LPh Summer Hockey Guide by Let's Play Hockey

Summer

HOCKEY GUIDE Includes a comprehensive list of...

• SUMMER HOCKEY LEAGUES • CLINICS • CAMPS • TRYOUTS • PLUS MORE! Let’s Play Hockey is your No. 1 source for hockey news!

2019

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Minnesota Made Hockey INDIVIDUAL SKILL Development

SUMMER 2019 HOCKEY CLINICS & TRAINING

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Minnesota Made Ice Center 7300 Bush Lake Road, Edina MN 55439

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PR R E PA PA RA AS T III O ON N where PA S O N P E R T P R E PA R AT I O N Impact Hockey’s Hockey’s Impact summer training training summer Impact will Hockey’s help you you will help summer training willimpact help you

impact your impact game your game

NOTHING WILL WORK UNLESS YOU DO - JOHN WOODEN NEW! optimum defense offense for defensemen passing & shooting mite speed & skills overtime training girls stick/shoot dekeing/scoring rookie academy puck protection speed academy summer of ice stickhandling mite shooting goaltending battle camp day camp checking P=

Hockey Hockey Training Training Hockey Training for Boys for Boys + + Girls Girls for High Boys School + Girls Mites through Mites through High School

Training for preschool through adult athletes Summer training June, July and August

Mites through High School

Fall clinics in September

Power Skating Camps Power Skating Skating Camps Camps Power Stick Skills + Shooting Camps Stick Skills Skills + + Shooting Shooting Camps Camps Stick Goalie Camps Goalie Camps Camps Goalie

School year training before/after school Holiday break clinics

MORE INFORMATION: Minnesota Made Hockey mnmade@mnmadehockey.com main phone: 952-746-9033

Co-Ed - All positions Clinics for all abilities

About MN Made Hockey

SU S UM MM ME ER R R RE EG G II S ST TR RA AT T II O ON N S U M M ENROR E G I S T R A T I O N W OPEN NOW OPEN

Hard work is the only way to achieve success and lasting confidence. How many times have you heard someone refer to a young player as a very skilled player? Probably not often. The reason is there are not many of them out there.

Year-Round Individual Skill Development Programs for Skaters and Goalies of All Ages

MN Made Hockey is dedicated to the individual skill developemnt of hockey players. A player with strong skills can play in any coach’s system and is a more valuable player on the ice. Our goal is to help you attain your goals.

Year-Round Individual Skill Development Programs for Skaters and Goalies of All Ages

Summer Summer programs programs fill fill fast. fast. Call 952-545-7825 or register today Call 952-545-7825 or register today at at Summer programs fill fast. www.impacthockey.com. www.impacthockey.com.

Call 952-545-7825 or register today at www.impacthockey.com. Make An Impact.

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2 Summer Hockey Guide 2019

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www.stateofhockey.com Impact 2019 Summer LPH copy.indd

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Make An Impact. Make An Impact. Let’s Play Hockey

Summer Hockey Guide 2019 3 2/1/19 3:09 PM 2/1/19 3:09 PM

Training for the off-season

TOP DOG HOCKEY CAMPS: A mark of excellence

by ANDY NESS

So the off-season is coming, now what? We know we need to skate and train but what should we do? What should focus on? The first thing that we have to understand is that after a long season certain things start to happen in our skating. The most common technique flaws that start to show their head after a full season is lack of knee bend, choppy stride, and a skater being bent over at the waist. The majority of practices in the winter are designed to work power play, breakouts, forecheck, D-zone, etc. As the off-season approaches we must get back to working on our individual skill such as shooting, puck-handling, passing, and of course skating. What should we do first? As summer approaches we will have a number of pro and college skaters that will be doing privates and small groups. With these groups we will always start with edges and balance. Challenging edge and balance drills are the key. Getting the skater to build a strong base and have a solid edges into the ice is the overall goal. The same applies with balance. We need to get the skater get down low and get in a position in which they will eventually become comfortable lower than 90 degrees. Most of this can be done slowly focusing on just the technique. These skaters will not have to play competitively for a long time so getting back to the fundamentals is crucial. This will take some time and repetition but it is key to begin building a strong skating foundation again. We will then progressively work all of the skating skills through at a very slow speed. The whole idea is based around technique. Throughout a 1 hour lesson I will typically focus on 3 skills at a time and work ceaselessly on technique. The skater must make sure the pushes are in the right direction, the upper body is under control, the edges are solid into the ice, and most importantly the knee bend is low enough. Skating skills should be worked on progressively. What this means that

4 Summer Hockey Guide 2019

you would not teach a stride and then go to back crossovers immediately after. Picking and matching skills is always a good idea when starting to work technique. Continue doing this slow until the skater is really getting comfortable with his/her form and technique. Remember, working on a skill incorrectly fast is only reinforcing bad habits. I use the analogy of a golf drive. Anyone can go out and swing a golf club as hard as they can over and over but if their technique is horrible, nothing is going to change and the you are only reinforcing a horrible golf swing. Practicing only makes permanent so make sure you are doing the skills properly. After I see that the skater’s technique is strong and efficient we will then begin to start doing some overspeed. Overspeed has been a buzz word of late and is a fantastic tool if done properly. If you are doing “overspeed” you are skating out of your comfort zone. The idea is that eventually you will build a new comfort zone that is even faster and quicker. For example, if you are doing crossovers at full speed you are trying to get your feet moving so fast that you may fall or loose the puck (if you are carrying one). The repetition of doing these skills will get you faster but again make sure technique stays sound at this speed. Finally, we will do what is called overload. Over-load is similar to technique work but the drills that are done are longer in duration with a few different skating skills implemented in one drill. With the older skaters we will add a weight vest (in the photo) to make sure the knees stay bent and focus on strengthening the skater’s legs. These drills typically last about 30 seconds, the skater is always striving to be at 90 degrees with their knee flex and exaggerating every push from their edge. At the end of the drill the skater will get about 60-90 second rest depending on the number of skaters. This is how we alway finish our practice. We always save about 15-18 minutes at the end to do this, again a great way to work the skater at the end. Now you can have an idea of what skaters can and should do to improve their skating in the summer. Now is the time to work and really focus on getting better. Remember, all people are created with an equal opportunity to become unequal. The hard work will pay off.

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What started out as a child-hood passion and love for hockey, has evolved into a lifelong profession for John Haglund, Owner & Operator of Top Dog Hockey Camps. How did you get your start with hockey camps? “It started as a summer job during college working for Canadian Professional Hockey Schools. After spending 10 years learning the ropes from Jake Fleming (who had run camps for 30 years), I decided to go on my own and the camp in a new direction.” What hockey experience do you bring to the table? “I played youth, high school, juniors and college hockey; however playing experience doesn’t necessarily translate to good coaching and training. I can remember from a very young age, not only watching the sport, but analyzing team plays and breaking down individual players’ skill. I started coaching in college, and have been at it ever since. I worked under some excellent coaches. Over 30 years,

I have honed what works to make players better- make it fun, focus on skills and teach smart hockey.” How is Top Dog Hockey different than other camps? “The number one thing I would say is our coaching staff. Their commitment and passion for wanting to improve players is unwavering. Many of our staff have been with us for 10, 20 and even 30 years. That longevity gives us the opportunity to build on what’s working rather than having to re-train coaches every year. When players continually return, it tells us we are doing something right. We have many players that have attended the camp, then worked at the camp, and now as adults bring their children to the camp. Secondly, we offer affordable camps and clinics at many locations. Players can choose weeklong day camps, overnight camps or weekend clinics. Clinics start at $99 and weeklong day camps start at $395. $495. We have suburban, city and resort locations. “

