WE CELEBRATE OUR 20TH SEASON PAGES 20-21
Y T I V I T C A R SUMME Have some fun and work on your game
Michigan Hockey michiganhockeyonline.com V.22:I.1 | June 20, 2011 FIRST CLASS
Alex Ovechkin No. 8 Washington Capitals
The New CCM U+ Crazy Light. Get Your Fit On. The only skate built with ultra reactive U FOAM technology. The U+ Crazy Light conforms to every contour of your foot. It fits better on your foot, so you can perform better on and logo are registered trademarks of CCM Holdings (1983) Inc./Gestion Inc.CCM? and are used under license the ice. Only one CCM question remains. Are you committed enoughCCM to(1983) wear by Sport Maska Inc. and under sublicense by Maska U.S. Inc. ®: Means a registered trademark of Sport Maska Inc. Find out at ccmhockey.com. CCM and logo are registered trademarks of CCM Holdings (1983) Inc./Gestion CCM (1983) Inc. and are used under license by Sport Maska Inc. and under sublicense by Maska U.S. Inc. ®: Means a registered trademark of Sport Maska Inc.
Table of Contents June 20, 2011 Volume 22 : Issue 1 AMATEUR HOCKEY REPORT
Garden City All-Stars win Hockey Fights Cancer Tournament Belle Tire North ‘02s win Toronto Challenge Cup title
MH BEAT
Meijer State Games tournaments coming to Grand Rapids MAHA Report: Cross-ice a hit and Summer Meeting coming up Hockey community gathers to remember Ian Jenkins
SPEAKING OF HOCKEY
What are you doing to get better this summer?
STATE OF THE GAME
12
14
GET BETTER Why go to hockey school?
15
YOU SHOULD KNOW HOMETOWN HERO
16
Canton’s James Wisniewski
18
REEBOK TOURNAMENT CALENDAR
22
TRYOUTS
30
JUNIOR HOCKEY
OHL: Whalers and Spirit players ready for NHL Draft
2011 Summer Activity Issue Now’s the time for some on and off the ice fun
7 8 24
By Lyle Phair Two strides forward, one giant step back
Calumet’s Ben Johnson
PAGE 26
6 6
COLLEGE HOCKEY
Q & A with new CCHA Commissioner Fred Pletsch
34
36
COMING IN OUR NEXT ISSUE EQUIPMENT BUYERS GUIDE
4
PAGES 20-21
PAGE 10
PAGE 38
20th Anniversary Season MH celebrates 20 years with a look back at 2006
MH Feature What’s going on with Girls hockey?
Red Wings Insider Holland’s off-season just got busier
Michigan Hockey
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
The summer is a good time to take inventory of your gear and see what’s new from equipment manufacturers this year. We’ll take a look at the new skates, sticks and protective gear, have a wrap up of the Meijer Summer Games competition, more Fall Tryouts and look back at the year 2007 in celebration of our 20th season of Michigan Hockey. Look for it on arena stands, at michiganhockeyonline.com and in your e-mail on July 1, 2011 Contact Lucia Zuzga at (248) 479-1134 or lucia@ michiganhockeyonline.com or Philip Colvin at (248) 479-1136 or phil@michiganhockeyonline.com for more information.
From the Editor
FROM THE EDITOR
Editor-in-Chief Philip D. Colvin
phil@michiganhockeyonline.com
Advertising Lucia Zuzga
lucia@michiganhockeyonline.com
Enjoy the summer
Database Manager Josh Curmi
jcurmi@michiganhockeyonline.com
Design Chuck Stevens Contributing Editor Kevin Allen Josh Curmi Distribution Lucia Zuzga Administrative Director Amy Jones EDITORIAL BOARD: Bob DeSpirt, Christine Szarek, Derek Blair, James Jenkins, Julie Pardoski, Kirk Vickers, Linda Holland Lisa Zarzycki, Mark Vansaw, Nyron Fauconier, Randy Paquette Rob Mattina, Susan Bottrell, Tim Wilson, Todd Krygier LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: MICHIGAN HOCKEY® welcomes Letters to the Editor. They must be signed and include the writer's full home address and day and evening telephone numbers. MICHIGAN HOCKEY is published by SUBURBAN SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS, LLC 23995 Freeway Park Drive, Suite 200, Farmington Hills, MI 48335-2829. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MICHIGAN HOCKEY®, 23995 Freeway Park Drive, Suite 200, Farmington Hills, MI 483352829. ©2010 by Suburban Sports Communications. All Rights Reserved. The opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of MICHIGAN HOCKEY or its advertisers. All editorial copy, photographs and advertising materials remain the property of MICHIGAN HOCKEY.
MICHIGAN HOCKEY 23995 Freeway Park Drive • Suite 200 Farmington Hills, MI 48335-2829 (248) 478-2500 • FAX: (248) 478-1601 EMAIL: mh@michiganhockeyonline.com WEBSITE: michiganhockeyonline.com
USA Hockey votes to move checking to bantams
Cover reprints available email: mh@michiganhockeyonline.com
Work hard and have fun,
Red Wings’ Brian Rafalski and Islanders’ Doug Weight retire
Cover: Roller hockey fun by Michigan Hockey. Photos at left: (from top, L to R): Summer fun in the water courtesy of Heartland Hockey Camp; Girls hockey by Dan Swint/PDQ Photo and the Red Wings Ken Holland by Dave Reginek/DWR.
With school out for summer, what are you going to do with all of your free time? The weather is warmer so it’s a good chance to spend some time outside trying a new sport, working to improve your skills and just having some fun in a pool, at the lake or in the park. In addition, arenas all across the state are offering Drop-In, Sticks and Pucks and Summer Leagues (pages 26-29) to keep your skills sharp and training facilities have programs to help make you a faster, stronger and more explosive player next season. If you want to watch some top athletes in action, the Grand Rapids area will be hopping from June 23-26 when the Furniture City hosts the second annual Meijer State Games, an Olympic-style competition that includes 25 sports. Eight teams of high school players and eight teams of 14U players from all over the state will compete in the hockey part of the Games at Griff ’s Ice House, Kentwood Ice Arena and the Edge Grand Rapids (page 7). Also in this issue, we take a look at the state of girls hockey in Michigan (page 10) and lay out some good reasons to attend hockey school this summer in our Get Better section (page 15). State of the Game columnist Lyle Phair addresses the results of the voting at the USA Hockey Annual Congress (page 14) and we sit down for a Q &A with new CCHA commissioner Fred Pletsch (page 36). After Brian Rafalski’s retirement last month, Red Wings Insider Dave Waddell writes about the busy summer that Detroit general manager Ken Holland has in front of him (page 38). For a look at Rafalski’s career and decision to retire, along with the announcement that Warren native Doug Weight is also hanging it up, check out our “Only on the Web” section at michiganhockeyonline.com. Other Only on the Web content includes the details of the USA Hockey vote to delay checking to the Bantam level starting this fall and our own 2011 NHL Mock Draft.
Our 2011 NHL Mock Draft
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Winner will receive a HockeyShot Extreme Passing Kit Prize winner will be announced June 30th on our Facebook page
Michigan Hockey
5
Amateur Hockey Report
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Garden Garden City City All-Stars All-Stars win win Hockey Hockey Fights Fights Cancer Cancer Tournament Tournament For the last two years, Great Lakes Hockey has hosted Hockey Fights Cancer tournaments benefiting the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life� program. The Garden City Hockey Association 1998 team won the tournament last year and repeated as champions at this season’s tournament on May 22. The Garden City All-Stars are made up of 16 players (many who got their start in the GCHA) from 11 teams who set aside regular season rivalries to unite to raise awareness about cancer through hockey. The squad beat Victory Honda Edgez, Michigan Jaguars,
Westland Eagles, Redford Royals and the Mt. Clemens Wolves in a hard fought final. This year’s team is: Jacob Pedersen from Victory Honda, Zack Finzel, Max Dicicco, Josh Wilk, Brenda Guziak from Plymouth Stingrays, Donald Alchin, Jeremy Ross, Johnny Precopio from Allen Park Huskies, David Rush from Garden City Stars, Drew Holland from Trenton Trojans, Kevin Onofrio from Suburban Stars, Reed Zielinski from Westland Eagles, Sean Millane from Lansing Capitals, Tyler Isola from Flint Flames, Chase Danol from Little Caesars and Brett Abdelnour from Grosse Point Bulldogs. Coaches: Greg Guziak, Don Alchin, Paul Wilk and Ray Danol.
Emphasis on creating a fun, challenging environment for players to learn the beginning stages of balance, skating in equipment, and handling the puck
Belle BelleTire Tire North North‘02s ‘02s win winToronto Toronto Challenge Challenge Cup Cup title title
SHU SOD\HU ‡ Limited registration Full equipment required
6
Michigan Hockey
The 2002 Belle Tire North Squirt A team finished the spring season on a high note by winning Toronto Challenge Cup AAA division in Brampton, Ontario on May 22. The tournament is the most competitive on the spring schedule for U.S. and Canadian teams and the Belle Tire North squad represented Michigan well and became the first nonCanadian team to capture this tournament championship. Belle Tire North swept through the round robin round defeating the Toronto Rangers (ONT) 4-3, Total Hockey Peel (ONT) 7-6, Team Dominate (ONT) 4-2 and the Whitby Wolverines (ONT) 5-2. In the semifinals, Belle Tire North beat Total Hockey Peel again, 5-3, to advance to the finals. The final was a run and gun affair with Belle Tire North capturing the AAA division
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with their 10-6 victory over Total Hockey Richmond Hill (ONT). Goalie Cullen DeYoung played well all weekend and received great support from his defensive cast of Jake McCatty, Griffin White, Grant Tucker and Noah Luck. The Belle Tire North forwards, including Ryan Beck, Adam Pietila, Cam Sturos, Gunner Aldridge, Garrett Szydlowski, Jack Estfan, Dominick James and Ryan McClellan, back-checked and skated hard the entire tournament. In addition to being crowned tournament champions, special honors from Total Hockey were passed out including Best Defenseman (Jake McCatty), Championship Game MVP (Ryan Beck) and Tournament MVP (Garrett Szydlowski). Roger Luck (HC) was assisted by Brian DeYoung, Keith Aldridge, Ken Tucker and Gordie Pietila.
MH Beat
June 20, 2011 Volume 22 : Issue 1
Hockey Player Age Hometown Height Weight Team Position Coach School Grade Favorite Team Favorite Player
Tallon Bolanis 5 Saline, MI 46 inches 50 lbs Ann Arbor Timbits Forward Mark Bolanis Pleasant Ridge Elementary Kindergarten Red Wings Mark Bolanis (Dad)
Team Metro South went undefeated to win the 2010 Meijer State Games of Michigan high school title last summer. This year ’s event also includes a 14U tournament.
Meijer State Games tournaments coming to Grand Rapids area Hockey Player Age Hometown Height Weight Team Position Coach School Grade Favorite Team Favorite Player
Brendan Crimmins
BY PHILIP COLVIN
11 Commerce Twp. 4' 10" 92 lbs. USA Eagles Right Wing Eric Goldberg Oakley Park Elementary 5th Detroit Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk
Make your player a "Star of Tomorrow" Every player appearing on Reebok's Stars of Tomorrow will win a new Reebok hockey stick! t (P UP XXX NJDIJHBOIPDLFZPOMJOF DPN TUBSTPGUPNPSSPX TIUNM BOE ĂśMM PVU UIF GPSN PO UIBU XFCQBHF 8F XJMM DPOUBDU ZPV BCPVU B QIPUP UP BQQFBS JO UIF QBQFS
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The state’s west side will again be a hotbed for athletic competition on fields and on the ice later this month. And with ten new sports added, the second annual Meijer State Games of Michigan, set for June 23-26 in Grand Rapids, promises to be even bigger and better this year. The statewide Michigan sports festival, again sponsored by the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) and Meijer, Inc., will feature over 5,000 athletes competing in 25 sports, including both high school hockey and, new this year, 14 and Under hockey. Other new sports this year include archery, cricket, golf, judo, lacrosse, pickleball, skateboarding, swimming and wrestling. Second-year sports include track and field, boxing, swimming, bowling and basketball, to name a few. “We’ve had such great interest and it went so well last year that numerous sports wanted to be a part of this,� explained Tim Selgo of the WMSC. Events in all twenty-five sports will take place in West Michigan, particularly around metro Grand Rapids and its suburbs. All the hockey competition will take place at three arenas – Griff ’s Ice House, Grand Rapids Edge and Kentwood Ice Arena. A highlight of the event is the Opening Ceremonies, scheduled for the Fifth Third Ball Park, near downtown Grand Rapids on June 24. The Meijer State Games of Michigan Opening Ceremonies will include a Parade of Athletes, Lighting of the Cauldron, other pyrotechnics and other activities that include Olympic Day, live music, Athlete Leadership Summit, exceptional sport demonstrations, a Fun Zone and Meijer’s Mobile Playground. “The Meijer State Games of Michigan strives to provide Michigan residents the opportunity to participate in a national caliber event at the state level. And Opening Ceremonies is a major part of the athletes’ overall experience,� said West Michigan Sports Commission Event Manager, Eric Engelbarts. An Athlete Leadership Summit put on by Cornerstone
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University will begin the evening’s celebration with a focus on “seven healthy habits�. Michigan State University coaches Mark Dantonio and Tom Izzo will be the special guest speakers. As part of the hockey competition, eight youth 14 and Under teams - one from each MAHA district, plus one“at-large� team – will each carry 20 players (1997 birthdate or younger players) and compete for Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. The team coaches are: Rob Palmer (at-large), Rick DeSanta (District 2), A.J. Plaskey (D3), Dennis Hextall (D4), Jon Jepson (D5), Tom Hoffman (D6), Rene Chapdelaine (D7) and Charlie Elliot (D8). Games start June 23 and the final is set for June 26 at the Ice House.
