American Development Model

After weeks and months of practices and games, leave it to Mark Johnson to bring the game back to its basic form.

Halfway through Tuesday’s practice at the UBC Thunderbird Arena, Johnson orders the nets be placed along the side boards at one end of the ice and drops the puck on a spirited game of 2-on-2 cross-ice hockey.

Players battle for pucks in front of the net and along the boards. Bodies join and leave the game as the action ebbs and flows as pretty passing plays are interrupted by spectacular saves.

At one point Johnson halts the action to pose the most fundamental of hockey questions.

“What is the object of this game?” the U.S. coach shouts.

For players who have spent the better part of the fall and winter training with their coach, they can sense that such an easy question must be a trick. They look at each other and then back at Johnson.

“The object of the game is to score,” he says so matter-of-factly that players can only question their own fundamental knowledge of a game they have played for the better parts of their lives.

Read the full story at USAHockey.com

With the overwhelming support of USA Hockey, the East Coast Hockey Conference (ECHC) is pleased to be the first regional select league to be operated under the framework of the USA Hockey’s American Development Model, ADM. The ADM utilizes Long-Term Athlete Development principles as its framework.

This new league will originate with the following select programs dedicated to the age appropriate core concepts of the ADM.
Boch Blazers – www.bochblazers.com
Boston Advantage – www.bostonadvantagehockey.com
East Coast Wizards – www.eastcoastwizards.com
New England Stars – www.nestarshockey.com

The goal is to utilize the ADM principals in for practices and games to develop players to the best of their ability. Practices and league play will be structured to limit travel, and accomplish the goals of skill development, creativity, passion and respect for the game.

One of the first things that USA Hockey did when beginning this project was to look closely at the statistics related to player development – specifically the skill development time each player has when in both a practice setting and a game setting. When viewed from the perspective of how kids learn the number of repetitions of specific skills and situations that occur in practice versus a game, we quickly learned where players have a chance to develop the most: Practice.

So a model was created that valued practices and proper training above all else. This isn’t to say that the ADM is about taking the fun out of hockey, quite the contrary. Practices can and should be fun, especially if the kids are all playing together and having a blast with a game that they love. The more they play it, the better chance that they’ll love it. And when you combine a passion for the game with increased puck time, kids will start to excel at it. Play, love, excel. That’s the ADM.

As research was conducted in developing the ADM, it became apparent that critical areas in our system were neglecting kids at a very early age. As children mature, they each progress through the same development stages. And certain aspects of these stages must be addressed at the appropriate points along the development curve in order for our children to reach their genetic potential. Maximum development occurs through age-appropriate structure and content. Without developing skills and certain physical and mental attributes at the appropriate time, the long-term prospects of becoming a truly elite player diminish each day.

For more information on the ADM please visit www.admkids.com

Connecticut Hockey put together a great video featuring the best cross ice hockey has to offer. Check out the video today!

The Carolina Hurricanes hosted an American Development Model clinic and witnessed the success of the program first hand. The Hurricanes produced a video of the event that shows how successful the event was. Watch the video

Our squirt team participated in the ADM program hosted by the Atlanta Thrashers at Phillips Arena on November 22, 2009. Another father (Maya) and I stayed with several of the boys waiting for the Thrasher/Tampa Bay game later that evening.

We asked them what they thought of practice. The response was “practice? we did not have practice today coach, we had FUN”

Several of the youths commented that this was the BEST HOCKEY DAY EVER.

Group photo from the event in Atlanta

What was there favorite “drill” varied from “the Two on Two with two goalies and the puck handling” to the very popular “pounding on Thrasher (mascot).”

I would add that seeing the General Manager, Waddell, on the ice for the full length of the program sends a clear sign of the personal, professional (NHL) and corporate support to the program.

The local hockey program directors were also ON ICE and hopefully will adopt the ADM into the mite/squirt/pee wee development programs in their rinks.

Paul Gwyn

Dad, Level 3 Coach

Video from the event: Thrashers host ADM Clinic | Photo Gallery | Scott Paluch Interview

The Bay County Hockey Association in Michigan has seen a boom in the number of players at the youngest levels of hockey after implementing the principles of the American Development Model and utilizing the resources of ADM regional manager Bob Mancini, who calls the association home.

Last fall, there were 36 registered players under age 8. On the first day of the first session this season, there were 54 players. Four more showed up the following day.

BHCA breaks their Mites into 8-Under and 6-Under groups, with boys and girls combined. Hockey sessions are offered three times a year, starting in September. The 6-U group had 27 players to start the season, and the 8-U group had 33. Those numbers are up from a dozen and two dozen, respectively, from last season.

Read more

In the third and final installment analyzing the state of the game in New England, the New England Hockey Journal took a look at some developments and ideas, both national and local in scope, that could help grow the game in the area … From the second USA Hockey rolled out its American Development Model (ADM), it has been a source of debate. Like it or dislike it, there’s no denying it’s a bold move to help develop the game.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the October 2009 issue of New England Hockey Journal. Read the full article

The Tampa Bay Lightning recently held a clinic for the USA Hockey initiative and produced a video for the team site.

Some interesting quotes regarding the state of hockey from the 2009 Lester Patrick Award ceremony. Two icons of hockey, Mark Messier and Jim Devellano, weren’t referring to the ADM, but their words ring true to the mission of the new USA Hockey initiative.

“We are professionalizing our sport too quickly. There’s too much money in youth leagues. Youth sports have to be about the life lessons that you learn. Too many coaches are coaching to win and they’re putting a lot of pressure on the kids.”

- Mark Messier

“We are losing players because of travel teams.”

- Jim Devellano

In the second part of a three-part exclusive series examining the state of hockey in New England, New England Hockey Journal takes a look at how cultural and societal changes have affected how the region’s youths develop their games. This article originally ran in the September 2009 issue of the New England Hockey Journal.

Highlights:

• Too much hockey can be a bad thing at a young age
• Some youth players log a longer season than NHL players

Click here to read the full article