It sounds like Top Dog operates like a family run business? “Together with coaches that feel like family after 20 to 30 years, my wife, Heather, has been involved since 1999 and our two sons, Jack (15) and Max (13), are also learning the family business. They attended for years and now help with the younger players as counselors, and onice assist our coaches on the ice.” What is the best compliment that you have received? “We received the following handwritten letter:” Dear Top Dog Staff, I had the pleasure of attending several sessions during the Jul 22-26 camp. My grandson was experiencing his 1st week-long day camp. I was impressed with the level of professionalism by your staff which evidences their experience. Also the treatment of the campers was exceptional, and under that umbrella each student greatly improved through the week. Congratulations on excellence. Bob Naegele, Chairman, MN Wild (Mr Naegele passed November 7, 2018)

Minnesota's Top Hockey Camp for 30 Years

6 MN Locations! • Boys and Girls Ages 5-15 • Weeklong Camps • Overnight Camps • Golf/Hockey Camps

• 3-Day Weekend Clinics • Goalie Camps

3+ Hours of Ice Time Daily!

www.TopDogHockey.com 952-233-0101 TRIA Rink-Wild Training Center • Breezy Point • Prior Lake • Blaine • Richfield • Shakopee www.stateofhockey.com

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Summer Hockey Guide 2019 5

Get faster this summer with and without pucks... Your future depends on it by JACK BLATHERWICK To be sure, no one plays at a high level without rink sense, creativity, confidence, poise, and competitive desire to win puck battles. However, make sure your training also prioritizes skating speed, quickness, agility, and efficiency. Before investing time and energy, ask questions. Are on-ice Overspeed intervals included so you elevate your comfort zone this summer? Overspeed practice means repeating skills at a pace that is uncomfortably fast – faster than ever before. One critical skill is also the simplest: racing straight ahead against your training partner (60-100 feet) hundreds of times. Count the total races this off-season; aim for 500. Skate corners so fast you’ll fall once in awhile. Carry pucks through a maze of obstacles like equipment bags or cones or loose pucks – keeping your head up while stickhandling. Add shooting,

passing, and receiving without slowing down. In other words, elevate your comfort zone. If your summer hockey is mostly competitive games, you won’t get enough super-fast reps to improve speed, quickness, and agility. Summer competition is great, but it reinforces present habits, and that’s not fast enough to increase your speed. Consider that if you’re a defenseman, you will rarely skate super-fast in games. The smarter you are, the fewer times you need to skate full-speed, because you skate only as fast as the competitive situation dictates. If you’re a forward, video analysis shows you probably accelerate for only 1.5 seconds, then decelerate when you’re headed in the right direction, and accelerate again when the situation changes. This is certainly not an adequate stimulus to increase your speed. Are off-ice sprints a major priority? Sprints are un-

der-rated because gurus can’t make money by saying, “Go sprint.” They need expensive gimmicks to sell their programs, yet sprint acceleration is highly related to skating acceleration. I can – I have – and I will supply the evidence. Those with gimmicks cannot. Does your strength training improve explosiveness or is it just isolated slow strength? Explosive jumps are also highly related to skating acceleration (also an evidence-based claim), and the bonus is: they increase strength and muscle mass as surely as a body-building program. When you do sets of repeated non-stop jumps, the instantaneous peak forces are greater than you could ever attain with squats (6-8 times your body weight)!!! No question, traditional strength exercises like squats are valuable when coordinated with jumps, so include many one-legged jumps, some side-to-side like skating, and al-

goaltending goaltending

SECOND ANNUAL SECOND ANNUAL

VEGASCAMP CAMP VEGAS ALL AGES ALL AGES

MITES & UP MITES & UP

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MAY30 30  MAY -JUNE2 2 JUNE NATIONAL ARENA CITYCITY NATIONAL ARENA

ways using good skater’s knee bend. Is much of your program specific to skating? Chip Kelly, while he was the Oregon Ducks football coach, famously said, “If someone visits our training any time of year – if they can’t tell right away that our identity is SPEED, we’re having a bad day, and we’ll make changes.” Well, if someone visits your training this summer and can’t tell that you’re working to be a powerful skater, are you having a bad day? Speed-skating workouts are a good model. You’ll see a lot of hip abduction, which is side-to-side force like skating. If this is missing in your off-season program, add it right away. You have one adolescent life – only a few years to improve skating speed and quickness. Your goals will only be achieved if you get it right as soon as possible. Demand the BEST hockey training program, because you will invest your BEST effort.

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BROUGHT TO YOU BY PRO GOALIE & COACH, BROUGHT TO YOU BY PRO GOALIE & COACH,

HOSTED BY PRO GOALIE & COACH, HOSTED BY PRO GOALIE & COACH,

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4 Pieces of Advice to Kick-Start Summer by KIM MCCULLOUGH I have to admit, my life is pretty hockey-centric. Even when I take things a little slower in May & June, I’m still in hockey mode. What can I say, I love what I do and I’m always thinking of ways to help players get to the next level. I was in the middle of a workout the other day when I started to think about little tidbits of advice I could share with you to help you get better. And once I started to write the first few down, they just kept coming. I came up with 8 overall and I’m going to share the first 4 with you today. I’ll save the next 4 for later in the summer. So here are the first 4 little pieces of advice that will help you be a better player. None of them are life changing, but they could be a game-changer for you when you hit the ice next season. #1: STOP TRYING TO HIT THE CROSSBAR!!!!! Sorry for yelling, but this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. We all love the highlight reel goals where a player goes bar-down. But just think about what happens if you miss? Depending on how hard you shoot, it could lead to an easy breakout for the other team or at least a 50-50 puck that you have to battle to get back. I really don’t understand why players cheer in practice and games when the pcuk hits the bar - it’s not even a real shot on net! I want players to aim for the mesh part of the net - because that’s where the goals are. Which we all know we need more of in girls’ hockey. I heard an interesting story about Mike Bossy that I wanted to share. If you don’t know who Mike Bossy is, google him. He is the NHL’s all-time leader in average goals scored per game and has the record for most consecutive 50+ goal seasons. So he scored - a lot.He would always practice shooting at the end of practice. No surprise there - goal scorers do that a lot. But he would always aim for the MIDDLE OF THE NET. Sometimes his teammates would ask why he was aiming for the middle of the net. Seemed like a strange place to aim for a guy who was obviously a sniper. His reply ‘if I aim for the middle and miss, it’s still going to hit the net’. Just a little something to think about - his numbers don’t lie. #2: DO YOGA. I know some of you are thinking, “that’s not for me.” And I used to think the same thing. To be honest, I didn’t think yoga was hard enough or athletic enough. Until I tried it and realized how playing hockey had gotten me all twisted up in the wrong places and I desperately needed to work on my flexibility and mobility. Trust me - those first few sessions weren’t pretty. I started on my yoga adventure in my 2nd year of university. I bought two VHS tapes online and did them each once a week in my dorm room. I wish I had videos of my doing those videos the first few times - very humbling to say the least. But I got better and it definitely made me a better player. How? I recovered faster from games, practices and workouts. I could see a difference in my flexibility and mobility within a few weeks. I felt better. And when you feel better, you play better. I’ve been doing yoga at least once a week every since. I’m not fanatical about it, but it’s made me a better athlete and a better coach. So try it. You only need to do it once or twice a week to feel a difference. #3: PLAY MORE THAN ONE POSITION. Time for a mindset change here. You are not a left winger, www.stateofhockey.com