EIGHT HIGH SCHOOL REGIONAL TEAMS ALSO TO COMPETE For the second year, eight high school regional teams will compete at the Meijer State Games. The top four teams will vie for Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals and regional bragging rights. Last year’s Gold medal winners, Team Metro South, went undefeated through all five games. Thirty of Michigan’s top high school coaches, including the head coaches of all three 2011 MHSAA State Championship teams, have volunteered their time to help select, organize and coach at the Games. The eight regional high school teams are divided into two, four-team divisions (Red Wings and Griffins). Each division will play three games in “pool play� and the top two teams in each division will move on to compete in the medal round. “We have a great coaching staff at both the youth and high school levels and the we’re looking forward to the event being even bigger and better than last year,�said East Kentwood’s Ron Baum, the head of the hockey steering committee. For a full schedule and more information about Opening Ceremonies and the Meijer State Games of Michigan, visit: stategamesofmichigan.com.
Michigan Hockey
7
MH Beat
June 20, 2011 Volume 22 : Issue 1
PHOTO BY TOM TURRILL/MICHIGAN HOCKEY
MAHA Red Wings Premier Program helps develop players BY PHILIP COLVIN
After asking almost 2,500 families what they thought of the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) Red Wings Premier Hockey Program last year, MAHA president George Atkinson has some good news. Atkinson reported that about 90% of parents indicated that their player “enjoyed the hockey season” and “felt that their player’s skill improved over the course of the season.” Over 40 associations across the state participated in the inaugural season of the Red Wings Premier Hockey Program, launched by MAHA to incentivize the implementation of USA Hockey’s American Development Model (ADM) for players eight years old and younger. The program is designed to create more interest in hockey at the youngest age levels, lower the cost of the initial entry programs, increase the skill level of new players, make the game more fun for all players and increase the retention rate for players moving to the next level. The program’s focus is on station-based skill development and cross-ice (1/3 ice) or half-ice game formats. The program received the support of the Detroit Red Wings, and those associations who adopted the program and followed the criteria were designated as “Premier Programs.” The MAHA survey also found that the top three factors for parents choosing a hockey program were the child’s level of interest, the quality of coaching and the program’s ability to develop skills. Survey results also pointed to areas that needed improvement, including the quality of coaching in the programs, which is something that the MAHA ADM Committee is working to address. For results of the survey, visit maha.org and click on the May 16 entry in News and Events.
DATSYUK AND ZETTERBERG SUPPORT MAHA’S 8U ADM PROPOSAL Two of the NHL’s most skilled players, Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, know first-hand the benefits of MAHA’s ADM rule change proposal to make cross-ice hockey mandatory at the 8 and Under level by the 2012-13 season. The ADM also includes guidelines for small-area games and a station-based practice schedule that increases development time. “It is great to see that USA Hockey and MAHA have the
8
Michigan Hockey
best interests of developing young players in mind,” said Zetterberg, a native of Njurunda, Sweden.“I grew up in a system where playing games in limited spaces defined how we were taught the game. There is no doubt that it played a big role in developing my skills and abilities as a player.” Research shows that players who are trained in small areas get more puck touches and develop an ability to handle the puck in tight spaces, become more comfortable with body contact at an earlier age and are put in more situations that develop natural hockey sense and on-ice awareness. And cross-ice and small-area games also help develop skating skills in young players by increasing the number of times players stop, start, and change direction when compared to the full ice environment. The smaller surface is a correctly proportioned playing surface for young players and keeps the players more engaged during games and concentrating on puck control. They also score more goals and have more fun, which is the ultimate goal. “It is great to see USA Hockey take the steps necessary to increase the skill of their players at young ages,” said Datsyuk, who learned to play in small-area games on the natural ice between apartment buildings Yekaterinburg, Russia. “The lessons learned in playing cross-ice hockey parallel what I learned during my youth.”
MAHA SUMMER MEETING IS JULY 7-10 IN TRAVERSE CITY The 2011 MAHA Summer Meeting is set for July 7-10 at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme, just outside of Traverse City. The weekend, which kicks off the organization’s 50th Anniversary season, includes an Association Presidents Forum on Friday afternoon to network and discuss new ideas to help improve local associations. Saturday includes rule proposal discussion and a presentation by Courtney Welch of the USA Hockey Member Services Department. Welch will introduce the new national “Try Hockey for Free Day” on November 5, 2011 and discuss strategies for player acquisition and increasing player retention, including unveiling the new Come Play Youth Hockey and Welcome Back Week campaigns. In addition, ADM Regional Manager Bob Mancini will discuss on Saturday the elements of the Mite ADM program and present the newly-completed administrators handbook.
Michigan Amateur Hockey Association ANNUAL MEETING EXHIBITORS TABLES SUMMER MEETING JULY 7, 8-10, 8, 9, 2006 JULY 2011 BOYNE HIGHLANDS *5$1' 75$9(56( 5(6257 Harbor Springs,MICHIGAN Michigan IN ACME,
EXHIBITORS TABLES We are in the process of planning our Summer Meeting to be held on July 8, 9, 10, 2011 at Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, Michigan. We will be having exhibitors tables set up during this time. The cost of a table is $75.00 and is limited to 20 tables. If you are interested in a table, please complete the form and if applicable remit $75.00. The exhibit table can be set up from 9:00 a.m. on Friday, July 8th and left until Sunday morning. Keep in mind the Presidents of Associations will be meeting on Friday at 1:00 S P DQG LW ZRXOG EH EHQHÀFLDO WR \RX WR EH VHW XS E\ WKLV WLPH 2XU KRVSLWDOLW\ URRP ZLOO be centered around the exhibit tables thus giving you great exposure. We expect to have 200-225 persons present at our meetings. Forms for lodging and a tentative schedule are available on our web site at MAHA.org Kerin R. Wear, MAHA Secretary 366 Tara Drive, Troy, MI 48085 Phone: 248 879 1668 Fax: 248 879 2507 kerinwear@yahoo.com
0$+$ (;+,%,7256 Name of Company__________________________________________ Contact Name_____________________________________________ Address__________________________________________________ City______________________________ State____ Zip____________ Home Telephone ( ______ ) ___________________________________ Work Telephone ( ______ ) ____________________________________ E mail Address_____________________________________________ Brief Description of Exhibit____________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
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Please return form and a check for $75.00 to: Kerin Wear, 366 Tara Drive, Troy, MI 48085 Phone: 248-879-1668
MH Feature girls move up before they are ready it is not only not good for them personally, but it puts the whole program in jeopardy because then there aren’t enough numbers to field a team and there is no place for girls to get started.”
PHOTO BY FASTPHOTOPRO.COM
THE MOVING GAME
SPECIAL REPORT: The State of Girls Hockey in Michigan BY ALEX DIFILIPPO
The first time Shea McLaren watched a girls hockey game, she needed a boost from her mother to see through the glass. The two-year old was glued to the end-to-end action, looking frightened when a player crumpled to the ice near the boards, and smiling when a team scored and the players celebrated by giving each other hugs. “I’m going to play that one day,” Shea’s mother, Kitty, remembers her daughter telling her that afternoon at Brighton’s Kensington Valley Ice House four years ago. “Okay, honey, you can do that,”Kitty McLaren responded apprehensively, knowing there wasn’t a girls program in Brighton at the time, and, more importantly, not entirely sure she wanted her daughter participating in such a male-dominated sport. Shea’s older sister Shannon was a figure skater, yet Shea wasn’t interested in following in her big sister’s footsteps. Instead, Shea laced up her skates when she was four-years old and has been playing ever since. Still, the number of girls playing in Michigan has leveled off over the past five years and girls hockey advocates cite several reasons for the lack of growth.
GIRLS ONLY PROGRAMS NEEDED While girls are permitted to play with boys on most house and travel teams, some quickly tire of changing by themselves in a separate locker room and constantly having to prove they can hang with the boys on the ice. Observers believe that more girls would be playing hockey if more associations and organizations had programs that catered specifically to girls. “The misconception is that girls want to play with the boys,” said Lyle Phair, a member of the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) Girls/Women’s committee. “Some do and those girls would play hockey even if there was no girlsonly option. But many more won’t even consider it. I would ask the question the other way. If you are a boy and your only option is to play with girls, are you going to play? Most boys probably wouldn’t. So why would most girls want to play with boys? Girls want to play with girls, but that’s the challenge, ridding the co-ed mindset that people have.” McLaren is one of the fortunate girls. Her family lives in Green Oak Township, less than four miles from the Ice House, the home of a newly created Kensington Valley Hockey Association Ravens’ girls program that has seen tremendous growth since its start last year. “People with older daughters have let me know how lucky we are to have this opportunity,” Kitty McLaren said. “We’ve been big supporters of the whole thing. You could see it was the start of something big.”
OBSTACLES HINDERING GROWTH Michigan boasts the second-highest number of youth and adult players in the United States (behind Minnesota), yet its percentage of female players (8.6%) lags behind Minnesota (23%), Massachusetts (19.7%),Wisconsin (18%), NewYork (11.4%)
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Michigan Hockey
and Illinois (9.4%), according to last year’s USA Hockey figures. Even worse, if you take out the 1,564 female players 19-years old and above, Michigan has just 2,855 registered girls players. Patty Madden, the vice president of girls and women’s hockey for MAHA, believes girls hockey in Michigan has potential for growth, but not without changes to the current system. “I think we can always do a lot more to help promote the girls game,” Madden said. “It’s just a slow process. I think we are finally past the ‘hockey sisters syndrome’ where girls were turned off from the game because they thought it was just for boys or too rough. Now it’s about educating the parents and letting them know that it’s not just a brutal boys sport and that there are opportunities out there for all-girl teams.” Madden cites a shortage of girls-only beginner programs as the biggest obstacle to why growth has been stagnant. And for the girls that do play, a system modeled after boy’s travel hockey that allows girls to move from team to team every season creates its own set of challenges for building a successful long-term girls program. For example, when girls leave a Tier II program to move up to play Tier I, or even just jump to a different organization at their same level, the roster holes that are created are difficult to fill. “People want to play on the best team and whoever makes that team creates a domino effect on the teams below,”said Phair, who coaches the Honeybaked 14U Tier I team and also writes the “State of the Game” column in Michigan Hockey. “It’s like musical chairs. At the end, someone doesn’t have a chair and kids drop out. There’s no consistency to it because there aren’t programs everywhere.” An upward vacuum has been created that pulls the better players to the top, and often there are not enough players below to be able to piece together a team. This cycle is most prevalent in metro-Detroit, but its effects are rapidly spreading across the state. “It’s a vicious cycle,”said Shawn Gates, the Ann Arbor Amateur Hockey Association Girls Hockey Director. “I wish some of the Tier I teams that are pulling all of these kids up would do more to bring new girls into the game. It’s great that we bring in new girls to our program every year, but as soon as we teach them the basics, they get pretty good and the Tier I teams take them from us. ” In addition, because of an overall lack of players, teams that include beginner girls are forced to schedule games against teams filled with girls who have been playing for years. The results can leave players and parents frustrated with the unbalanced level of competition. “Parents don’t let their daughter have the opportunity to be one of the best players because they think if she’s good enough that she should always be moved up to the next level,” said Mike Rucinski, a former professional player who helped the Greater Lansing Amateur Hockey Association start its girls program two years ago. “They might be able to survive at that level but they certainly will not thrive. It’s a big misconception that all kids will develop by being pushed by better players. When
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Former Livonia 12U Tier II coach Al Buchanan moved his team up to become the Compuware Tier I squad last season when his daughter and six other players wanted to see how they would fare against the increased competition. “Everyone wants to say they are a Tier I player,” Buchanan said. “How do I keep my better players when I don’t have a lot to offer them? If I want to keep my daughter playing with a competitive team and not with a huge spread of talent on my team, you have to either make the jump or lose the girls.” Girls hockey has nearly the same amount of teams in Tier I as in Tier II, and with the top teams at both levels stocking up on the best players, the few house programs out there struggle to keep pace. Currently there are no district restrictions in girls hockey, which helps fuel players jumping from team to team and organization to organization. Placing a limit on out-of-district players at the Tier II level, like in boy’s hockey, might help to slow that movement and force organizations to build from within. “There is too much of a focus on creating competitive teams instead of taking the time to develop the overall programs,” said Jean Laxton, the general manager of the Grand Rapids Amateur Hockey Association. “You have to build a base from the younger kids up and work hard to retain the girls.”
