Minor Hockey Talks - Hockey Forum

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jun 26, 2025 9:41 am so what's better for your kid?

Playing 8 minutes a game, no special teams, on the third line of a winning team or playing 20 minutes a game, 1st PP, 1st PK and end of game situations on a mid-pack team?

I can see the merits of both.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jun 26, 2025 9:54 am Coaching is most important ice time is second most

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:20 pm After the first couple of years of AAA, you start to learn who the good coaches are. There are not many that are good at communication, on ice ability and have full on passion for the game. You either get the, know it all fat Dinosaur who does the same things as he did 20 years ago, the youngish half Witt ex player with no communication skills/ education or the try hard coach, that never played on a meaningful level, but is great at creating the business side of hockey. Usually on 8-12 place teams and just rakes in money for his hockey school. Toronto is just an over saturated market of coaches without much talent in all the facets. You look at American programs and they are just so much more organized and put way more effort into development. Most of the coaches here, just do the same drills all year hardly ever stop to correct the kids or add progressions. I can count on my hand the coaches skates that i have left and said “ man that coach is top notch, that was a great skate!” Most of the time, I think man that guy did not even talk to my kid , can barely skate but made BANK running a skate with 20 kids at $75 bucks a pops.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jun 26, 2025 11:17 am

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jun 26, 2025 9:54 am Coaching is most important ice time is second most

I agree that coaching is the most important thing for kids and their development.

I have coached kids in the past that excelled, made higher level teams and struggled because their new coach couldn't tap in to what made them successful under me.

Next for me would be practice. How you practice is how you play and again it does go back to coaching. Having good practices helps players in games. My philosophy is that in warm ups, you work on your skills (skating, shooting, passing, etc) and then your drills should be set up so that they mimic what kids would see in a game. I have found this to be very successful. So many times, I see coaches running 3 on 0 drills, or 5 on 0 drills and it's just so unrealistic that those drills will help these players in a game situation.

Third for me would be ice time. I do believe in development and that you need to be on the ice to get better. You try to get all your lines to play in all situations but at a certain point (normally mid way through 3rd) you have to go with who's rolling or who's better in those situations. Playing a kid 1 shift a period is not going to get him better and he's not going to be prepared for playing late in the 3rd if they haven't seen that situation before.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:30 pm

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:20 pm After the first couple of years of AAA, you start to learn who the good coaches are. There are not many that are good at communication, on ice ability and have full on passion for the game. You either get the, know it all fat Dinosaur who does the same things as he did 20 years ago, the youngish half Witt ex player with no communication skills/ education or the try hard coach, that never played on a meaningful level, but is great at creating the business side of hockey. Usually on 8-12 place teams and just rakes in money for his hockey school. Toronto is just an over saturated market of coaches without much talent in all the facets. You look at American programs and they are just so much more organized and put way more effort into development. Most of the coaches here, just do the same drills all year hardly ever stop to correct the kids or add progressions. I can count on my hand the coaches skates that i have left and said “ man that coach is top notch, that was a great skate!” Most of the time, I think man that guy did not even talk to my kid , can barely skate but made BANK running a skate with 20 kids at $75 bucks a pops.

Who are the two best and two worst coaches in the loop in your opinion?

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jun 26, 2025 2:48 pm

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jun 26, 2025 11:17 am

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jun 26, 2025 9:54 am Coaching is most important ice time is second most

I agree that coaching is the most important thing for kids and their development.

I have coached kids in the past that excelled, made higher level teams and struggled because their new coach couldn't tap in to what made them successful under me.

Next for me would be practice. How you practice is how you play and again it does go back to coaching. Having good practices helps players in games. My philosophy is that in warm ups, you work on your skills (skating, shooting, passing, etc) and then your drills should be set up so that they mimic what kids would see in a game. I have found this to be very successful. So many times, I see coaches running 3 on 0 drills, or 5 on 0 drills and it's just so unrealistic that those drills will help these players in a game situation.

Third for me would be ice time. I do believe in development and that you need to be on the ice to get better. You try to get all your lines to play in all situations but at a certain point (normally mid way through 3rd) you have to go with who's rolling or who's better in those situations. Playing a kid 1 shift a period is not going to get him better and he's not going to be prepared for playing late in the 3rd if they haven't seen that situation before.

This asshole thinks he’s Paul Maurice