Minor Hockey Talks - Hockey Forum

Guest wrote: ↑Mon May 19, 2025 9:02 pm I really like our coach and the direction our team is heading I wouldn’t trade it for anything in AA. That said, I also understand that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. I know a family with a player our coach was interested in, who was also being considered by VR, but they ultimately chose a third team, and the kid looked solid there a few weeks ago. I also saw a kid who used to play for VR now playing for MB, and she didn’t seem out of place at all in her new team.

My takeaway is that there are at least 5 or 6 top teams in the West you really can’t go wrong with—it’s just about finding the best fit for your child. But of course MNS will dominate this year.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:14 am It's a good idea to have more discussion here than Dads arguing about how their player's team is going to be #1!!!!!

One thing that I have found to be concerning last year is that some coaches are pushing "systems" on their players. Hockey USA, which we are seeing now is possibly the best organization in the world, discourages this until at least 12-14 years old, translating to U13 or older. They believe the focus should be on player development: skills, positioning, individual improvement. At least three of the "top" teams in U10 relied heavily on systems: MB, MNS, VP. Curiously and proving Hockey USA's point, FT did not. They developed their kids instead and were ultimately the most successful for it.

Something to keep in mind when thinking about your player's best interests in the next year or two.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:14 am It's a good idea to have more discussion here than Dads arguing about how their player's team is going to be #1!!!!!

One thing that I have found to be concerning last year is that some coaches are pushing "systems" on their players. Hockey USA, which we are seeing now is possibly the best organization in the world, discourages this until at least 12-14 years old, translating to U13 or older. They believe the focus should be on player development: skills, positioning, individual improvement. At least three of the "top" teams in U10 relied heavily on systems: MB, MNS, VP. Curiously and proving Hockey USA's point, FT did not. They developed their kids instead and were ultimately the most successful for it.

Something to keep in mind when thinking about your player's best interests in the next year or two.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:14 am It's a good idea to have more discussion here than Dads arguing about how their player's team is going to be #1!!!!!

One thing that I have found to be concerning last year is that some coaches are pushing "systems" on their players. Hockey USA, which we are seeing now is possibly the best organization in the world, discourages this until at least 12-14 years old, translating to U13 or older. They believe the focus should be on player development: skills, positioning, individual improvement. At least three of the "top" teams in U10 relied heavily on systems: MB, MNS, VP. Curiously and proving Hockey USA's point, FT did not. They developed their kids instead and were ultimately the most successful for it.

Something to keep in mind when thinking about your player's best interests in the next year or two.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 11:26 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:14 am It's a good idea to have more discussion here than Dads arguing about how their player's team is going to be #1!!!!!

One thing that I have found to be concerning last year is that some coaches are pushing "systems" on their players. Hockey USA, which we are seeing now is possibly the best organization in the world, discourages this until at least 12-14 years old, translating to U13 or older. They believe the focus should be on player development: skills, positioning, individual improvement. At least three of the "top" teams in U10 relied heavily on systems: MB, MNS, VP. Curiously and proving Hockey USA's point, FT did not. They developed their kids instead and were ultimately the most successful for it.

Something to keep in mind when thinking about your player's best interests in the next year or two.

Systems and development have nothing to do with one another.

Regardless of your skill level everyone plays the same "system".

All kids will "develope" from the beginning to the end of a season, it's up to your child how much they want to develope. That doesn't mean time on ice either, it means their focus and drive with the time spent on the ice. There is a big difference.

I know kids who arw on the ice all day everyday and don't get better than others not on the ice as much. It all starts upstairs, if that's not focused then being on the ice won't help much.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:29 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:14 am It's a good idea to have more discussion here than Dads arguing about how their player's team is going to be #1!!!!!

One thing that I have found to be concerning last year is that some coaches are pushing "systems" on their players. Hockey USA, which we are seeing now is possibly the best organization in the world, discourages this until at least 12-14 years old, translating to U13 or older. They believe the focus should be on player development: skills, positioning, individual improvement. At least three of the "top" teams in U10 relied heavily on systems: MB, MNS, VP. Curiously and proving Hockey USA's point, FT did not. They developed their kids instead and were ultimately the most successful for it.

Something to keep in mind when thinking about your player's best interests in the next year or two.

It's a weird flex to be calling out the coaching of the teams that ended up 1, 2, and 4 in the season.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 11:37 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 11:26 am

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 10:14 am It's a good idea to have more discussion here than Dads arguing about how their player's team is going to be #1!!!!!

One thing that I have found to be concerning last year is that some coaches are pushing "systems" on their players. Hockey USA, which we are seeing now is possibly the best organization in the world, discourages this until at least 12-14 years old, translating to U13 or older. They believe the focus should be on player development: skills, positioning, individual improvement. At least three of the "top" teams in U10 relied heavily on systems: MB, MNS, VP. Curiously and proving Hockey USA's point, FT did not. They developed their kids instead and were ultimately the most successful for it.

Something to keep in mind when thinking about your player's best interests in the next year or two.

Systems and development have nothing to do with one another.

Regardless of your skill level everyone plays the same "system".

All kids will "develope" from the beginning to the end of a season, it's up to your child how much they want to develope. That doesn't mean time on ice either, it means their focus and drive with the time spent on the ice. There is a big difference.

I know kids who arw on the ice all day everyday and don't get better than others not on the ice as much. It all starts upstairs, if that's not focused then being on the ice won't help much.

Systems and development are different and in this instance, systems hinder development. Coaches should be isolating smaller scenarios, such as defencemen being able to retrieve the puck while somebody is on their heels, or defencemen being taught how to look for open teammates and advance the puck up the ice. It doesn't come naturally to kids to fight for the puck in a corner - they need to be taught how to best position their body, use their feet and how to help other teammates in that position. That's what should be highlighted in practices over and over again until every defenceman is comfortale with it in a lower pressure environment, then they can apply it in a game. If your whole practice is systems then you are not learning these types of fundamentals.

There might be a handful of players in AA that don't put in the many hours extra on the ice because they are very athletically gifted or lucky. For everyone else, time on ice is very important. Maybe not every day, but you all want to go to AAA...if you think that those players aren't putting in the work, well, you will find out. Of course, it is important to find good quality ice time.