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME The two-year old girls program at Brighton’s Kensington Valley Hockey Association started with a 12U Ravens squad. Organizers focused on fun, friendship and hockey skills and the program expects to have 100 participants this fall. “We’ve been rocking and rolling,” said KVHA Girls Director Michael Wainwright. “It’s really grown through grassroots marketing. We believed if we built it, then the players would come.” Wainwright credited the KVHA program’s early success to their commitment to developing players at the youngest levels. “A lot of programs fail because they don’t continue to feed,”Wainwright said. “But we’ve exploded at the lower levels because of our great coaches who understand what’s important to girls hockey. It’s about the development of hockey skills and the social elements, which are extremely important to girls.” In Traverse City, the Grand Traverse Hockey Association has worked hard to get girls to the rink by passing out flyers at local schools, encouraging girls to watch a practice and even holding an ice cream social after a girls skating clinic. “Our main focus is to keep costs down,”said the GTHA’s Kraig Visser.“And once we get the word out, I think girls hockey is going to explode in Michigan. They love playing.” Gates took a similar approach in Ann Arbor in April when the U.S. Women’s National Team was in town to play two games against Canada at the Ice Cube. Gates took the initiative to schedule a ‘Try Hockey For Free’ clinic to coincide with the National Team training sessions. “Some of our girls probably didn’t even know who some of the women were, but they see them playing the game with all of their skills and speed and they were like, ‘Wow, I could do that one day.’” said Gates. “Then several of the women from the team came to the clinic and into the locker room to sign jerseys for the girls. It blew them away. They left the rink smiling ear to ear. “Sometimes it takes things like that to help girls get started in the game and keep them playing.”
MORE VISIBILITY While there are nearly 200 boys high school teams in the state, there are only 14 girls high school squads. And while the numbers aren’t there yet, getting 20-30 high schools in Michigan to ice girls teams would make hockey more visible to young girls. Wayne State University pulled the plug on their Division 1 team on May 27, leaving Adrian College’s Division 3 team and several self-funded club teams at the college level. “The girls are more skilled every year and as a result the game is becoming faster and more physical,” said Michigan State coach Jeff Wilson. The Spartans won the 2011 American Collegiate Hockey Association national title and did their part to help attract young girls to the game by participating in a “Skate with the Spartans” clinic at Suburban Ice East Lansing in early April that drew over 70 new female players. “We’ve done free boys clinics and never had that many people show up,” Rucinski said. “The team was great on the ice with the girls and they had a riot with the kids. It really showed there is an interest in girls playing. We just have to find ways to reach the kids.”
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Speaking of Hockey
June 20, 2011 Volume 22 : Issue 1
What are you doing this summer to get better? “I have a personal trainer and I’m skating with the Windsor Spitfires.” Ben Johnson, 17, Calumet
“I’m playing baseball, roller hockey and doing our team’s shooting clinics. They’re so fun!” Blake Crimmins, 8, Commerce Township
“Go to clinics and work on getting stronger.” - Sindo Martinez, 12, Clinton Township
“ Wo r k o n m y c o r e strength.” Austin Pelton, 13, Sterling Heights
“Skate three times a week and work out at Total Performance.” Scott Wietecha, 23, Wolverine Lake
“I’m training for the Free Press Marathon.” Raymond Fong, 24, Ann Arbor
“Cross fit workouts and skating whenever I can.” - Grant Telfer, 20, Ann Arbor
12
Michigan Hockey
“Working out and I am going to skate every day in August.” Zach Redmond, 22, Traverse City “Going to Michigan State hockey school.” Brandon Matthews, 13, Farmington Hills
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State of the Game
State Game of the
by Lyle Phair
TWO STRIDES FORWARD, ONE GIANT STEP BACK Every second year at the USA Hockey Annual Congress in early June, rule change proposals are reviewed, discussed, dissected and then discussed some more. Over and over again, in several different committees and sections, they are looked at from every possible perspective and angle. Changes to the rules of the game are not taken lightly. This year was no different. The most controversial change proposed this year was the postponing of full body checking from the Pee Wee age group to the Bantam age group, meaning instead of beginning full body contact at the age of eleven, it would be delayed until the year that the players were turning thirteen. If you happen to be a parent with children who have hit those milestones, or a coach who has had substantial experience dealing with eleven-year old and thirteen-year old players, it is not difficult to see the difference in mental and physical maturity between the two groups. There are pretty much two very separate schools of thought on the body checking issue. Some people think that it is a huge part of the game and that players should be allowed and taught to have full body contact from the very beginning. The thinking being that at that age there isn’t as significant a difference in the size of the players and that they are not big enough to really hurt each other. By being allowed to give and receive checks the players would become stronger on their skates. And some people believe that players will actually learn to keep their heads up and become better stickhandlers because of the threat of being body checked. I have to admit that at one time I was partially in that camp. I used to think that it wasn’t a bad thing that players had the opportunity to body check right from the youngest ages. It was that way when I played. It’s a contact sport. It’s the way the game is supposed to be played. You know, the typical things people think. But I have never subscribed to the theory that fear will make you better with the puck. What I had no experience with, or understanding of, was the body and mind of a kid aged six through thirteen. It is pretty easy to look at them as hockey players. A little more difficult to look at them as kids. Having the opportunity to work with kids in that age group for over thirty years has certainly given me a different point of view. And I am not that slow of a learner, I changed my perspective pretty quickly. It didn’t take me long to realize that body checking was not a necessary part of the game for kids. In fact, it probably was more of a negative than a positive. Especially when I discovered that years 9 through 12 were the ages of primary skill acquisition for kids. My experience in the
14
Michigan Hockey
game had made me believe that and scientific research in long-term athletic development had reinforced it. But there is other medical research that is even more important and makes the decision to move to begin checking at age 13 all the more compelling. It’s data that can’t be ignored if you are a parent or coach concerned with the safety of the children who play hockey. The brain of an 11 or 12 year old is not developed to the point where it can recognize situations where the player is at risk in a hockey game. To compound the problem, the brain of an 11 or 12 year old is more susceptible to a concussion than when a player is more mature at 13 and 14. Skill and safety are the two main reasons why the USA Hockey ADM program managers made the proposal to delay checking until a more appropriate age group. Medical research and scientific fact are hard to argue with. While some will bemoan it initially, the benefits significantly dwarf the perceived negatives and the overall game experience for players will be enhanced both in the short-term and long-term.
STILL NOT GETTING IT While the body checking topic took up much of the show in terms of presentations and discussions, the thunder was stolen by another proposal that snuck quietly into the meeting. For the first year that I can remember in attending these meetings, the council and section meetings were not dominated by the endless debate of tag-up offsides. Finally it appeared that people were“getting it”. Tag-up offsides is fine for mostly fully developed professional players and somewhat less developed junior and college players. I can’t even make the argument that it is good for high school players because there are very few of them that I have seen that have the physical and cognitive skills to read and execute a play. It’s much too easy for a player (and much too easy for coaches to force a player) to dump the puck mindlessly back into the zone instead of having to make a play with the puck in the neutral zone. It definitely is not a playing rule that is in the best interest of players learning the game and developing their skills. But guess what? It somehow passed anyway. Beginning at Bantam (14U) and up. There were three versions of the tag-up rule being proposed, one for players 16U and older, one for players 14U and older and one for all age groups. It didn’t appear that anybody was interested in any of them as there was little or no discussion on the topic at all. Except in the Athlete Directors section. Apparently some in that group had a strong belief that tag-up offsides would add a positive element to the game. And I can’t say that I blame them for thinking that because I once thought the same thing about body checking. Until I actually had some experience coaching and understanding players at the youth level. When your last (and maybe only) frame of reference in the game is your playing career at a high level (where tag-up is used and probably appropriate) it is pretty easy to think that it would be good for the younger levels of the game. But it’s not. It’s a completely different game for kids. They are far from a finished product. They have a lot to learn and a substantial amount of skill to develop. Dumbing down the game for their coaches to force on them is not the best way to achieve that. In fact, allowing tag-up offsides at Bantam and Midget is probably the worst time for it. It is a time when players finally have a somewhat refined skating and puck skill set and are starting to gain an understanding of the mental side of the game, reading the play and making good decisions. Tag-up offsides takes away the best opportunity for defensemen to develop those skills in a game, in the neutral zone, with the whole play in front of them while not having to worry about getting their face pasted to the glass from behind. Too bad they won’t get the chance.
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
DESSERTS for
Hockey Moms CLASSIC LEMON BARS
Vegetable oil, for greasing
FOR FO R THE TH FILL LLIN ING G:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, diced
4 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 8 lemons)
Make the crust: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with vegetable oil and line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; grease the foil with oil. Pulse the butter, flour, both sugars and the salt in a food processor until the dough comes together, about 1 minute. Press evenly into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared pan, making sure there are no cracks. Bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the whole eggs and yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven. Bake until the filling is just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack, then refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Lift out of the pan using the foil and slice. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Submit your recipe & photo to: lucia@michiganhockeyonline.com Contact Lucia @ 248-479-1134 if you would like to sponsor this unique program.
Get Better
June 20, 2011 Volume 22 : Issue 1
Any goaltenders looking for a pre-season camp to get you ready for the upcoming hockey season?
Benefits of hockey school A week of intensive instruction at a hockey school can be considered an investment Aweekofintensiveinstructionatahockeyschoolcanbeconsideredaninvestment in a player’s development. And while no camp can transform a wobbly-ankled pee wee into the next Henrik Zetterberg in five days, the long-term benefits can be seen on and off the ice. Results may range from a player seeing marginal improvement to making profound strides, and those developments largely hinge on a camper’s overall desire and a camp instructor’s ability to show a player how to get better.
LOTS OF ICE TIME Hockey schools can help players learn how to train and improve their skills, give them a heightened passion for the game and prepare them for the season ahead. A player’s overall skills are bound to improve after spending 15 to 20 hours on the ice for a week, which amounts to about a month worth of hockey during the regular season. Instructors that have a passion to help players improve and are able to pass that on to the players can help players get better and enjoy their time at camp. Circuit training, skill development drills and small area games can help players improve their speed, strength and guile needed to come out on top in the constant on-ice one-on-one battles in hockey. Having the puck on their stick as much as possible helps improve a player’s confidence to be creative and make plays. And whether the player stays overnight at a dorm or commutes to hockey school every day, the off-the-ice time with kids their own age can help them grow socially.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT At the youngest ages fundamental skills can be taught using games to ensure the kids are having fun while improving skating and edgework for turning and stopping, power skating and developing a good stride, puckhandling, shooting and passing. As players mature they want to learn more about breakout passes, how to drop down to block shots or make a move to the net with the puck, but a strong emphasis on skill development is still important. Because if a player can’t skate well enough or pass the puck from one point to another, there is little or no use for the advanced skill. In the “can’t skate, can’t play” mode of thinking, becoming proficient at the basic skills of skating, passing and shooting also allows a player to get more enjoyment
At Post to Post Goalie School, we teach you to go post to post better than anyone else!