right winger or centre - you’re a forward. You’re not a left D or right D - you’re a D. Goalies - well, you’re usually staying put. And sometimes Ds can play forward and forwards can play D. There’s not greater example of how effective a player can be by changing positions that Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks. The guy was an excellent forward in the NHL, but when he moved back to D, he became a superstar. And I’m sure all his coaches love the fact that they could move him up and down the bench to play either position if they needed to. That’s called versatility. I love having players who can play forward and D. Ds who get moved to forward have a great sense for how to pressure the opponent’s D on the forecheck. They aren’t afraid to go into traffic and play physical in the attacking zone. They always tell me that they feel free up there. And here’s the reality for all you centers out there: as you move up to higher levels, more and more players are centers. You have to learn to play on the wing. I’ll put it into numbers for you: There are only 4 centers on the national team. But there are 8 wingers. If you can play both positions effectively, you give your coaches a lot more flexibility on where they can put you in the lineup. If you are only effective in the middle, you might find yourself on the outside looking in. #4: PLAY MORE THAN ONE SPORT We’ve all heard this one before. Hockey has become a year-round sport. Players are getting burnt out at alarmingly young ages. And the number of overuse injuries in young players are scary. But I’ll save you the lecture on how being a multi-sport athlete will help you be a better player and will prevent injuries in the long-term. I’ll focus instead on the emotional side of the equation. To be the best player you can be - you have to miss it. You need to take some time off from playing in games and tournaments. You simply can’t sustain the level of focus and intensity you need to play your best every day. I’m not saying you should sit on the couch and eat chips all summer. And I’m also not saying that you shouldn’t skate at all. In fact, I truly believe players benefit greatly from doing one or two ice sessions per week throughout the summer that are focused entirely on pure skill development. But real champions are great athletes. Depending on your age, that may mean spending some serious time this summer training off the ice. Maybe with weights, maybe with just your bodyweight. It might just mean playing another sport at a high level or just spending lots of time playing a lot of different sports.The bottom line is when training camp comes around, you should be so excited about getting back on the ice that it keeps you up at night and gets your heart racing. You definitely shouldn’t feel like it’s just another day at the rink.I still feel that excitement when training camp rolls around for my team in late August. And I’ve been doing this for 20+ years.

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Summer Hockey Guide 2019 7

Train with the best at Shattuck-St. Mary’s In order to be the best, one has to train with the best, and they will be hard-pressed to find a better training program than what is offered at Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Minnesota’s lone Tier 1 program has produced some of the NHL’s best players by developing them throughout their adolescent years. The proof is in the long list of players who have come through the Shattuck program to go onto stellar professional careers. Currently there are 21 SS-M alumni in the NHL, including former No. 1 overall picks Sidney Crosby and Nathan McKinnon.

This summer Shattuck will once again run their camps on their campus in Faribault, MN beginning with sessions in July, with several different camps. They will host a skill development camp for ’07-’08 players and a tournament camp for 0’3-’06 players. There is also a boarding camp where players stay overnight and incudes meals. Camps consist of three hours of on-ice training per day, which includes morning skill work, afternoon team concepts and an evening game. There is also one classroom/video session per day. Camp staff includes current

SSM coaches and alumni ad well as several current players and gust coaches. Shattuck provides campers with the unique opportunity to train at one of the most prestigious hockey institutions in the world, a program that continues to churn out elite hockey players that go on to do great things both on and off the ice. To learn more about Shattuck-St. Mary’s Summer hockey Camps, visit https://www.s-sm. org/summer-programs-camps/ hockey-camp/. To register contact Summer Camp Director Jason Horstman at 507-333-1691 or at jason.horstman@s-sm.org.

2019 SUMMER HOCKEY

Boys Hockey Camps SeSSion 1: July 7 - 13 SeSSion 2: July 14 - 20 SeSSion 3: July 21 - 27 SeSSion 4: July 28 - Aug. 3

boarDing: $1199 Day: $975 goalie: $699

CAMPS

TournamenT Camp: birTh yearS 2004 - 2006 Skill DevelopmenT Camp: birTh yearS 2007 - 2008 * 2009 aCCepTeD by requeST

Girls Hockey Camp June 23 - 29

ageS 11 - 18 birTh yearS 2001 - 2008

boarDing: $989 Day: $749 goalie: $599

queSTionS? ConTaCT: Jason Horstman ’07 Phone: (507) 333-1691 Email: jason.horstman@s-sm.org

8 Summer Hockey Guide 2019

Mary Hart, Registration Phone: (507) 333-1693 Email: mary.hart@s-sm.org

www.s-sm.org Let’s Play Hockey

www.stateofhockey.com

Planning for the offseason There are a multitude of options for the offseason, so select ones that meet your family budget and values. As the hope of warmer weather is on the minds of many this year, it is time to think about and plan for the offseason. There are so many options that it can be overwhelming, but with a few guidelines, families should be able to make good choices. The first decision a family needs to make is what they hope to accomplish with offseason hockey programs. Are you looking for skill development, game experience or just fun? The next decision is how much time and money does each program require and how does that fit into the family budget and other family plans. With youth players, it is important to develop strong physical literacy by playing other sports, especially in the hockey offseason. Experts warn that playing one sport exclusively can actually slow development and could possibly prevent a player from reaching his or her full potential. Many other sports help with overall athleticism, which of course will help with hockey. Many players will head out to offseason private teams to continue their playing experience and will also play other sports, trying to split time between. This can become very time-consuming and maybe the child is not able to preform well in either activity. It can also be quite expensive relative to the actual amount of time spent on the ice. In most instances, www.stateofhockey.com

these days, players do not spend enough time on the ice playing and working on their skills. As a parent, you might want to consider programs that offer a lot of time on ice doing things that are fun and helping to improve the players. A good goal for any youth player at a competitive level is to spend at least 250 productive hours per year on ice. Here is how you count productive time: • Games: For PeeWees, 12U and below, one game equals 12 minutes of ice time. For Bantams and 15U, credit 15 minutes per game of ice time. Now multiply the number of games by 12 or 15 and divide by 60 to get productive hours on ice. So a 60-game schedule for Bantams equals 15 hours of actual playing time. • Practice: This can vary quite a bit depending on the skill of the coach, but on average you can credit 30 minutes towards every hour of scheduled practice. Again, let’s assume 60 practice sessions, which equals 30 hours of productive ice time. The combined ice times for the season equals 60 hours of actually skating and working on skills and playing games. For ease of discussion, let’s assume that the offseason teams provide another 35 hours of productive ice time, so now each player has spent 95 hours for the year. For the sake of argu-

ment, let’s add another 15 hours in case my numbers are off a bit, so now we are at 110 hours a year. And let’s not forget that during games, most players handle the puck for less than one minute per game. One hundred and 10 hours a year, or nine hours a month is not enough time to master any of the skills required to play hockey well. Only the very talented kids who are lucky enough to be pre-disposed to hockey will thrive. So how to get more productive time? As you consider offseason programs, it would be a great idea to find programs that offer lots of time on the ice – preferably scrimmaging cross-ice and with mixed age groups with only supervision and no coaching. Skills’ sessions are also beneficial as long as there is a strong component of skating instruction and repetition of skating technique. Look to build ice time towards the 200-plus hours a

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year. The goal should be for automatic learning with lots of puck touches and a mix of ages on ice which crossice games accomplishes. These sessions should be a couple of hours in duration to allow many repetitions and lots of fun. Now the ice hours are adding up fast and development increases at a faster pace. If you cannot find a program like this, create one through your local association. Less costs and no travel! There are a multitude of options for the offseason, so select ones that meet your family budget and values. Be sure to take time off from all sports and do other fun family activities that will create life-long memories. Youth only comes around once for each of us and it would be a shame to spend all of it in a hockey rink. Try to maximize the time spent at the rink and make time for other activities. Summer Hockey Guide 2019 9

2019 AAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

April 5-7

May 10-12

Aug. 16-18

EARLY TRAILBLAZER AAA

SPRING STAMPEDE AAA

SUMMER ROUND-UP AA

April 12-14

May 17-19

Aug. 23-25

EARLY TRAILBLAZER AA

SPRING STAMPEDE AA

SUMMER ROUND-UP AAA

TRAILBLAZER & STAMPEDE DIVISIONS: Boys: U16 & 2003-2011 • Girls: U8-U14

For more than a century, it has been fashionable for team coaches and strength/ fitness instructors to think they are drill sergeants. They aren’t satisfied with an exercise until everyone is gassed – till tongues are dragging on the ground. Football coaches have led the way, carrying a bad tradition from military boot camps to youth and high school athletic fields. ‘Twoa-Day’ practices in the August sun lasted six hours or more – and, by the way – killed hundreds of young athletes who put their trust in the wrong adults. The military, to their credit, had the wisdom to reign in this bad tradition, but some football coaches have resisted change, and we are likely to see more deaths from heat stroke this fall.

