we're going to skip AAA next year and just do the camp.

[Froggy Richards]

I see a lot of AAA jerseys on the A team ice in the winter, and summer camp jerseys peppering the B & C teams.

That's because the A players make the AAA teams. The B & C players do not. AAA has never made anyone an A player. They were an A player before they got there.

[InigoMontoya]

I really like the STP format you've described. Low cost, high repetition. Kind of a high school model. I wish there were more of these options.

I disagree about the A players the only ones making the AAA teams. That may have been true 10 years ago. Today there a lot of pretty bad young AAA players out there - given the chance to work hard and get better. In the areas where a AAA team is pretty much the only off-season ice choice, those kids are coming back to winter hockey having closed the gap, or passed, kids that were better the previous winter. Especially at the young ages.

[Froggy Richards]

I really like the STP format you've described. Low cost, high repetition. Kind of a high school model. I wish there were more of these options.

I disagree about the A players the only ones making the AAA teams. That may have been true 10 years ago. Today there a lot of pretty bad young AAA players out there - given the chance to work hard and get better. In the areas where a AAA team is pretty much the only off-season ice choice, those kids are coming back to winter hockey having closed the gap, or passed, kids that were better the previous winter. Especially at the young ages.

It really is a great model. I still can't believe how fortunate we are to have it. They usually break into two or three groups, depending on how many are there that day, and then alternate. At least one third or half of the ice is for scrimmages or games, which the kids love and keeps them wanting to come back. Then every 5th or 6th practice they will do a full-ice scrimmage for the whole session. I can honestly say that out of all that ice time in the last two years my son has never once not wanted to go, which says everything. They're having fun while getting better, which is the name of the game.

All you need is an Arena and a few coaches that are willing to give their time. Most coaches would want this for their kids so if they split the ice time amongst the rest so that their kids join for free it's a pretty nice incentive. And it's so cheap that if you have something going on you can easily miss sessions and not feel bad about it. Anyone can do this, and I would love to see it copied around the state.