Improving your skills and making new friends are some of the benefits of attending a hockey school.
out of the game. Power skating instruction should work on edge control, developing on-ice agility, a long, smooth stride and improving speed. Skating drills are done while carrying the puck to learn to skate with your head up because knowing where your teammates are on the ice is a big part of learning the game. Puck control skills, along with passing and shooting instruction, might use an on-ice circuit-training program to develop those individual skills and increase conditioning. Controlled game situations introduce basic offensive and defensive concepts. At older age groups, skill development work has a higher intensity and a faster pace. In addition, team concepts, such as breakouts and correct positional play, can be taught using simulated game situations and scrimmages. Checking instruction includes principles of proper footwork, positioning, gap control and angling techniques. Older players should also be thinking about the game: how to react in different situations, positional play, the transition game and learning to see what is going on all around the ice and not just in front of them. Advanced “read and react” concepts such as cycling, give-and-go and puck support can also be taught. Off-ice instruction can include instructional videos, chalk talks and drills designed to improve a player’s quickness, balance and agility. Video analysis of players’skating stride can also help to point out a skater’s strengths and weaknesses, and allows an instructor to pinpoint what a student needs to work on to improve.
POST TO POST GOALIE SCHOOL HEAD INSTRUCTORS JEFF LERG: Current goaltender with the New Jersey Devils affiliate teams (Albany Devils/Trenton Devils). Some of his accolades include USA Hockey Junior Hockey Player of the Year and USA Hockey College Hockey Player of the Year. Jeff won the NCAA Championship with Michigan State University and ranks second all-time in saves in NCAA history. ERIK SCHARDT: Former Collegiate goaltender
and current goalie coach for many Junior, College, and minor hockey goaltenders. Erik’s knowledge of the game helps to establish the fundamental skills that goalies need to be successful.
DREW PALMISANO: Current Collegiate goaltender and two time USHL Goaltender of the Year for the Omaha Lancers.
Source: Suburban Hockey Coaches Club
CAMP DATES JULY 17TH-21ST Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, MI JULY 24TH-28TH Arctic Pond Ice Arena in Plymouth, MI
More Information at www.posttopostgs.com
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
Michigan Hockey
15
YOUR FIRST CAR:
A Pontiac Grand Am. I rolled it this winter with two of my friends in the car and luckily we were all okay
YOUR NICKNAME: Bonjo
FAVORITE BREAKFAST FOOD:
Panukuku (Finnish pancakes)
WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Steve Yzerman
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONCERT:
Never been to a concert
MUST SEE TV: Sports Center
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE:
Ability to fly
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO MOST ON YOUR IPOD? Wiz Khalifa
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE WISH GRANTED, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Find a cure to cancer
BEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY:
Playing hockey in my pole barn with my cousins
BEST HOCKEY MEMORY?
Playing with the U.S. National Team
WHAT HAS HOCKEY TAUGHT YOU:
How to have fun, hard work, team play and discipline
Seventeen-year old Ben Johnson of Calumet has had a busy year. He led Calumet High School to the MHSAA Division 3 state final and was named the co-Mr. Hockey award winner after finishing the season with 35 goals and 77 points. Johnson was selected to attend the USA Hockey Select 17 Festival later this month in Rochester, NY and signed a free agent contract with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires on May 13.
PHOTO BY RICHARD LONG
Defenseman Born: February 21, 1984 Hometown: Canton Height/Weight: 5-11/197 Shoots: Right Season Team 1998-99 Compuware Bantams 1999-00 Compuware Ambassadors 2000-01 Plymouth Whalers 2001-02 Plymouth Whalers 2002-03 Plymouth Whalers 2003-04 Plymouth Whalers 2004-05 Norfolk Admirals 2005-06 Norfolk Admirals 2005-06 Chicago Blackhawks 2006-07 Norfolk Admirals 2006-07 2 20 06 07 7 Ch Chicago hicag go B Bl Blackhawks lackhaw a ks 2007-08 2 2007 20 0 7-0 08 Ch Chicago hic i ag a o Blac Blackhawks ckhaw aw wks 2008-09 20 008 0 -0 09 Ch Chi Chicago icago Blac Blackhawks ckhaw kh haw awks wkss 2008-09 20 008 08-0 09 Ro Rockford ock c ford rd IceHogs Ice ceHogs e gs g 20 008-0 09 An nah hei e m Du uckks 2008-09 Anaheim Ducks 2009-10 2009 09-1 10 An A Anaheim a eim ah m Du Ducks uck c s 2010-11 20 010 10-1 - 1 N -1 Ne New ew Yo Y York rkk Islanders Isl s ande d rs 20 2010-11 0 1 Montreal M ntre Mo re eal a Canadiens L To ota als l NHL Totals
League
GP
G
A
MWEHL NAHL OHL OHL OHL OHL AHL AHL NHL AHL NHL NHL NHL AHL NHL NHL NHL NHL 329
71 50 53 62 52 50 66 61 19 10 50 68 31 2 17 69 32 43 27
23 5 6 11 18 17 7 7 2 0 2 7 2 3 1 3 3 7 121
38 11 23 25 34 53 18 28 5 6 8 19 11 1 10 27 18 23 148
Pts PIM 61 16 29 36 52 70 25 35 7 6 10 26 13 4 11 30 21 30 302
120 67 72 100 60 63 110 67 36 8 39 103 14 0 16 56 18 20
Rugged, playmaking defenseman learned to skate when he was five-years old and first played in the Westland Hockey Association… Made jump from Compuware Bantam AAA team to NAHL’s Compuware Ambassadors in 1999 and then spent four seasons with the OHL’s Plymouth sp Whalers, where he made the All-Rookie team W in i 2001 and was a First-Team all-star and both the league’s top defenseman and the CHL’s top defenseman in 2004… Drafted by Chicago in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 2002 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks on February 6, 2006 after spending two seasons with Norfolk in the AHL… Won a Gold Medal with Team USA at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland… Was traded (along with Petri Kontiola) to Anaheim on March 9, 2009 for Samuel Pahlsson and Logan Stephenson… Traded to the Islanders on July 30, 2010 for a conditional 3rd-round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft…Then traded to the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 28 for a 2nd-round pick in the 2011 draft and conditional 5th round pick in the 2012 draft… Suspended for eight games on March 17, 2010 for a hit on former Blackhawks’ teammate Brent Seabrook. Picked up two-game suspension on October 12, 2010 as member of the Islanders after making an obscene gesture towards Rangers’ Sean Avery …By his own admission has spent 18 months rehabbing injuries to his right knee… Friends with Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau and would love to take batting practice with the Twins… Has a clothing line for men and women available at wizwear43.com that helps supports the USO and the families of fallen soldiers… Has two older sisters and is the nephew of former NHL player and coach Billy Dea.
JAMES WISNIEWSKI
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June 20, 2011 Volume 22 : Issue 1
20 Years/20 Issues Michigan Hockey Headlines The Ann Arbor based USA Hockey National Team Development Program, which trains some of the best 16- and 17-year-old American players, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006. The NTDP’s first class was in the 1997 season and since then the NTDP has sent over 175 players on to the college level and has had over 100 players drafted by NHL teams. The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies won their second ACHA national championship in three seasons March 12 in Rochester, N.Y. with a 7-6 overtime win over Liberty University in the final. Senior forward Will McMahon, who led the team in scoring (74-42-116) and was named the ACHA DII player of the year for the third straight season.
JANUARY January 20th Disney Channel’s High School Musical is released
March 26th Last new episode of Soul Train airs. Reruns will air until October of 2006
FEBRUARY February 10th Winter Olympics begin in Turin, Italy
Michigan Hockey
June 9th FIFA World Cup begins in Germany May 3rd Earl Woods, father and mentor of Tiger Woods passes away
MARCH
APRIL April 18th Tom Cruise and fiance Katie Holmes welcomed their newborn baby Suri
March 24th Hannah Montana debuts on the Disney Channel
MAY
JUNE May 31st Katie Couric appears as Today co-host for the last time
May 27th Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie give birth to daughter Shiloh in Namibia, Africa
January 27th Celebrations held around the world for the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 20
USA Hockey approved a new standard of play and rule emphasis at the 2006 Summer Annual Congress that placed a greater emphasis on skating, puck possession and the proper use of the body to establish position and a competitive advantage.
April 11th Proof, an american rapper from D12 shot and killed in a Detroit nightclub altercation
February 24th Don Knotts passes away at the age of 81
January 3rd Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff take over anchoring duties ABC News’ World Tonight
Grosse Pointe South (girls), Brighton (Division 1), Traverse City Central (Division 2) and Cranbrook (Division 3) all won 2006 MHSAA state championships. Lady Blue Devils beat Plymouth-Canton-Salem, 5-1, in the state final. The Bulldogs finished 27-1-2 and beat Dearborn Unified, 6-2, in the D1 final behind two goals each from Jason Fellcock and Mr. Hockey Zach Hitch. The Trojans (26-2-1) won their first-ever state title with a 2-1 win over Saline. Cranbrook (19-8-1) won their 12th state title with a 4-0 shutout of Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
Michigan Hockey 20th Season
Flashback: MLB Champion St. Louis Cardinals
#1 NHL Draft Pick Erik Johnson St. Louis Blues
NFL Superbowl winner Pittsburgh Steelers
Vezina trophy Best NHL Goaltender Miikka Kipprusoff Calgary
NBA Champion Miami Heat NHL Stanley Cup winner Carolina Hurricanes OHL Champion Peterborough Petes Memorial Cup Champion Quebec Remparts
Hart trophy - NHL MVP Joe Thornton San Jose Sharks Cost of a U.S. Stamp $0.39 Cost of a dozen Eggs $0.90 Cost of a gallon of Milk $3.69
CCHA Champion Miami
Cost of a gallon of Gas $2.25
NCAA Champion Wisconsin
Top Television Show American Idol
Jack Adams awardTop NHL Coach Lindy Ruff-Buffalo Sabres
Academy Award’s Top Movie The Departed
Ross trophy - Top NHL scorer Joe Thornton San Jose
#1 Song Not Ready to Make NiceDan Wilson
August 1st 25th anniversary of MTV’s launch
June 28th Mel Gibson is arrested after speeding and intoxication
JULY
LITTLE CAESARS GETS FIRST-EVER TITLE Two Michigan teams battled in the final of the 2005 World Hockey Pee Wee Championship in Quebec and Little Caesars’ won their first-ever title at the prestigious tournament on Feb. 20 with a 4-1 won over Compuware. Little Caesars lost their first game of the tournament on Feb. 10, but then rattled off six consecutive wins for the championship. “This is the largest tournament of its kind in the world,” Little Caesar’s head coach Skip Howey said. “You’ve got teams from Russia, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Italy, Canada and the list just goes on and on. As the days go by it is sinking in more, but I think for the kids, they haven’t quite realized the magnitude of this win and probably won’t for a while.” The team of 1992 birth-years billeted with families for the almost two weeks and learned about Canadian culture and the French language. Caesar’s won two games in overtime and both on goals by Stuart Higgins. Jack Campbell (Port Huron) was in net for all six wins and said for a 12-year-old, he didn’t feel pressure. “The team came out and played well,”Campbell said. “We all did what we had to do and what we set to do and that was win. I didn’t really feel any pressure because I’m comfortable with this team.” Higgins, a Birmingham native, scored six goals and two assists in six games while West Bloomfield native William Kessel had five goals plus an assist. “A lot of people don’t realize how big this tournament is,” said Compuware coach Dan Hastings. “They turned away 150 teams, so for us, just getting in and qualifying was work in itself. But so what if we lost. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world.” So what was the secret to winning? “We came prepared every game,” Howey said. “We came into the tournament on a 10-game winning streak and once we got there, we had the same composure
July 7th Pirates of Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest sets record for largest grossing opening day with $55.8 million
September 5th Katie Couric becomes the first female sole anchor of the CBS Evening News
November 9th Nickelodeon airs a 24-hour marathon of SpongeBob SquarePants
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
September 12th Justin Timberlake releases his sophmore album FutureSex/ LoveSounds where its first three singles hit number one August 24th International Astronomical Union defines ‘planet’ demoting Pluto to the status of ‘dwarf planet’
December 13th The Chinese River Dolphin or Baiji becomes extinct
October 1st Dexter on Showtime premiers
September 18th Rachael Ray debuts in syndication
AUGUST
we’ve had all year. Campbell knows the title is a huge accomplishment, but it might not sink in for a few more seasons. “It does feel good now,” said Campbell, who posted a 1.71 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in the tournament. “And I’m sure it’ll feel even better in a few years when I look back at all we’ve done. But now, all the teams want to play us and teams that beat us early in the season want to beat us again so they can say they beat the world champs.” Since beginning in 1960, this was also only the seventh time a United Statesbased team has won the tournament. Caesar’s beat Quebec-based teams Halton, Drummondville, Yamaska (overtime) and Laval (overtime semi-final win) and Zurich (Switzerland) on the road to the finals against Compuware. “At the beginning of the year, qualifying for the tournament and winning the tournament were two of our goals,” Howey noted. “Now we have to finish the season strong and see what happens at the state tournament.” By Matt Mackinder
NOVEMBER
December 26th Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States dies at the age of 93
October 31st Bob Barker announces he will be retiring from his hosting duties on the Price is Right
October 11th After 25 years as an artist, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic finally gets his first top 10 hit with ‘White and Nerdy’ MichiganHockeyOnline.com
DECEMBER
November 17th Bo Schembechler, legendary University of Michigan football coach, passes away
December 30th Saddam Hussein executed by hanging
Michigan Hockey
21