Training for Athleticism must be designed intelligently, featuring Quality rather than Quantity training. If this coaching fundamental is ignored, the most important goals – Speed, Quickness, Agility - will not be achieved. In a recent discussion with a young hockey player it was clear that a major 12-month training goal was lost, because his fitness instructor felt the need to make every exercise extremely hard rather than productive. Based on test results and observations of his coaches, this player needs to develop quickness in the first few strides – a project that is addressed mainly off-ice. Short sprints are a major part of his training, emphasizing efficiency of force production, not just a lot of force. He had done sprints

consistently over the last year, but tests showed no improvement in a 20-yard dash. How is this possible? His ‘sprints’ were shuttle runs that have captured the hearts and minds of coaches for decades: sprint out ten yards and back; then without rest, out twenty yards and back; no rest, then thirty and back, etc. They’ve been called ‘Killers,’ or ‘Running-the-lines,’ or ‘Herbies (on ice).’ Players have come up with names we won’t print. The point is, this particular player needed quality quickness training, and it was perverted into endurance training, or mental toughness training, or … just plain ignorance. This is not how you train for quickness. That requires sprints that are each as fast as the sprint he does when testing. Short 100% sprint intervals

and long rest intervals are essential. Coaches must become experts with intervals. Agility exercises and skill drills are often confused with endurance training if the work intervals are too long and recovery intervals too short. Perhaps later in a speed workout the intervals can be modified slightly to fulfill the need to maintain speed for longer intervals over an entire game. I inserted the word ‘slightly,’ because if these are done slowly as players fatigue, the training amounts to assurance they will perform slowly when they are slightly tired in games. The bottom line is that if a player has 12 months to improve quickness, there must be hundreds of short sprints with adequate recovery. My advice is – be a coach, not a drill sergeant.

Wes Walz Minnesota Wild

Hockey School

Boys: U16 & 2003-2011 • Girls: U8-U14

1500

General Skills Camp for Boys and Girls Mites, Squirts, PeeWees and Bantams

Skills Camp Locations

PER TEAM

10 Summer Hockey Guide 2019

by JACK BLATHERWICK

ROUND-UP DIVISIONS:

All tournaments will include: • 4 game minimum • 3, 15-minute stop time periods • Individual medals in each division for Champions, 2nd place & 3rd place • Tournaments will have a playoff round • On site Director & EMT at every arena • Each player will receive a free tournament giveaway • Excellent facilities and local accommodations • Online stats, schedules, box scores and standings

Bad traditions don’t die soon enough

ST. LOUIS PARK

LAKEVILLE

WOODBURY

BLAINE

Rec Center August 5-9, 2019

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

www.stateofhockey.com

Schwan Super Rink August 26 - 30, 2019

Each participant’s family receives 4 LOWER LEVEL WILD TICKETS to a 2019-2020 Minnesota Wild Preseason game!

For more information and to register go to

Midwest Hockey Program (763) 225-7320 dan@midwesthockey.net Let’s Play Hockey

Lakeville Ames Arena August 19-23, 2019

HealthEast Sports Center August 12-16, 2019

Go to www.mphtournaments.com for more information and to view our tournament information video

FEATURES:

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Summer Hockey Guide 2019 11

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Summer Hockey Guide 2019 13

Dryland skating practice for youth hockey by JACK BLATHERWICK When Czechoslovakia was one country (under Soviet rule) they had thousands of hockey players with very limited access to arenas. So, in order to optimize ice time, they practiced skating and other skills off-ice. It was effective, because their National teams were among the best in the world each year. Dryland skating practice had three objectives: (1) Fundamental skating positions were repeated thousands of times, reinforcing the habit of excellent knee bend. (2) One or Two-legged jumps were added for explosiveness – always from a position of deep knee bend. (3) They developed a kinesthetic

feeling of efficient force application from one leg through the center of the body. Straight-line extension (SLX) is essential for powerful skating strides. Speedskaters have the same objectives: Dryland training reinforces good skating habits and posture along with explosive strength. Keep in mind, this should be FUN, so don’t call it a “workout.” This is “Skating Practice.” In-season sessions should be short (5-15 minutes). Save the intense training for off-season months, when strength development is a priority, and sprints are added for quick feet.

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Age appropriate speed training by MIKE DOYLE

The game of hockey is all about speed. However, for parents looking to improve their child’s speed on the ice, it’s important to remember the “game” aspect of the equation, especially when it comes to offseason exercise. Mike Boyle, who served as the head strength and conditioning coach at Boston University for 15 years before co-founding Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, thinks the most important thing is to get kids active. “Our kids are way too sedentary, they’re way too inclined to sit in front of a television and play a video game,” Boyle said. “We need to encourage our kids to play and to go outside.” Laying down a foundation of early athleticism and continuing that as a child progresses is the best approach for long-term athletic development. Prior to 11, or Peewee age, Boyle said the emphasis should be placed on general athleticism and multisport play. “When they get to 1112, they can start to formalize training a little bit and start teaching, what we call the Learn to Train period,’” Boyle said. “This is when you start teaching how to do a squat and how to do a lunge. We start teaching the exercises that are going to become the building blocks of what we want to do later.” Run, Run, Run It may sound like an www.stateofhockey.com

oversimplification, but fast, explosive runners make fast, explosive skaters. However, Boyle cautions of trying to turn a child into a super athlete at too young of an age. “We don’t want to be in the childhood stealing business; I think that’s what people can get into, even in my profession,” Boyle said. “The big thing is realizing we’re dealing with children and we have to be careful that we’re not inserting the value system that we would use, say, to make a better company to try and make a better athlete. It’s not the same thing. As a parent, we might think, ‘This is what made me good at my job,’ and then we try to apply that to a child.” So, to train those speed muscles, the best approach is to be creative and make it fun and competitive. Make It a Contest Creating a competitive environment – at any age – turns training into fun. Exchanging “sprints” for “relay races” is a great way to get young athletes to have a good time while improving speed. “Speed and quickness will come from relays and racing,” Boyle said. “Again, you can run sprints with kids and call it relay races and suddenly kids don’t mind running sprints.” Start with 10 tennis balls (or fewer if you have fewer racers) and place a bucket 20 feet away from the starting position. Divide the competitors into two teams and have them,

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WWW.TCHOCKEYCAMPS.COM one-at-a-time, run to the bucket and drop in a tennis ball and run back to the line before their teammate can do the same. First team to fill up the bucket with all their balls wins. Make Time for Play Time “Just playing” is something that increases overall athleticism. Gaining balance and coordination, at any age, will only help when a child begins increasing speed and quickness. If a child is uncoordinated, when formalized training is introduced, they might have a tougher time adapting than their counterparts. “The popularity of these American Ninja Warrior shows has really brought playground play back to these kids, in terms of monkey bars and jumping back and forth

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between things,” Boyle said. “The important thing to understand about children is that we want play.” Boyle recently bought his 11-year-old son a pogo stick, and added examples such as bike riding, rollerblading, jump rope and hopscotch, as great ways for kids to be kids while being active. While that might not directly impact speed or quickness, all those summer activities teach coordination and balance in a fun, unsupervised activity. “Our desire as adults is to impose our adult values onto children and we have to be sure that we realize children are not mini adults,” Boyle said. “So, they want to play. They want to throw things, and kick things and pick things up. We should be encouraging them to do that stuff.” Summer Hockey Guide 2019 15

Some questions as you plan your off-season development

First: Are you getting the most from your time and effort?

