How many 12A games?

[hockeyfan87]

How many games should a 12A team play in a season? I know at the Squirt/U10 level there is a season maximum, but there is not a maximum game count at the Peewee/U12 level. What does everyone think about the, "best" number of games for a 12A team?

I know a good rule of thumb for development is roughly 2 hours of practice for every game that is played, correct? Practically, that might be difficult, but it should be a target.

Many of the top teams in the state will have played from roughly 30 to 40 games as we go into the district playoffs. Centennial is one on the high end with about 53 being played prior to districts, a few teams on the lower end with mid-twenties.

So with a 50 game season from October to March, roughly 6 months. That is 25 hours per month, roughly 5.77 hours per week. So either 6 events per week or multiple events a day or two per week. Do teams do that? Or does the practice to game ratio just drop...closer to a one to one?

[NearWestSide]

How many games should a 12A team play in a season? I know at the Squirt/U10 level there is a season maximum, but there is not a maximum game count at the Peewee/U12 level. What does everyone think about the, "best" number of games for a 12A team?

I know a good rule of thumb for development is roughly 2 hours of practice for every game that is played, correct? Practically, that might be difficult, but it should be a target.

Many of the top teams in the state will have played from roughly 30 to 40 games as we go into the district playoffs. Centennial is one on the high end with about 53 being played prior to districts, a few teams on the lower end with mid-twenties.

So with a 50 game season from October to March, roughly 6 months. That is 25 hours per month, roughly 5.77 hours per week. So either 6 events per week or multiple events a day or two per week. Do teams do that? Or does the practice to game ratio just drop...closer to a one to one?

High School Junior Varsity plays 25 15 minute stop time periods and are pretty much 2 games and 4 practices a week (good game to practice ratio). If a 12U game has periods that are 13 minutes long, a JV season would be essentially 35 "12U" games. I don't think younger kids should be playing more than the high school aged kids. I think the number should be around 30 regular season games. If you make it all the way to state, you will probably add another 10 to 15 games for a maximum total of 45.....most teams would play in the 30 to 35 range.

[Larry Blackstone]

It's easy to 40 games and not go to state and still have about a 2 to 1 ratio.

Actual it requires hard work by the manager, cooperation with the parents and a willing coach.

5 days a week no matter what. If there's a holiday, make it up. Making it up could be 6 days a week, a 1.25 or 1.5 hour practice or a practice in the morning on a Saturday then benefit from an evening scrimmage the same day. Tournament sometime have 2 games a day. Just make sure you hit the ice 20 days a month.

20 Oct, 20 Nov, 20 Dec, 20 Jan and 20 Feb.

Target 100 hours a season however you get it done at minimum.

I like 40 games and 60 hours of ice if you have a smaller team but it also depends on team size and getting touches. Small teams this is a good ratio.

Like you said, 2 to 1 is also good rule of thumb so you could go 35 games and 65 practices (some 1.25 hours). Add 30 misc 1 hour sessions of dryland on top of it is the only way I know how a team can hit the USA Hockey suggested ratio of 3 to 1 unless you have 2 hour practices which is crazy. I only know of Edina doing this last year - meaning regular 2 hour practices on the ice.

Large teams where players aren't getting the touches, 30 games - 70 hours. Small teams like 10-12, go 50 games and 50 practices.