TOURNAMENT CALENDAR Great Lakes Tournament Series Holland, MI September 16-18 Pee Wee AA and Bantam AA Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI September 23-25, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Great Lakes Tournament Series Holland, MI September 23-25 Squirt AA and Bantam A Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Great Lakes Tournament Series Holland, MI September 29-October 2 Squirt A, Midget Major and High School Varsity Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI October 7-9, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions K-Zoo Cup Tournament Series Kalamazoo, MI October 7-9, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Girls Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI October 7-9, 2011 8U-19U House, B, A, AA 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Great Lakes Tournament Series Holland, MI October 7-9 Pee Wee A, Midget Minor and High School JV Contact MYHockey
Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Great Lakes Tournament Series Holland, MI October 14-16 Mite AA, Pee Wee AA and Bantam AA Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI October 21-23, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Girls Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI October 21-23, 2011 8U-19U House, B, A, AA 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Great Lakes Tournament Series Holland, MI October 21-23 Squirt A, Squirt AA and Midget B
Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI November 4-6, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Girls Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI November 4-6, 2011 8U-19U House, B, A, AA 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Great Lakes Tournament Series Holland, MI November 4-6 Pee Wee B, Pee Wee A and Bantam B Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com
Great Lakes Tournament Series Holland, MI November 11-13 Mite B, Squirt B and Bantam A Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Great Lakes Tournaments Series Holland, MI November 18-20 Mite AA, Pee Wee B, Midget Major and High School Varsity Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Brighton/Novi, MI November 25-27, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions K-Zoo Cup Tournament Series Kalamazoo, MI November 25-27, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Girls Motown Cup Tournament Series Brighton/Novi, MI November 25-27, 2011 8U-19U House, B, A, AA 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Great Lakes Tournament Series: Great Lakes Thanksgiving Classic Holland, MI November 25-27 Mite through Midget; B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI December 2-4, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com
COMPLETE and UP-TO-DATE TOURNAMENT LISTING ON WEBSITE
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OUT OF STATE Hockey Time Productions Rock ‘n Roll Cup Tournament Series Cleveland, OH September 9-11, 2011 Squirt-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Rock ‘n Roll Cup Tournament Series Cleveland, OH September 23-25, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Three Rivers Cup Tournament Series Pittsburgh, PA September 23-25, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Girls Three Rivers Cup Tournament Series Pittsburgh, PA September 23-25, 2011 8U-19U House, B, A, AA 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Girls Three Rivers Cup Tournament Series Pittsburgh, PA September 23-25, 2011 8U-19U House, B, A, AA 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com
Steel City Tournament Series: Pittsburgh Preseason Challenge Pittsburgh, PA September 23-25 Mite through Midget: B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com CHICAGO CUP Tournament Series: Chicago Preseason Challenge Chicago, IL September 29-October 2 Mite through Midget; B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Rock ‘n Roll Cup Tournament Series Cleveland, OH October 7-9, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Girls Three Rivers Cup Tournament Series Pittsburgh, PA October 7-9, 2011 8U-19U House, B, A, AA 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Three Rivers Cup Tournament Series Pittsburgh, PA October 7-9, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Buckeye State Tournament Series Cincinnati, OH October 14-16 Mite through Midget; B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Rock ‘n Roll Cup Tournament Series Cleveland, OH October 21-23, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com
Music City Tournament Series: Nashville Fall Classic Nashville, TN October 21-23 Mite through Midget; B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Three Rivers Cup Tournament Series Pittsburgh, PA October 21-23, 2011 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Girls Three Rivers Cup Tournament Series Pittsburgh, PA October 21-23, 2011 8U-19U House, B, A, AA 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com CHICAGO CUP Tournament Series: Chicago Fall Classic Chicago, IL October 21-23 Mite through Midget; B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Steel City Tournament Series: Pittsburgh Fall Classic Pittsburgh, PA October 21-23 Mite through Midget; B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Empire State Tournament Series: Empire State Showdown Rochester, NY October 21-23 Mite through Midget; B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Carolina Cup Tournament Series: Charlotte Fall Classic Charlotte, NC October 21-23 Mite through Midget; B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com
2011
R E M SUM
ADULT HOCKEY LEAGUE Leagues Offered Recreational hockey for beginners and players with little or no organized hockey experience.
30+ C
Competitive recreational hockey for players with some organized hockey experience and at least 30-years old.
18+ C
Competitive recereational hockey for players with some organized hockey experience.
25+ D+
Recreational hockey for teams beyond a beginner level, but not quite to a competitive level.
League Features Season runs early July - August No-check leagues Team and individual registrations Three 15-minute running time periods No hidden costs! Referee Fees and Scorekeepers Included!
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42400 Nick Lidstrom Drive (248) 347-1010 noviicearena.com
MH Beat PHOTO BY CARL CHIMENTI/MICHIGAN HOCKEY
June 20, 2011 Volume 22 : Issue 1
On ice gathering honors Jenkins’ legacy BY CARL CHIMENTI
Almost 1,000 former teammates, opponents, coaches, family and friends of Ian Jenkins gathered at Compuware Arena in Plymouth on May 28 to honor the 15-year old Milan High School sophomore and native of Ypsilanti who died on May 23 after suffering a head injury from a fall from the bed of a pickup truck on May 19 in Milan. Considered one of the best young goaltenders in the United States, Jenkins, nicknamed “Big E”, played last season with the Belle Tire Midget Minor AAA squad and had planned to join the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights next season. “We want to let everyone know that as he always did, Ian battled right up to the final buzzer,” said Joel Jenkins, Ian’s father, in a statement. “He will be missed.” “Ian’s dream was to make it to the highest levels of hockey, and he did so when he signed with the London Knights. He had the happiest two weeks of his life leading up to that day, and all of us on Ian’s family ‘team’ were thrilled to be part of that.” By all accounts, Jenkins was a hardworking, dedicated player on the ice and an even better kid off of it. He was an A student and played guitar, drums and piano. “(Ian) never gives up and pushes others to reach higher,” Joel Jenkins posted on their Facebook page. “He lives by the motto of H.A.P. (Have a Purpose) and has no patience for negativity. He also believed life was special and that God gave him gifts to be great. “Believe it or not it wasn’t all about hockey. He was not jaded and believed his gift was his wonderful soul. Ian cared about people that have beautiful souls and that all people need help in some special way. He has blessed many people and taught them that life is grand.” The Jenkins family and his former coaches have decided to create the “Big E Foundation” in his name, and held the event to honor him by playing the game that he loved. The day at Compuware Arena was a celebration of Jenkins and everything he had worked to achieve and also a way for everyone to deal with the tragic event. “The best way... and how and Ian would have dealt with this (was) to take it to the ice,” Mike Hamilton, Jenkins former coach, wrote on the University of Michigan Health System website. “What better way for all of us to remember, celebrate and start to heal.” In addition to Jenkins extended family, the hockey community came out in full force and showed their support by playing in pickup games all afternoon. “They wanted to make sure that the legacy of Ian lived on,” said his mother Gloria Montesanto. “He was extremely humble and his heart was gold and people were drawn to him. Family and friends came first for Ian.” Hamilton and goaltending coach Stan Matwijiw helped organize the event in which players and those in attendance remembered Jenkins and made donations
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Michigan Hockey
to the Big E Foundation. The players received a jersey with the Knights logo on the front and Jenkins number 35 on the back. “The outcome is more than we expected,” said Hamilton, who coached Jenkins on Honeybaked teams for six years. “The way the hockey community has rallied around this tragedy has been simply amazing. My first order of jerseys was for 200 and by the time we ended it was well over that.” The day helped launch the Big E Foundation, formed to support amateur hockey and help benefit kids unable to play because of financial constraints. All the money raised from the event went to the foundation with future benefits planned for later in the year. Participating players had four hours of ice time at the Compuware Arena game, and the Jenkins’ family also asked everyone to donate any old hockey equipment they don’t use anymore. “Ian had an issue about players with talent that could not play the game because the cost of purchasing equipment was too expensive,”said Hamilton. “The family plan on donating all the equipment collected to teams and organizations in need.” London Knights general manager Mark Hunter remembered Jenkins’ talent and quiet intensity. “What happened is a big time tragedy,” said Hunter, who also plans on doing something in Ian’s memory sometime in the future. “He was a really good character kid.” Friend and former teammate Brandon Hope of Canton, who played with Jenkins on Honeybaked and spent last season with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, shared Jenkins “Have a Purpose” mentality. “It’s a tragedy to see him pass away,” said Hope. “We’re all one big family here in the hockey community and we’re here to support him. Ian just battled - he never quit on anything. He had a purpose in his life and he’s going to have a purpose in Heaven, too.” Another friend and former teammate, Michael McCarion, said Jenkins was a good guy on and especially off the ice. “He was very funny and at the same time laid back,” said the 16-year old from Macomb, who, like Jenkins, was also drafted by an OHL team, the Belleville Bulls, in May.“I had the pleasure of knowing Ian for the past ten years and we were teammates for six years with Honeybaked.” As the event came to a close, Jenkins mother Gloria was thankful to everyone who attended and took the time during the Memorial holiday weekend to honor her son. “It’s an absolute beautiful thing, where everyone has come together to help Ian’s legacy live on.” Visit bigefoundation.org for more information or to make a donation.
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25
Summer Activities
N U F M O S E V A H E E O IM T T SUMMER IS THE AND WORK ON YOUR SKILLS
season coach or parent instructing them. Time spent on doing drills and instruction on proper mechanics and technique can help a player make significant strides in a short period of time. And that improvement means more confidence for the next season. For a list of hockey schools, please go michiganhockeyonline.com, click on Resources tab at the top left, then on Parents on the drop down menu and follow down to Parents Section.
DROP-IN AND SUMMER LEAGUES
BY PHILIP COLVIN
With school out, hockey players all across the state are looking forward to having some fun and gearing up to work on their skills and enjoy the summer. The idea is to try something new and recharge your battery so you’ll be eager and ready to hit the ice in the fall.
GET QUICKER AND MORE AGILE Whether you are doing drills and exercises in your backyard or at a training facility, summer workouts to improve your fitness level, strength, speed and agility can help translate to better performance on the ice next season. But getter bigger or stronger just to get bigger or stronger won’t necessarily help you on the ice, so remember to focus your energy on things that will help make you a better player next season. Plyometrics, resistance training, agility ladders and mini-hurdles can help you improve your explosiveness and ability to change direction quickly. Wixom’s Total Performance Center features a hockey treadmill and a Plyo Press at their facility inside the Total Sports Complex. Director Jim Kielbaso and Oakland University head coach Gordie Schaeffler focus on building explosive lower body strength that translates directly to increased performance on the ice. Triad Health and Fitness has a 6,800 square foot facility in Farmington Hills that is stocked with free weights and state-of-the-art machines. Owner Kick Vickers, a former trainer for the Detroit Red Wings, also incorporates more functional gear like slide boards, speed bags and elastic bands to train hockey players. Core fitness training center inside the Troy Sports Center features a Blade Skating Treadmill, in addition to everything you need to work on improving your speed, agility, strength and balance. Puckmasters Hockey Training Center in Wixom was built with one purpose: to help players improve their skills. The facility, open since November 2008, features two separate 100’x 44’and 60’x 40’real ice indoor rinks, a RealHockey Shooting Simulator, a Rapid Shot Shooting range and an off-ice training room with free weights and an Endless Ice Skating Treadmill. Players can take a 45-minute one-on-one training session with a Puckmasters coach that can include both on- and off-ice work and then fire pucks in the shooting range or in the simulator until they run out of gas. The facility, which also includes two locker rooms, showers and a steam room, also has a three-on-three league this summer.