Chip Kelly, coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, and former coach of the University of Oregon Ducks, said this about every workout, even off-season strength training, “People should be able to come, observe you, and in five minutes know what you stand for.” Among other team qualities of character and focus, the Duck’s priorities are SPEED and speed-endurance that is uncomfortable for their opponents. Kelly played college football, and was also a hockey player through high school. He would ask, if hockey is your passion, and someone watches you train for five minutes, do they see that your effort is making you

move your body explosively if you want to get quicker. Are many of your exercises designed to make you a better skater? Does the range and speed of motion look and feel like skating? For example, abduction is thrusting to the side from the hips, and it is critical for skating power. Some weight rooms don’t include any explosive abduction. They feature extension at the hips – straight down or backwards, as if hockey players have toe picks like figure skaters. Besides spending your time and energy wisely, make sure it’s fun, so you are passionate about improvement, even when it’s hard?

16 Summer Hockey Guide 2019

a better hockey player? Do they see explosive athleticism and read-react decisions? Do you play dynamic, fast-moving sports, like Tennis, Lacrosse, Soccer, or Football? Sprinting in Track is excellent for developing speed, but doesn’t have creative decisions like other sports. Baseball has many great athletic qualities, but you’ll need to add some extra sprints – not wind sprints for endurance, but short, all-out races with plenty of rest. Are you shooting pucks and stickhandling off-ice? When you get on the ice, do you practice creativity? Are there plenty of chances to try things that might not be al-

lowed by your winter coach? After all, winter hockey is becoming way too restrictive for development of playmaking skills, so take advantage of the summer. Can an observer tell in each five-minute segment of your strength workout that speed and quickness are high priorities? Are you moving your body explosively, not just moving a barbell? Many programs are nothing but heavy, slow barbell movement, restricted to one plane, and featuring deceleration in the last part of the lift – at precisely the moment you’d like to accelerate during your skating stride. Some of this is helpful for sure, but you also have to

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Hockey Athleticism Training should be Integrated, rather than Isolated by JACK BLATHERWICK With no apologies to the on-again, off-again basketball superstar(s) of today, I’d argue that Michael Jordan was the best player of all time. But … what do I know about round-ball? His most ardent fans say MJ’s combination of athleticism and skill will never be matched. I write because of the importance of the word ‘combination.’ Jordan was not the best shooter of alltime, although he could really shoot. He wasn’t the best ball-handler, playmaker, or defensive player if each of these skills is measured against the very best in history at that one skill. He didn’t have the highest vertical jump or fastest sprint of all-time; nor was his (laboratory) endurance the greatest. However, Jordan was the best combination of all these attributes. If we asked a similar question about current hockey players, Sidney Crosby might be the best combination, but not necessarily the very best at any one piece of the puzzle. So when will off-ice training emphasize the combination, rather than isolating each piece in separate workouts? When will we integrate sprint speed, explosive jumping, skating fundamentals, and strength in the same off-ice session? Why do we isolate instead of integrating? In physiology textbooks, aerobic endurance is taught separately from anaerobic qualities like speed or speed-endurance because: (1) the metabolic enzymes are different, (2) there are different muscle cells (fibers) activated, and (3) the nerves www.stateofhockey.com

recruit muscles in different patterns. In laboratory tests, scientists isolate the various pieces in order to learn more about each part of the athlete’s makeup (heart, lungs, muscles, nerves, hormones, metabolism, etc). So … has sixty years of laboratory testing this way improved our approach to developing better hockey players from the first day they put on skates? The short answer is ‘No.’ In fact, it made us look at athletes as the sum of the various pieces, when we should have been learning more about developing synergy among these pieces. Synergy is what made Michael Jordan’s game performance so much greater than the sum of his individual parts. Sixty years ago, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes. To break this barrier, he became a brilliant student of physiology. His training was unique, and he concluded that if he was successful, it would depend on synergy. He expressed it this way: “The human body is centuries in advance of the physiologist, and can perform an integration of heart, lungs, and muscles which is too complex for the scientist to analyze.” His advice is sound today. Every young athlete should resist the dogmatic advice to ISOLATE each piece of one’s athletic makeup. Instead, learn how to INTEGRATE the pieces more often. Participate in dynamic sports like tennis, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, or football. Then, incorporate explosive movement of your body into every work-

out. I’m not suggesting we find more ways to move the barbell explosively; I mean move your body. Words cannot define ‘Hockey Athleticism’ as well as a picture of great athletes in

competition. The ability to move your body quickly and efficiently in all directions on the ice requires sprinting, jumping, and skating-specific strength exercises integrated into each workout.

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Summer Hockey Guide 2019 17

Planning for the Off-Season? Move it or Lose it by JACK BLATHERWICK ‘Hockey Athleticism’ is the ability to move your body quickly and efficiently in all directions … on skates. When it is combined with rink sense, competitiveness, and stick skills it looks a lot like Pavel Datsyuk or Sidney Crosby. Of course, only two in a million will attain that level, but every young player should train to move in that direction – at least until you turn 22 years of age. Twenty-two? Well, maybe 21 or 23 or 17 – but recent computerized scanning technologies have shown that the brain and lower nerve centers are capable of great changes (plasticity) well into adolescence and slightly beyond. Not long ago it was thought that skills, coordi-

nation, and other intricate motor development peaks at early ages. Some of it does, but there are also peaks later on that must be considered by anyone interested in athlete development (or cognitive development for that matter). Observations of large populations of children have led folks to believe that certain athletic skills MUST be addressed at certain ages or the window of opportunity closes. USA Hockey’s ADM references those studies. The ADM offers some good ideas, and some that are misleading, so it should never be legislated. Consider it to be just one piece of advice. Because of technological advances in many areas of neuroscience, including computerized imaging,

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knowledge in this field is changing so fast, it is naïve to think there is a single answer to athlete development that will not be modified in upcoming years. Better to keep an open mind, watch this field closely, allow for creative ideas from different sources, and then use your own garage logic. Why ‘Garage Logic?’ After working with thousands of athletes at all ages, I’ve found that the most important factor in development is motivation, not chronological age. The window of opportunity for improvement of skill, speed, explosive strength, and skating is not closed until the athlete loses motivation or work-ethic – or until the ripe old age of 22 or so. Recent imaging research verifies that the cerebellum is very plastic until about that time, certainly changing a great deal just before and throughout adolescence. We know that the cerebellum is critically involved in the coordination of motor and mental activities, hand-eye coordination, etc. Dr. Jay Giedd is a researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health, and I strongly suggest reading his thoughts and branching out from there. I will leave this wonderful opportunity to you (Google his name), but Dr. Giedd’s most important advice is this, “Use it or lose it.”

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What does that mean? Whether a young child or adolescent is reading a novel, studying physics, playing an active sport, lying on a couch, sprinting at top speed, stickhandling while moving the feet, or manipulating an iPod, the cerebellum, spinal cord, and other brain centers are changing to ‘streamline’ this activity. You will become what you do most often. Keeping in mind that ‘Hockey Athleticism’ is moving your body quickly and efficiently, this means that moving the body must be a major part of your planning for the off-season. We’ve been oversold strength and muscle mass in the high school weight room, because that’s what football coaches promote. Strength is important, but at this important age for learning motor skills, it must be combined with explosive movement of your body (jumps, sprints, agility drills) off-ice and on-ice. Playing other active sports is a good idea, but don’t think you shouldn’t play hockey as much as you want any time of the year. That concept is also oversold without evidence. Train to be like Datsyuk and Crosby until you’re 22, and if, at that time, you see that you’ll make a better goon someday, you still have plenty of time to bulk up. www.stateofhockey.com

Summer Hockey With so many options, picking the right summer training program for your athlete isn’t easy. The first step is identifying what your athlete needs from a hockey skills perspective and athleticism standpoint. Do they need to work on their skating and edge work? Do they lack knee bend when they skate and so need to focus on building the strength and mobility required to skate properly? Equally important is understanding your player’s temperament and personality. Are they intrinsically motivated? Or do they perform better when surrounded by peers that push them? Do they need to train in smaller group settings or do bigger camps work better for them? There are plenty of questions every parent should be asking themselves to help

