Much like Keith Allain, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team, utilized cross-ice drills during the National Junior Evaluation Camp, the coaches at the Women’s National Festival have been integrating cross-ice drills into their practices as well.
Click below for a brief video of Team Blue (U.S. Women’s Under-18 Select Team) and Team Red playing cross-ice during practice.
In each of the U.S. practice sessions at the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp, head coach Keith Allain employed cross-ice and small-ice games as drills for the players. Here, Coach Allain explains their importance not just for college and junior players, but for youth players as well:
More than 120 youth hockey players aged eight and under will hit the ice at Ford Field in Detroit tomorrow (April 9) for a cross-ice skills clinic put on by USA Hockey. The clinic, which will run from 8 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., is being held in conjunction with the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four. Read more
The Minnesota Affiliate produced an excellent video about cross ice hockey when it comes to player and coaching development.
Toby Petersen, Matt Niskanen and the Stars coaches helped USA Hockey with clinics held after a practice in Euless.
Quoteworthy:
“The small things that help us win hockey games are the same things these little kids are doing. The basics are everything.”
- Matt Niskanen
“When you’re young and developing as a player it’s such an important part. I know everyone wants to get out there and play games and try to win as often as they can, but I think the stress point has to be to develop the skill and get better over time.”
- Stu Barnes, head coach of the Dallas Stars
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.
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