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Michigan Hockey
TRY ANOTHER SPORT The benefits of playing other sports are well-documented and include hand-eye coordination and improved conditioning and overall athleticism. So get outside and go swimming, kick around a soccer ball, hit some tennis balls or play catch with a baseball or a lacrosse stick and ball. Even shooting some baskets or playing a little beach volleyball or badminton takes good hand-eye coordination and the quick stop-and-start movements used to elude defenders or chase down the ball or birdie are a lot like trying to dodge a defenseman or forechecker on the ice. Soccer mirrors hockey in that it uses the same muscle groups and you’re controlling and protecting the ball as players are charging at you. Soccer players also need foot speed and use lateral movements and quick direction changes to beat defenders. Also the ability to read plays, anticipate an opponent’s next move and find an open teammate to pass to are all soccer skills directly related and applicable to hockey.
PLAY ROLLER HOCKEY Whether it’s on cement at a city park outdoor rink, on blacktopped parking lots or at indoor facilities, playing roller hockey is fun and can help keep players in shape. It also helps them work on their puck handling and shooting skills over the summer. Outdoor rinks at parks in Allen Park, Wolverine Lake, Dearborn, Southgate and Rochester have regular pick-up games all summer long. Facilities like Total Roller Hockey in Novi, Joe Dumars Fieldhouse in Shelby Township, the Inline Hockey Center in West Bloomfield, The New Rink in Shelby Township, Grandville’s Rivertown Sports and Rochester Hills Skating and Sports Arena offer summer leagues, drop-in play, tournaments and camps.
GO TO HOCKEY SCHOOL While a week of hockey school won’t likely turn a wobbly-ankled skater into a Wayne Gretzky-like child prodigy, the focused instruction and camp atmosphere can benefit players in multiple ways. In addition to on-ice drills and games, most hockey schools build in fun off-ice activities like street hockey and some even offer swimming and other recreational activities. Plus, the opportunity to meet players from different parts of the state or country offers kids a chance to make new friends and enjoy the camaraderie of working hard in a group setting. Campers can also benefit from simply having a person outside of their regular
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
To stay sharp, try out a different position or work on some new things on the ice, arenas across the state offer leagues, Stick and Pucks and Drop-In hockey sessions during the summer. The Troy Sports Center offers a four-division summer league that begins on July 8. Teams play on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights until the end of August. Adult Drop-In morning, afternoon and evening sessions are also scheduled all summer. Mount Clemens Ice Arena, GLSC in Fraser and the Kennedy Rec Center in Trenton all host MSE adult summer leagues starting with Draft Skates the week of June 21. And Mount Clemens Ice Arena hosts one of two top-end leagues for junior, college and pro players in the metro-Detroit area, the Eastside Elite Hockey League. Started in 2008 by Steven Oleksy, the EEHL provides a fun and competitive way for top players to stay in shape during the off-season. On the west side, the Michigan Metro Summer League returns to Suburban Ice Farmington Hills for an 11-game season (plus playoffs) that runs June 13 - July 24. The league has been around for over two decades and includes players like Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler, Nashville Predators’ David Legwand, Boston’s Steven Kampfer and Calgary’s David Moss as alumni. SIFH also hosts the Women’s Metro Summer League that also starts on June 13. Players have to be 17-years old for the Women’s Metro League, 16-years old for the Metro League and membership to the SIFH fitness club is included with registration. In Houghton, Michigan Tech will run a youth league for the 25th straight summer, and plan an adult summer league for the first time in over 10 years. “There’s been a lot of interest in the community, so we kind of wanted to just help generate that interest,” said Nick Laurila, League Director and Michigan Tech’s Hockey Video Coordinator. At the Onyx Rochester Ice Arena offers multiple youth Sticks and Pucks and adult Drop-In hockey sessions every week for most of the summer. The women’s adult Chicks with Sticks Summer League runs Tuesday and Thursday nights at Royal Oak’s Lindell Arena and the Viking Arena in Hazel Park. Check your local arena’s activity calendar for what it has planned this summer.
HAVE SOME FUN After taking off your skates or your cross-training shoes, find some time this summer to relax and have some fun. That balance of hard work and recreation will help you get the most out of your summer workouts. Whether its swimming in a lake or at the neighborhood pool, or rock climbing and laser tag at Joe Dumars Fieldhouse’s Bayou Adventure Entertainment Center, Friday Fun Days at the Total Sports Complex or the Drive In movies at Compuware Arena parking lot – the idea is to forget about hockey for a bit and recharge. At Joe Dumars Fieldhouse in Shelby Township, kids can enjoy a day of indoor fun that includes miniature golf, laser tag, mini-bowling and rock climbing. They can also attempt the high ropes course, the bungee trampoline, the 33-foot inflatable shark slide or challenge a friend at the slot car raceway. Wixom’s Total Sports Complex offers sports, specialty and junior camps starting June 20, including soccer, baseball, funky fitness and babysitter boot camp. The facility also offers Friday Fun Days on most Fridays through August. Kids 4-14 years can spend the day playing gym games and having fun in the inflatable zone and splish splash center. For something to do in the evening, Plymouth’s Compuware Arena offers drive-in movies in the facility’s parking lot every night during the summer. Wednesdays are $5 nights for tickets and large pizzas. For any day of the week, dinner and a movie are $16. Kids aged 4-12 can see a movie for $6 every night and kids 3 and under are free.
2010/2011 CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND Mite: Fraser Ice Dogs – Champions OLSM Pirates – Finalist Squirt: Bay County – Champion KOHA Brown – Finalist PeeWee: GLSC Bruins – Champion Mt Pleasant – Finalist Bantam: SCS Bruins – Champion Bay County – Finalist Midget: Mt Pleasant – Champion Tawas – Finalist President Jeff Spedowski jspedows@charter.net 231-796-0728
Greater West Vice President Kevin Wood kwoodadraywest@yahoo.com 616-560-6503
Greater East Vice President Brandon Spedowski Brandon.spedowski@gmail.com 989-486-1511
Metro Vice President Bobby Mitchell bmitchell8@yahoo.com 248-302-0913
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LOOKING FOR HOCKEY PLAYERS I’M A CSNA (CERTIFIED SPORTS NUTRITION ADVISER) LOOKING FOR HOCKEY PLAYERS 14-20 WHO NEED HELP WITH A TRAINING/NUTRITION PROGRAM. FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME VIA EMAIL AT RANDYST@DIRECT.CA
For more information call Bob Bishop 313-600-8655
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MICHIGAN HOCKEY PUBLICATION IS LOOKING FOR A PART-TIME GRAPHIC DESIGNER. THE MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED 22 TIMES PER YEAR & TYPICALLY TAKES 4-5 EIGHT HOUR DAYS TO PRODUCE. PROFICIENT WITH THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS: INDESIGN - ILLUSTRATOR - PHOTOSHOP - DREAMWEAVER THIS WORK WILL ALSO REQUIRE STRONG COMMUNICATION AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS. PLEASE SUBMIT COVER LETTER, RESUME, PORTFOLIO EXAMPLES AND SALARY REQUIREMENTS TO JJOHNSON@SUBURBANICE.COM
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To place a classified ad please call: 248-479-1134
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Michigan Hockey
27
Summer Activity
June 20, 2011 Volume 22 : Issue 1
Compuware Arena
Suburban Ice - Macomb
Compuware Arena | 14900 Beck Road |Plymouth, MI 48170 | (734) 453-8400 compuwarearena.com | NatalieS@Plymouthwhalers.com
54755 Broughton Rd. | Macomb, MI 48042 | Ph: 586-992-8600 | Fx: 586-992-8666 macomb@suburbanice.com | www.suburbanice.com
Programs:
Programs:
Learn to Skate and Learn to Play Summer Session: July 13th – August 17th Summer Hockey Camps: 5-Day Camp: August 1st – 5th and August 15-19 3-Day Camp: August 1st – 3rd All-Day Camp: August 8th – 12th
Open Skating: M-F 12:00-1:50pm, Sat-Sun 2:45-4:35pm Sk8 Jamz Open Skating /Live DJ: Fri-Sat 8:15-10:05pm Adult Drop In: M-F 10:30-11:50am, Mon-Fri-Sat-Sun evenings Sticks & Pucks and Kid Drop In – SEE ARENA ACTIVITY SCHEDULE FOR TIMES PROGRAMS Play to Learn – Learn to Play: Adults, June 19-August 21, Sundays 7:30-8:50pm Ages 4 – 8, July 17-August 21, Sundays 5:30-6:20pm Ages 9-12, July 17-August 21, Sundays 6:30-7:20pm Girls 14 younger, July 17-August 21, Sundays 4:30-5:20pm Women 15 and older, July 17-August 21, Sundays 3:30-4:20pm Learn to Skate: July 11 – August 14, Sunday, Monday or Thursday classes offered EVENTS FREE Give Hockey a Try: June 30th Girls 6:45-7:35pm, Boys 7:45-8:35pm July 10 Girls 2:30-3:20pm, Boys 3:30-4:20pm August 14, 2:30-3:20pm Join us for our 6th Birthday Celebration: Sunday, August 14 • FREE Open Skating 11-12:20pm & 1:00-2:50pm • Figure Skater Performances 12:30-1:00pm • FREE Hot Dogs 12:30-2:00pm • FREE Pictures on the Zamboni 12:30-3:00pm • FREE Give Hockey a Try 2:30-3:20pm
*Register by July 1st and get up to $10 off 3-day camp and $25 off any other camp!
Public Skate and Sticks & Pucks Sessions offered all summer long! Call for specific days and times. Compuware Arena Drive-In Open 7 Nights a week June 10th – Sept 4th $5 Kids Tickets Every Night! All New Releases, Double Features Kids Birthdays – Just $12 per person!
Suburban Ice East Lansing 2810 Hannah Blvd. | East Lansing, MI 48823 | Ph: 517-336-4272 | Fx: 517-336-4273 siel@suburbanice.com | www.suburbanice.com
Programs: Hockey Schools, Hockey Academy, Play to Learn Hockey Camps, Power Skating Classes, Learn to Skate Program, “It’s a Girl Thing” Drop Ins, Adult Hockey Leagues, Broomball, Adult Developmental Hockey, Cosmic Skates, Public Skates, Adult Public Skates,18& Over Hockey Drop Ins, Sticks and Pucks Sessions, Greater Lansing Area Hockey Association, Lansing Skating Club, Figure Skating, Ladies Silver Blades, Hockey Camps and Clinics, Private Lessons, Advertisement Opportunities, Birthday Parties, Field Trips/Group Outings, Tournaments, Private Ice Rentals
Suburban Ice Farmington Hills 23996 Freeway Park Dr | Farmington Hills, MI 48335 | Ph: 248-888-1400 | Fx: 248-888-9868 sifh@suburbanice.com | www.suburbanice.com
Programs: Open Skating – M-F 11:30am - 1:30pm, $2.00, skate rental available for $2 Sticks and Pucks – M-F 11:30am - 1:30pm, and 1:30pm – 3:30pm, no games, full equipment required, must sign up in person at the front desk, $8.00 Hockey Schools – Suburban Hockey Schools – 5 weeks - July 11 August 12, various programs Mite – Adults, both male and female suburbanhockey.com Learn to Play Hockey - June 21 through July 26, Tuesday 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Learn to Skate - summer session, July 6 - July 27 and August 3 -24, $44 per session, Sam 1, 2, 3 and Basic 1-5, Wednesday 10:00 AM - 11:20 AM Metro Summer Hockey League - June 14 – July 31, games Sunday – Thursday, call front desk for more information (MEN & WOMEN) Drop-In Hockey - see suburbanice.com for schedules Womens Drop-In Hockey - see suburbanice.com for schedules
Onyx - Rochester Ice Arena 52999 Dequindre | Rochester, MI 48307 | Ph: 248-601-6699 | Fx: 248-601-0102 onyx@suburbanice.com | www.onyxicearena.com TM
Programs: Summer Adult Leagues-Register as a team or individual – league starts in July. Open Skating: Monday-Friday and Sundays call or check website for specific dates and times. Learn To Skate-Registration underway for Summer Session I begins July 11 – Aug. 18. Adult Drop In Hockey-MondayFriday afternoons, offered daily – check website or call for specific dates & time. Kids Drop In Hockey- Mites, Squirts, Pee Wee, Bantam & High School - check website or call for specific dates & times. Pop In Hockey- offered daily – check website or call for specific dates & times. Hockey SchoolsSuburban Hockey Schools-July 18-22, July 25-29, August 1-5, August 8-12, classes vary please call for details. Fall Youth Hockey Registrations-Limited Spots Available in All Divisions, Call for Details. Birthday parties available – check online or call for packages.