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determine the best possible training camps for their skaters this summer. But for this article, let’s focus on understanding how best to pick a camp based on hockey specific skills and athleticism. Skating and edge work should be a major focus for all youth and high school hockey players. I’ve never seen a peewee skater and thought, “no need for him to work on his skating in the off-season.” Skating is the foundation and the calculated approach even professional hockey players take on it in their off-season training is a good model for our youth skaters to follow. Learn how to place greater pressure on your edges, improve your stride recovery, extend your pushes, etc. In addition to form corrections, players need time devoted to overspeed. Sprinting at

Find the Right Training for Your Player

top speeds on the ice with sufficient rest is something many players don’t during the season because of the many other requirements coaches need to tackle. Dryland training that builds overall athleticism is crucial to long-term development. Dryland training with mites and squirts MUST be fun or there is an increased risk of burnout. There are plenty of fun games that work on developing athleticism – whether playing other sports like soccer, doing relay races, or playing freeze tag. For peewees, they are in the golden window of skill development. The more they can stickhandle and work on their stick skills, the better. Once athletes hit bantams and through high school, the major focus should be on building speed, accelera-

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tion, and explosive power. Pick camps that focus on skills and have good work to rest ratios. Off-season practices should be entirely devoted to skill and work to rest ratios should be no greater than 1:3. If a player skates in a drill that takes seven seconds to complete, they shouldn’t be sitting in a long line for a minute and a half before they go again. This is an easy metric for any parent to note, regardless of their hockey knowledge, Finally, your player should have FUN! Let’s not forget this one. Passion is the #1 ingredient for success. Players should have fun at camps and summer training. Find camps that help instill a joy and love for hockey. I guarantee that investment will compound for your athlete for the rest of their lives!

Summer Hockey Guide 2019 19

Summer Conditioning for Hockey? Hockey Endurance is maintaining skills at high speed for an entire game and overtime Nothing slow. Two USA Teams trained for more than six months prior to their respective Olympics: the 1980 men and 2018 women. They did no slow conditioning – none – and both won Gold Medals. Both teams finished the game, executing skills at the same fast pace as at the beginning. Many other factors enter into a win like this, but conditioning is one that can be planned and executed. This is unlike the debilitating grind of an NHL season where games, travel, injuries, and loss of

sleep trump all plans for conditioning and recovery. Stated simply: the purpose of endurance conditioning is to maintain, for an entire game, the fastest pace possible while executing all defensive and offensive skills. So, why do so many coaches (in most sports) advocate slow conditioning? The most important neurological fact that must be considered first when you train: repetitions result in anatomical changes to the specific nerve pathways used often in your

SKILL CAMPS • 3 ON 3 LEAGUES • LESSONS 20 Summer Hockey Guide 2019

workouts. Read that sentence a couple more times, because speed and mechanics of movement are memorized in your Central Nervous System (CNS) whether you intend for that to happen or not. Micro-anatomical changes to nerves and supporting (glial) cells can be ‘seen’ after just a few workouts using modern scanning technologies. If you repeat slow movement (such as jogging) it is memorized and repeated at the wrong time: in a sprint workout where it is counterproductive. Or, if you skate while fatigued, the inefficient mechanics will become part of your stride, and show up when you least want it – in games. You become what you repeat most often. That is an unbreakable law of neuro-science. To develop speed-endurance for long games and tournaments, the two Gold-Medal Teams first researched this question: Knowing that we want to practice skills at a super-fast pace, can we simultaneously improve aerobic-cardiovascular fitness without long, slow aerobic training? Short answer: YES. Highly Intense Interval Training (HIIT) has been proven (over and over again) to improve aero-

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bic-CV fitness as well as the anaerobic qualities required to even think about a gold medal: speed-skill, explosive strength, and speed-endurance. Third period and overtime speed-skill-endurance by the 2018 U.S. Women’s team was the specific goal of every workout on and off the ice for more than a year. Coaches Robb Stauber, Brett Strot. And Paul Mara kept the pedal to the floor, knowing the Canadian women were big, fast, strong, and skillful – a combination that wasn’t defeated until late in the game. And the 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ was really no miracle at all. It was the result of intelligent, but excruciating preparation. Team skills were rehearsed for two-hour practices at uncomfortably fast pace for six months – nothing slow or the wrath of Coach Herb Brooks was unleashed. Did the young amateur USA team dominate? Of course not. But the speedskill attack by the Soviets was never allowed to take over the game as it did relentlessly for forty years. OverSpeed preparation put the US Team in position to challenge the Red machine the entire game. A word to the wise regarding hockey endurance? Train fast. www.stateofhockey.com

Hockey Finder a big help for hockey players Did you start the league? The league was started in the fall of 2010 by myself (Derrik Dyka) and Don Giroux. The idea came about after organizing pickup hockey for a couple of years. We recognized an unmet need in the community for organized league play for adults that captures the friendly, social culture of pickup hockey.. We started that first season with just four teams at Minnesota Made Ice Center in Edina. The league doubled in size the second season, and we have been expanding every year since. We now have close to 200 coed teams in three states with annual participation over 3,200 players (2018). You run the league, can you tell me about the responsibilities you have? Hockey Finder is a very relational business. Don and I spend a lot of time scheduling rinks, coordinating referees, and doing the typical tasks associated with running a small business. However, what makes us unique is our responsiveness and the support we give to our 200+ volunteer Team Captains and Division Managers, and over 3,200 players. A lot of effort goes into balancing team skill levels, recruiting and welcoming new players, and cultivating the league culture that defines the Hockey Finder experience. Over time, each division becomes its own community. Building that community takes a lot of care and attention. How does the league work? Hockey Finder can be summed up in three simple words: Fun, Friendly, and Social. This basic philosophy drives everywww.stateofhockey.com

thing about the league. out our league. Finally, Hockey Finder, we wanted Unlike most sports even though there are as- to create more than just a leagues where an individu- signed teams each season league, we wanted a comal registers with a full team, and all games are officiat- munity where players can Hockey Finder operates ed, there’s no “grand prize” show up, make friends, and with a “free agent” or “draft for winning. The emphasis feel they are a part of someleague” system. Players is instead placed on the in- thing beyond just playing register as individuals and herent joy of playing hock- hockey. are placed on a team. We ey with little pressure to Finally, we support sodo allow for friend requests, perform. cial interaction. We incorbut the ultimate goal is to Second, we focus on porate this as often as posbuild a community of hock- keeping the league friend- sible, whether its enjoying a ey enthusiasts. Players on ly. To begin, we are a no beverage after games with opposing teams one sea- violence league with a zero other players in a division, son may be your team- tolerance policy for unnec- or showing up for barbemates in a following sea- essarily aggressive play ques at our seasonal tourson. Over time, a division that risks injury to other naments. We want players becomes its own, support- players. We also remove to get to know each other ive community. In addition, players who are verbal- and create lasting relationtransplants to Minnesota or ly abusive towards other ships. This social aspect those who do not have a players or referees. The extends beyond just friendnetwork of hockey-playing fact that each team is a mix ships but also commercial friends can register without of players from through- networking. Our players the demands of organizing out the division eliminates come from a wide range of a full team most of the potential con- professions including real Fun is our first consid- flict one might experience estate agents, attorneys, eration. We do our best to in other leagues. In addifacilitate a foundation for tion, the friendly aspect of HOCKEY FINDER fun by organizing our vari- Hockey Finder extends offContinued on page 22 ous divisions by skill level. ice. When we developed Moreo v e r, Division 2019 M a n NEW agers, IMPR AND OV T e a m DRIL ED LS! C a p tains, and even many of our refsuccess between the pipes e re e s Improves skills, confidence, are longconsistency and game performance. t i m e m e m Four programs: Intro to Goaltending, Intermediate Skills, b e r s Tryout Tune-up, Advanced Skills. of the Hockey Weekend sessions, June-Sept. Finder Boys, girls, ages 6-15 Coach Carroll with goalie c o m Five Minnesota locations m u n i t y, (Blaine, Eagan, Edina, which Richfield & St. Paul) h e l p s th /carrollgs @carrollgs maintain a conregister online s p o n s o r e d by sistency carrollgs.com Brian’s Custom Sports of play 612-703-2449 through-

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Summer Hockey Guide 2019 21

HOCKEY FINDER continued from page 21 financial planners, and It’s very common after a di- individuals play in multiple even some very successful entrepreneurs. Thus, the Hockey Finder community has provided members with both a personal and professional network. Are there try-outs for the team? There are no tryouts to participate in Hockey Finder. Everyone is welcome, from the extreme novice to more experienced players. Each division has a skill-level rating, and players self-select the best fit when they register. We then moderate the league with the input of our Team Captains and Division Managers to ensure players aren’t inappropriately placed. If a lesser-skilled player is placed above his or her pace, we will do our best to relocate them to a division more suited to their ability. Similarly, we may move a player registered in a division where overall play is below his or her ability. This balance is critical for Hockey Finder. Newer players are less likely to feel intimidated as they learn and grow, and more experienced players get the challenging play they seek. Beyond that, there’s no tiering of players on teams based on skill. Nobody is assigned to “first line” or “first defensive pairing.” Everyone gets equal playing time regardless of skill or how much they affect the scoresheet. Why do people come to play? Hockey Finder offers several qualities that we believe have driven our growth. First, the environment we cultivate promotes fun, balanced play. Overly aggressive players, or those who do not abide by our player policies, are quickly removed. Our system of building teams through individual registration lessens the “us vs. them” mentality common in competitive sports by refocusing that energy on friendly, social interactions. 22 Summer Hockey Guide 2019

vision plays its games for most everyone to hang out and socialize, unlike other leagues where rival teams go their separate ways. Many players also value our consistency and ease of registration. Each division plays at the same location on the same night of the week from season to season. For some, league play becomes a sort of weekly tradition. In fact, registration in some of our divisions fills within hours of being open. We also do our best to keep costs low while offering other unique incentives such as in-game photos and our popular seasonal gifts, which have included hats, puck bottle openers, custom playing cards, etc. When and where do you play? At present we have over 30 divisions spanning across the Twin Cities Metro area on different nights and for varying skill levels, plus several regularly-scheduled pickup games players can sign up for individually. Games are typically later at night, usually between 9pm and 10pm when ice is available. Beyond the Twin Cities, we have divisions in Duluth, St. Cloud, and Rochester, and have expanded into Omaha, Nebraska, and, Chicago, Illinois. We are currently looking to expand into other neighboring States, as well. How often do you practice? Have games? While individual teams may organize practices on their own, there are no official practices associated with Hockey Finder. For some players, periodic pickup games increase their ice time and serve as a sort of “practice” opportunity. Each division plays one night per week, with each season taking place over 11 weeks. Most divisions are offered four seasons per year. However, some

divisions, so overall participation can vary significantly from person to person. What do you love about playing hockey with this group? For me, it all comes back to the Hockey Finder culture of fun, friendly, and social play. Games are always a good time and you can’t put a price on the social aspect. The amount of lasting friendships and good times are immeasurable. A typical game includes showing up, sharing a few laughs in the locker room, three periods of low-pressure hockey, and more laughs after the game is over, sometimes over a beverage. You really can’t beat that. Do you have tournaments, if so could you explain how those work? Who do you play against? In addition to league play and pickup games, Hockey Finder organize tournaments throughout the year. We believe tournaments are a great way to introduce Hockey Finder to new players who may be considering joining a division. Tournaments also offer a unique opportunity to gather players from multiple divisions in one place for a couple of days, make new friends, and play in a friendly environment. Just like our league, everyone signs up individually and teams are randomly created. As is true in our division play, winning a tournament is less important than the overall experience of bringing so many people together to play hockey, tailgate, and solicalize in an inclusive, friendly environment. In March of 2018, we organized our first tournament in Las Vegas surrounding the Minnesota Wild vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights game. Our tournament was held at the Golden Knights’ practice facility and the participants, along with friends and family,

Let’s Play Hockey

joined us for the Wild game. We will be hosting our second Las Vegas tournament in March 2019 and look to add similar tournaments in other NHL markets. When you win a tournament are there prizes or some kind of recognition? Hockey Finder does not offer prizes for tournament winners or division/league championships. Each division has a travelling trophy that gets passed along from season to season and the names of the players who win get engraved on it. Basically the prize for winning is friendly bragging rights and a victorious team photo to post on Facebook. Essentially it a symbolic event that marks the end of one season before teams are shuffled and a new season begins. Is playing good exercise? We are strictly a “no unnecessary contact” league in order to support safe play, which is an important way we support overall health and fitness. Otherwise, the exercise aspect depends on the player. We have a division manager who readily admits he likes to coast around and plays no higher than 75% on any given night. That’s how he has fun with the league. Others are the opposite and make Hockey Finder a part of their organized workout routine, giving full-effort and playing at their highest level. Just have fun, that’s all we ask. Youth Programs: We do also have similar format spring/summer youth programs which allows kids to skate once a week in a low pressure fun environment. Our High School Hockey League also continues to grow quickly with a 22 game season (one game every Sunday afternoon) for only $449. highschoolhockeyleague. com www.stateofhockey.com

www.stateofhockey.com

Let’s Play Hockey

Summer Hockey Guide 2019 23

2019 SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER 8 WEEKS OF EXTENSIVE HOCKEY TRAINING: 2019 2019 2019

(Coaches Clinic For Parents) Week 1: June 2nd - 8th (Day Camp/All Ages) Week 2: June 30th - 6th (Overnight Camp/Mite-Parents) Week 3: July 7th - 13th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 4: July 14th - 20th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 5: July 21st - 27th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 6: July 28th - 3rd (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 7: August 4th - 10th (Day Camp/All Ages) Week 8: August 26th - 30th (Day Camp/All Ages) All camps are open to boys and girls* Day camp is available during all Overnight Camp weeks* (Coaches Clinictogether/ For Parents) Mite Parent camp is a camp for parents and players to attend (Coaches Clinic For Parents) Week 1: June 2nd - 8th (Day Camp/All Ages) Week 2: June 30th - 6th (Overnight Camp/Mite-Parents) Please see website for Details* Week 1: June 2nd 8th (Day Camp/All Ages) Week 2: June 30th 6th (Overnight Camp/Mite-Parents) Week 3: July 7th - 13th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 4: July 14th - 20th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 3: July 7th - 13th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 4: July 14th - 20th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 5: JulyHead 21st - Coach 27th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 6: July 28th - 3rd (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Goalie Coach Week 5: July 21st - 27th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 6: July 28th - 3rd (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 7: August 4th - 10th (Day Camp/All Ages) Week 8: August 26th - 30th (DayMoline Camp/All Ages) Mike Muller Week 7: Mike August 4th - 10th (Day Camp/All Ages) Week 8: August 26th - 30th (Day Camp/All Ages) USA open Hockey Level 4 USA Hockey Level 4 All camps are to boys and girls* Day camp is available during all Overnight Camp weeks* All camps are open to boys and girls* Day camp is available during all Overnight Camp weeks* Mite Parent camp is a camp for parents and players to attend together/ Mite Parent camp is a camp for parents and players to attend together/ (Coaches Clinic For Parents) Please see websitefor forDetails* Details* see website Week 1: June 2nd - 8th (Day Please Camp/All Ages) Week 2: June 30th - 6th (Overnight Camp/Mite-Parents)