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Michigan Hockey
St. Clair Shores Civic Arena 20000 Stephens Road | St. Clair Shores, MI. 48080 | Ph: 586-445-5350 | Fx: 586-445-5352 www.scsmi.org
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
Programs: Hockey Camps, Learn to Skate Summer Program, Power Hockey Classes, Pucks and Parents , Parent and Tot Skate, Adult Hockey Leagues, Adult Shift Hockey, Youth Shift Hockey (Mite/Squirt Levels), Open Public Skate, Adult Public Skate, Private Ice Rentals and lessons and Room Rental is available. Fall Adult Broomball, Kick Ball and Adult Hockey Leagues forming now! Please visit our web site at www.scsparksrec.net or give us a call today.
Summer Activity
Hazel Park - Learn to Skate CALL LINDA TO RESERVE A SPOT-248 515 3063 WEBSITE www.hplts.com
John Lindell Ice Arena 1403 Lexington Boulevard | Royal Oak MI 48073 Phone 248-246-3950 | Fax 248 246 3951
Programs:
Programs:
Hazel Park - Learn to Skate BEGINNER TO ADVANCE-3 YEARS OLD TO ADULTS PICK AND CHOOSE SATURDAYS
Learn to Skate: June 13 - August 8 (10 weeks) Mon 2:00-3:00, Thu 5:00-6:00p, Sat 9:00a-12:00p Open Skate: Mon-Fri 12:00-1:50p, Sat 1:30-3:20p, Sun 3:004:50p Sticks and Pucks: Mon-Fri 1:15-2:35p, Sat 12:00-1:20p Drop in Hockey: Mon-Fri 11:15a-1:05p,Sun 7:00-8:20p LTP Clinic: July 13 - August 31(8 weeks) 4:45-5:35p Power Skate Clinic: July 13 - August 31(8 weeks) 5:45-6:35p Adult Skills and Drills: July 13 - August 31(8 weeks) 6:458:05p Suburban Hockey School August 22nd -26th Open House August TBD
HOCKEY, SCRIMMAGE AND FIGURE SKATING LESSONS DON’T GET LOST IN THE CROWD-WE HAVE SMALL GROUP RATIOS
Novi Ice Arena 42400 Arena Dr | Novi, MI 48375 | Ph: 248-347-1010 | Fx: 248-347-1077 novi@suburbanice.com | www.noviicearena.com
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Programs: Summer Adult Leagues: Registration open, league starts July 5th Open Skating: Mon-Fri 12-1:50pm, Sat-Sun 3-4:50pm NEW! Skate Jams DJ Open Skate: Fri-Sat 8-9:50pm Learn to Skate Summer Session II starts June 21th Registration open Learn to Skate Summer Session III starts July 28th Registration open Learn to Skate Fall Session starts September 13th Registration opens August 16th Drop-In Hockey: Mon. & Fri. @ 6:30-7:50 am, Wed. & Fri. @ 11:30 am-12:50 pm, Saturday @ 10:00-11:20 pm Sticks & Pucks: Mon-Fri 10:30-12:00, 2-3:20pm, Sat and Sun from 1:30-3pm Suburban Hockey Schools: July 18 - July 22 & July 25 - July 29 classes vary, call for more details
Troy Sports Center
1819 E. Big Beaver Rd. | Troy, MI 48083 | Ph: 248-689-6600 | Fx: 248-689-9911 info@troysports.com | www. troysports.com
Figure Skating: Summer Contract Ice starts June 20th Basic Skills Figure Skating Competition – July 16th Customer Appreciation Day - July 29th
Programs: Summer adult hockey league- July 8th-Aug 30th Summer Meltdown Camps- June 27-July 1
July 1-July 15 July 25-July 29 August 8-August12 August 22-August 26 Future Wings Summer Instructional Hockey Classes
June 22-September1 Learn To Skate Classes
June 20-August 22 Learn to Skate Summer Camp
August 15-August 19 TYHA Fall House League Registration available NOW Open skating and Adult drop-in Hockey times weekdays and weekends all summer. Please visit www.troysports.com for more information and for times and prices
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Michigan Hockey
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MITEE A â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 04 MA MI MAVERICKS John Fenech 248-798-4539 2004MAVS@comcast.net *PE PENDING JULY 10 MAHA VOTE Tues esday, July 12 6:15-7:05pm Wednnesday, July 13 6:15-7:05pm Tuesda day, July 19 6:30-7:20 6:30-7:20pm
MITE AA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 03 MA MAVERICKS Don Stone 586-596-8495 djstone11@comcast.net Tuesday, July 12 6:30-7:20pm Thursday, July 14 7:00-7:50pm
SQU QUIRT A - 02 MA MAVERICKS Seann Kolodge 586.469.11599 kolodgehockey@gmail.com dgehockey@gmail.com Saturday, ay, June 25 10:00-11:05am m Tuesday, June 28
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HOUSE B PROGRAM DIVISIONS OFFERED
PEE WEE AA - 999 MA MAVERICKS Kev evin Potter 248.990.2987 kppo potter@comcast.net
Mite-players born in 2003 and younger Squirt-players born in 2002 & 2001 all games played in house Pee Wee-players born in 2000 & 1999 Bantam-players born in 1997 & 1998
BANTA TAM A - 98 MA MAVERICKS B Fluennt Bob rflfluent@co comcast.net
586.484.42499
BAANT NTAM TAM AAA - 97 MA MAVERICKS Mar ark Alexandrowicz 586.823.7441 male lexandrowicz@comcast.net
SQUIRT AA - 01 MA MAVERICKS Craig Lisko 01mavs@gmail.com 01 Frid iday, July 8 Monnday, July 11 Wednnesday, July 13
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LEARN TO PLAY A HOCKEY PROGRAM DIVISIONS OFFERED Mighty Mites: players ages 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6 Recommended as a first step for beginning hockey players who have attended a Learn to Skate class Mini Mites: players aged 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 Introduction to team play with practice sessions and small sided games
Program runs 25 weeks from September through March. No skates during holiday breaks! Great schedule and excellent ice times. Commitment to the development of skills, knowledge of the game and FUN! Each player receives: jersey/socks, year end party and trophy. Sessions run by Suburban instructional staff with the help of parent volunteers
Limited enrollment! Remainder fees billed in installments.
ICEBREAKERS TRYOUTS INFO - ALL SKATES AT SUBURBAN ICE FARMINGTON HILLS
GIRLS FALL TEAM TRYOUTS
www.michiganicebreakers.com 12U Icebreakers
14U Icebreakers
7/26 7/ 26 – 6:3 :300--8: 8:00 00 PM 7/28 7/ 28 – 6:3 :300-8: 8 00 PM 8: Co oach ach : Ro R b Mu Murp rphy rp hy rmur rm urrph phy@ y@ @cc ccha ha.c ha .com .c om
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16U Icebreakers 6//23 – 6:3 :300-8: 08:00 8: 00 0 PM 6/25 6/ 25 – 10: 0:00 00-1 00 -11: -1 1 30 AM 1: Co oacch : Ru R ss s Tas aske kerr ke rm mta task s er sk er6@ 6@at 6@ a t. at t.ne nett ne 31331 3--81 8 99 78 7 55
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AUG. 20 10:30 - 11:30 AM GIRLS ONLY AUG. 20 12:30 - 1:30 PM 8 & UNDER AUG. 27 10:30 - 11:30 AM ALL AGES
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2003 Stars
2001 Stars
Coach: Todd Waldo twaldo16@comcast.net
Coach: Cal McGowan cmcgowan@suburbanice.com
6/21 – 6:30-7:30 PM
7/12 – 7:30-9:00 PM
6/23 – 6:30-7:30 PM
7/16 – 6:30-8:00 PM 7/18 – 7:00-8:30 PM
2002 Stars
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Coach: Vicki Crimmins vcrimmins9@comcast.net
2000 Stars
6/20 – 6:30-8:00 PM
Contact: Cal McGowan cmcgowan@suburbanice.com
6/22 – 7:30-9:00 PM
7/13 – 7:30-9:00 PM 7/16 – 5:00-6:30 PM 7/19 – 7:00-8:30 PM
99 Stars
Coach: Mike McCullough mjmcc123@msn.com
98 Stars
Coach: Steve Wood swood@cooperstandard.com
97 Stars
Coach: Mike McCullough mjmcc123@msn.com
Midget A
Coach : Dan Cesarz 313-212-5836
7330 Highland Road Waterford, MI 48327 Phone: (248) 666-2090 Email: information@lakelandhockey.org —————————For general questions regarding registration please contact league registrar Brenda Soderlund at
Lakeland Hockey Association offers programs to fit all levels x Learn to Skate x House x Travel Professional Instructor Program available to all players and coaches.
registrar@lakelandhockey.org
or phone (248) 622-1719 —————————-
Ask us about how you can save up to 75% off your monthly ice bill. 8U Program — Bring a Friend Small team sizes Jamborees
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For the latest news and events please visit us on the web at www.lakelandhockey.org
2011 FALL TRAVEL TRYOUTS New Team
2003 Hawks
2000 Falcons
2001 Hawks
New Team
July 14, 2011
6:00 PM—7:30 PM
July 14, 2011
7:00 PM—8:30 PM
July 7, 2011
7:00 PM—8:30 PM
July 15, 2011
5:00 PM—6:30 PM
July 17, 2011
6:00 PM—7:30 PM
July 9, 2011
4:30 PM—6:00 PM
July 17, 2011
12:00 PM—1:30 PM
July 19, 2011
7:30 PM—9:00 PM
July 16, 2011
4:30 PM—6:00 PM
Coach: Brad Martin (248) 804-5158
2002 Hawks
Coach: Kirk Grant (248) 755-2896
2001 Falcons
New Team
July 12, 2011
7:30 PM—9:00 PM
July 20, 2011
6:00 PM—7:30 PM
July 15, 2011
6:00 PM—7:30 PM
July 21, 2011
6:00 PM—7:30 PM
July 22, 2011
7:30 PM—9:00 PM
July 23, 2011
4:30 PM—6:00 PM
Coach: Keith Suggs (248) 763-1499
Coach: Jeff Seyka (810) 533-0979
Coach: Mike LaBlanc (313) 304-6484
1999 Hawks LCAHL 2011 Smythe Champions July 13, 2011
7:30 PM—9:00 PM
July 21, 2011
7:30 PM—9:00 PM
July 22, 2011
6:00 PM—7:30 PM
Non parent coach: Jeff Clark
1998 Hawks LCAHL 2011 Smythe Champions July 15, 2011
8:30 PM—10:00 PM
July 17, 2011
1:00 PM—2:30 PM
July 19, 2011
9:00 PM—10:30 PM
July 21, 2011
9:00 PM—10:30 PM
July 23, 2011
1:00 PM—2:30 PM
July 24, 2011
1:00 PM—2:30 PM
Coach: Hugh Pobur (248) 672-3777
1997 Hawks Check website for latest information.
email: dmswat@sbcglobal.net
2002 Falcons
New Team
2000 Hawks
August 4, 2011
6:00 PM —7:30 PM
June 5, 2011
11:00 AM—12:30 PM
August 7, 2011
11:30 AM — 1:00 PM
June 8, 2011
7:30 PM—8:30 PM
Coach: Craig Iverson (248) 996-4843 Coach: Brian Dicker (248) 391-9007
PLEASE VISIT WWW.LAKELANDHOCKEY.ORG FOR ANY LAST MINUTE SCHEDULE CHANGES
1999 Falcons
New Team
July 23, 2011
10:00 AM—11:30 AM
July 24, 2011
11:30 AM—1:00 PM
July 25, 2011
6:00 PM—7:30 PM
Coach: Bob Sereno (248) 396-8523
All tryouts $15 per skate, goalies are free ——— Lakeland Ice Arena 7330 Highland Rd Waterford, MI 48327
Junior Hockey
June 20, 2011 Volume 22 : Issue 1
Plymouth mouth and Saginaw players ready for NHL draft dra BY MATT MACKINDER
34
Michigan Hockey
WHALERS INK TWO Plymouth signed two draft picks - forward Matthew Mistele (2011) and goalie Jake Patterson (2010). The Whalers took Mistele in the second round last month, while Patterson was Plymouth’s seventh round selection a year ago. “Our scouts really liked (Mistele) last year and we liked what saw at rookie orientation,” said Vellucci. “We think in time he’ll grow into a power forward who can score.” Patterson’s signing will provide depth at the goaltending position as both Mahalak and Wedgewood are expected back this fall. “Jake’s a hard worker with talent,”said Vellucci.“We think he’ll continue to improve as he works with (Plymouth goaltending coach) Stan Matwijiw. With the possibility of injuries or call-ups to pro camps or the World Junior Championship, it’s good to have another goaltender available.”