WEEKS OF OF EXTENSIVE EXTENSIVE HOCKEY HOCKEY TRAINING: 88 WEEKS TRAINING: SUMMER

2019

8 WEEKS OF EXTENSIVE HOCKEY TRAINING:

Week 3: July 7th - 13th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 4: July 14th - 20th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 5: July 21st -Coach 27th (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Week 6: July 28th - 3rdGoalie (Overnight Camp/All Ages) Head GoalieCoach Coach Head Coach Week 7: August 4th - 10th (Day Camp/All Ages) Week 8: August 26th - 30th (Day Camp/All Ages) Coaching Experience: Mike Moline Mike Muller Coaching Experience: Mike Moline Mike Muller Professional Hockey Head Coach All camps are open to4boys and girls* Day camp is available during all Overnight Camp weeks* USA Hockey Level USA Hockey Level 44 Owner/OperatorFUNdamentals Goalie Clinic USA Hockey Level 4 USA Hockey Level Kaufbeuren Germany DEL2 Mite Parent camp is a camp for parents and players to attend together/ Sect. 3AA Asst. Coach of the Year THE GOALIE CLUB Coach Please see website for Details*

Eppan Italy Youth Hockey Director and Coach Ravensburg Germany Youth Hockey Coach

S. St. Paul H.S. Varsity Goalie Coach 10 Years Goalie Coach Cottage High Youth Goalie Coach MikeGrove/Park Moline

Head Coach Muller Heartland Hockey LeadMike Instructor 10 years USA Hockey Level 4 Coaching Experience:

USA Hockey Level 4 Coaching Experience: Doug Woog Hockey Camps Head Goalie

Professional Head Coach Coaching Experience: Euro AmericanHockey Development Coach

Coaching Experience:

Owner/Operator- FUNdamentals Instructor Goalie Clinic Sect. 3AA Asst. Coach of theGoalie Year Clinic Owner/OperatorFUNdamentals THE GOALIE CLUB Coach

Kaufbeuren Germany DEL2 Private/Individual Coaching Instructor Professional Hockey Head Coach Kaufbeuren Germany DEL2

Playing Experience:

Sect. 3AA Asst. Coach of the Year

Eppan Italy Youth Hockey Director and Coach Ravensburg Germany Youth Hockey Coach - Wayzata H.S. Varsity -

THE GOALIE CLUB Coach - N. St. H.S. PaulVarsity State Tournament Goaltender S. St. Paul Goalie Coach 10 Years Coaching Experience: Cottage Grove/Park High Youth Goalie Coach - Team MVP - All Conference -

Coaching Experience: Eppan Italy Youth Hockey Director and Coach - University of MN - WCHA Champion Professional Hockey Head Coach Ravensburg Germany Youth Hockey Coach Heartland Hockey Lead Instructor 10 years

FUNdamentals Goalie Clinic S.Owner/OperatorSt. Paul H.S. Varsity Goalie Coach 10 Years Coach the Year2014 - N. St.Sect. Paul3AA H.S.Asst. Hall of Fameofinductee Cottage Grove/Park High Youth Goalie Coach Doug Woog Hockey Camps Head Goalie THE GOALIE CLUB Coach

Kaufbeuren Germany - AHL/IHL/ECHL/REL 92’ DEL2 to 97’ - Heartland German Professional Hockey 97’ to Eppan Italy Youth Hockey Director and Coach Hockey Lead Instructor 102010’ years Euro American Development Coach

- University of MN Duluth Goaltender 81’ 82’ Instructor

Ravensburg Germany Youth Hockey Coach Private/Individual Coaching Instructor

S. St. Paul H.S. Varsity Goalie Coach 10 Years Doug Woog HockeyHigh Camps Head Goalie Cottage Grove/Park Youth Goalie Coach

Playing Experience:

Playing Experience: Instructor

NEW FOR 2019 SEASON: *Skills Evaluations* *Oﬀ-ice Classroom* *Daily Yoga With A Certiﬁed Instructor*

Euro American Development Coach Heartland Hockey Lead Instructor 10 years

Private/Individual Coaching - Wayzata H.S. VarsityInstructor Euro American Development Coach -Private/Individual University of MN -Coaching WCHA Champion Instructor - AHL/IHL/ECHL/REL 92’ to 97’ Playing Experience: - Wayzata H.S. Varsity - German Professional Hockey 97’ to 2010’ - Wayzata H.S. Varsity -

Woog Camps Head Goalie - N. Doug St. Paul StateHockey Tournament Goaltender Instructor - Team MVP - All Conference - N. St. Paul H.S. Hall of Fame inductee 2014 Playing Experience: - N. St. Paul State Tournament Goaltender - University of MN Duluth Goaltender 81’ 82’ - N. St. Paul State Tournament Goaltender

Playing Experience:

-- University University of of MN MN -- WCHA WCHA Champion Champion -AHL/IHL/ECHL/REL 92’ 92’ to to 97’ 97’ --- AHL/IHL/ECHL/REL German Professional Hockey 97’ to 2010’ -- German Professional Hockey 97’ to 2010’ -

Playing Experience:

NEW NEWFOR FOR2019 2019SEASON: SEASON:

- Team MVP - All Conference - - Team MVP - All Conference St.Paul Paul H.S. Hall Fame inductee 2014 - -N.N.St. H.S. Hall ofofFame inductee 2014 - University of MN Duluth Goaltender 81’ 82’ - -University of MN Duluth Goaltender 81’ 82’ -

*New Sublimated Jerseys* *Camp Hoodie* *Camp Flatbill Hat* *More Than 15 Hours of Ice Time Per Week* *An Extra Day Of Camp!!!* *Skills Evaluations* *Off-ice Classroom* *Daily Yoga With A Certified Instructor* *Skills Evaluations* Classroom* With A Certified Instructor* *Professional Goalie*Off-ice Instruction Weekly**Daily *DailyYoga Off-ice Skills andHat* Conditioning* *New Flatbill *New Sublimated SublimatedJerseys* Jerseys**Camp *CampHoodie* Hoodie**Camp *Camp Flatbill Hat* *Skills Evaluations* *Off-ice Classroom* *Daily Yoga With A Certified Instructor* *1/2 Hour 1 on 1of Private Lessons* *Daily Camp Journaling* *More Than 15 Ice Per Week* *An Extra Day Of Camp!!!* *More Than 15Hours Hours of IceTime Time Per Week* *An Extra Day Of Camp!!!* *New Sublimated Jerseys* *Camp Hoodie* *Camp Flatbill Hat* *Professional Goalie Instruction Weekly* *Daily Off-ice Skills and Conditioning* *Overnight Mite AndInstruction Parent Camp* *Parent Coaching On-ice and Off-ice* *Professional Goalie Weekly* *Daily Off-ice Clinic Skills and Conditioning* *1/2 Hour on11of Private Lessons* *Daily Camp Journaling* *More*1/2 Than 15 Hours Ice Time Per Week* *An Extra Day Of Camp!!!* Hour 11on Private Lessons* *Daily Camp Journaling* *Pay Online by Check or Credit Card (processing fees apply)* *Multiple Payments* *Overnight Mite And Parent Camp* *Parent Coaching Clinic On-ice and Off-ice* *Overnight Mite And Parent Camp* *Parent Coaching Clinic On-ice and Off-ice* *Professional Weekly* *Daily Off-ice Skills*Multiple and Conditioning* *Pay Online byGoalie CheckInstruction or Credit Card (processing fees apply)* Payments* Camp*1/2 $650.00 Registration Now*Daily Open Overnight Camp $1300.00 *PayDay Online by Check Credit CardLessons* (processing feesCamp apply)* *Multiple Payments* Hour or 1 on 1 Private Journaling* Day Camp $650.00 Registration Now Open Overnight Camp $1300.00 *Overnight And Parent Registration Camp* *Parent Clinic On-ice and$1300.00 Off-ice* Day CampMite $650.00 Now Coaching Open Overnight Camp Looking for a Great Summer Getaway? *Pay Online by Check or Credit for Carda (processing fees apply)* *Multiple Payments* Looking Great Summer Getaway?

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24 Summer Hockey Guide 2019

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