PHOTO BY AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES
As many as six Plymouth Whalers and three Saginaw Spirit forwards could see their NHL dreams come closer to reality on June 24-25 at the annual NHL draft in St. Paul, Minnesota. Forwards Stefan Noesen and Rickard Rakell and goaltender Matt Mahalak could be early round selections, with Noesen and Rakell possibly going in the first round. Forward Garrett Meurs and defenseman Dario Trutmann should also wear NHL colors after this weekend, while defenseman Nick Malysa has an outside shot of being selected. After a handful of points during his rookie season of 2009-2010, Noesen exploded with a 77-point season in 2010-11. He jumped 12 spots to the No. 35 North American ranking in the Central Scouting final rankings. Some scouting services have him as a possible first round pick. “To be ranked that high is an honor,” Noesen told NHL.com. “Every game, I push myself to be better and better. “When the game is on the line, he wants to be involved,” Plymouth coach-GM Mike Vellucci added. “He is the ultimate competitor.” Prior to Tyler Seguin being taken second overall by Boston in last summer’s draft, the last Plymouth player to be a first round selection was Stephen Weiss, who went fourth overall to Florida in 2001. Rakell came to the Whalers in the 2010 CHL Import Draft and played a steady, yet improving game, all season. Like Noesen, he could wind up on stage at the Xcel Energy Centre, but if that happens the work doesn’t stop there. “I see myself as a Jonathan Toews-type of player,” Rakell told Yahoo! Sports. “I just have to start scoring more. I know I have it in me. I think I’ll have to work most on my skating, having quick feet. I’m not slow right now, but I need to be faster.” Mahalak was touted as the best goalie available for the draft, but a sub-par start in Plymouth quickly dropped the Monroe native in the rankings. Mahalak rebounded with a solid second half and has established himself as a bona fide NHL prospect. “I would probably say I was disappointed with the first half of the season,”Mahalak
NOTEBOOK
The Whalers’ Rickard Rakell is looking forward to the upcoming NHL Draft.
told Yahoo! Sports. “I did not get in a lot of games and wasn’t playing great, but I was learning a lot and I never took a day for granted. I think my hard work started to pay off in the second half of the year. I was very pleased with everything from pretty much after Christmas. I was very proud of the way I was able to come back and step up my game.” Saginaw power forward Brandon Saad should be picked in the first round of the NHL Draft, while forwards Vince Trochek and Anthony Camera are expected to be selected later in the draft
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
The annual CHL Import Draft is June 28, but with both of their imports (Rakell and Trutmann) eligible to return, look for the Whalers to deal their two picks (31st and 91st)… The Whalers open the 2011-12 season on Sept. 21 at Owen Sound. Plymouth’s home opener is three nights later against Erie … Whalers’ Northern Ontario scout Mike Oliverio has left the team to scout for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds … Noesen and Levi are among 40 players selected to the USA Hockey National Junior Team evaluation camp to be held in August in Lake Placid, N.Y. … Wedgewood attended the sixth annual Program of Excellence goaltending camp in Calgary from June 9-12 … Mistele, Mitchell Dempsey and Dylan Mascarin, all 2011 Plymouth draft picks, have been invited to this year’s Canadian Under-17 provincial camp next month in Thunder Bay, Ont… The Saginaw Spirit open their 10th anniversary season in London on Sept. 23 and play 10 of their first 13 games on the road. The Spirit’s home opener is Sept. 30 against Kitchener With a file from Carl Chimenti
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College Hockey
Q & A: new CCHA commissioner Fred Pletsch Former CCHA associate commissioner Fred Pletsch was named the league’s new commissioner on May 2. Pletsch had served as interim commissioner since March 23, when former commissioner Tom Anastos resigned to become the head coach at Michigan State. Michigan Hockey checked in with Pletsch after two months in his new position. Michigan Hockey: How have your first eight weeks gone? Fred Pletsch: “Tom (Anastos) was a great person to work for in that he included me in everything. That helped me be prepared, but I am still learning all of the components of the job, including the finances of the league and managing that budget. That has taken up a little more time than I thought. It’s like the North American Hockey League budget, only bigger. But, it’s not like I am on an island making decisions. At every CCHA school there are really intelligent people with great experience and great credentials.”
that the Big 10 has perhaps elevated itself because they have those six schools with national recognition and their own TV network. Not just the in the CCHA, but in the WCHA too and right around the country, I think everyone is using this time as an opportunity to assess their own program and see where they fit into the Division 1 college hockey landscape. In ten years, you might look back and say this was the time of greatest transition in the history of college hockey. Or depending on how these internal assessments go, people could say ‘You know what? We’re OK where we are.’ Then you could look back and say that the Big 10 gave college hockey six strong leagues. Nobody knows right now.”
MH: What are you focusing on? Pletsch: “The job is really on two tracks right now. Business as usual for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons with 11 teams and continuing the professional levels of service that has been the trademark of the CCHA. And at the same time recognizing that things are going to be different, perhaps radically different, in 2013-14 (when the Big 10 Conference begins play) and dealing with what’s going to happen moving forward in an eight-team CCHA.”
MH: In what kind of timeframe do you see that happening? Pletsch: “Schools want to know for their own planning purposes ‘what league are we going to be in?’ Who are we going to play?’ so they can plan accordingly. For coaches and prospective student-athletes who are making decisions, it’s a four-year college experience and everyone wants to know. Those six (Big 10) schools know what they are doing in 2013-14 and that, I’m sure, will motivate everyone else to make a decision in a timely fashion on what they are going to do and where they are going to go. It gets back to everyone assessing their own programs and business models and where they fit in to the college hockey structure. And I think that will sort itself out over the next four or five months or so. It will be interesting.”
MH: What are the challenges for the CCHA and college hockey with the Big 10 starting a hockey conference? Pletsch:“I draw some similarities from when I became the President of the North American Hockey League. At that time, the United States Hockey League had declared its intentions of going Tier I and had, in essence, elevated itself. With the Big 10 schools deciding to go it alone and form their own hockey conference, I think there is a perception among some people in the hockey community
MH: It sounds like the Big 10 has discussed a 20-game conference schedule. Where does that leave CCHA teams? Pletsch: “That makes sense – a double home-and-home with the five other schools. The maximum number of games is 34 so that leaves 14 non-conference games to schedule. I’ve heard from some of the CCHA coaches who believe that 6-8 of those Big 10 school’s non-conference games will still be against the remaining CCHA teams. It would make sense for Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State to continue
to play CCHA schools, especially those in close geographic proximity. But 14 non-conference games is still a lot to fill in a schedule. If you look at the history of those schools’ schedules, the majority of their out of conference games are at home. They have bigger venues and it makes sense financially for them to do that.” MH: What are your priorities moving forward? Pletsch: “To manage, for at least two years, our television deals and to make sure that the agreements are in place with Joe Louis Arena and Olympia Entertainment to continue to stage the CCHA Championship. The CCHA has set the standard in college hockey for league administration and I want to make sure that these last two seasons of an 11-team CCHA are the biggest and best ever. And at the same time make sure there is an opportunity for everyone to find a place in a reconfigured CCHA.”
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U N I T
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WEEK 1
Strength on Skates
Body Positioning & Contact
Puck Battles
WEEK 2
Speed
Puckhandling & Possession
Creating Time & Space
WEEK 3
Quickness & Agility
Passing & Playmaking
Quick Puck Movement
WEEK 4
Backward Skating
Angling & Closing
Reading & Reacting
WEEK 5
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Finishing Skills
JUNE 21, 22 and 23 JUNE 28, 29 and 30 JULY 5, 6 and 7 JULY 12, 13 and 14 JULY 19, 20 and 21
36
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GROUP 1: Ages 8-10 GROUP 2: Ages 11-14
248-478-1600 suburbanhockey.com
PHOTO BY DAVE REGINEK/DRW
Red Wings Insider
Holland prepares for busy summer
BY DAVE WADDELL
It appears Detroit Red Wings’general manager Ken Holland’s summer has gotten a whole lot busier. With Brian Rafalski’s unexpected retirement last month, the Wings have a huge hole in their defense that will have a ripple effect on their summer plans. The free agent signing period starts July 1. “Obviously July 1 is a day we’re looking towards now a little more than we were,” Holland said. “(We’ve) got more cap money and a big hole on defense. “I don’t know what Nick Lidstrom’s decision is. As we sit here today, Rafi’s gone, Salei’s unrestricted, Ericsson’s unrestricted, we’ve got Kronwall, Stuart, Kindl, and Doug Janik has a one way (contract). Brendan Smith is a guy we want to see in training camp. “Certainly we need to overhaul our defense, either through trade, and at the draft is when there’s going to be trades. “Not a lot of teams are trading defensemen, most teams are looking for defensemen. We will comb through what defensemen are available.” The Wings suddenly have enormous salary cap flexibility, a thought that’ll send GMs around the league scrambling to sign their own free agents. With Rafalski’s $6-million salary off the books, the Wings have 16 players signed for $41.84-million. With NHL vice president Bill Daly projecting the salary cap could go as high as $63.5-million, Detroit could have nearly $21.7-million available to retool. Certainly, the bulk of that cash will be spent on the team’s defense. Holland has always subscribed to the theory of investing more heavily in defense than anywhere else. “There are some good names,” Holland said. “You expect some of them are going to be signed between now and July 1. “There’s not many Brian Rafalskis out there. Money’s always an issue, do you sign one guy, do you go out and sign two guys and try to have a little more depth? “If we can get a great decision from Nick and maybe sign one of those two
The Red Wings will give defenseman Brendan Smith a shot to make the team this fall.
guys (Ericsson or Salei), then you can sign one or two (free agents) … it depends who’s available. “We’ll target a whole bunch of people, what we think they’re worth to us and then you see how it goes.” The problem is this summer the free-agent crop is not an overly deep one. Among the better-known potential free agent defensemen come July 1 are: Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff, Eric Brewer, Joni Pitkanen, Andrei Markov, Ed Jovanovski, James Wisniewski, Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Sami Salo, Ian White and Roman Hamrlik. Of that group, the top-scoring defenders were Wisniewski with 51 points and Ehrhoff with 50. The other option open to the Wings would be an offer sheet to a restricted free agent. Teams signing a restricted free agent can owe compensation ranging from a third-round draft choice to a four first-rounders, depending on the salary offered. The biggest names available there are Nashville’s Shea Weber, Phoenix’s Keith
Yandle, Los Angeles’Drew Doughty, Atlanta’s Zach Bogosian andToronto’s Luke Schenn. Holland has never tendered an offer to a restricted free agent. It doesn’t sound like he’s likely to break that streak. “It’s not philosophical,” Holland said. “I think personally it’s a bit of an effort in futility because if you sign an offer sheet to a restricted (free agent) at the going rate, the teams going to match. “The only way you get these players is if you pay them way beyond what they’re worth. That’s really not what the cap world is all about. The cap world is about finding players that play beyond what you pay them.” Holland could also choose to keep his options open for beyond this season with eye to the defensive prize of the 2012 free-agent crop. That is when Nashville’s Ryan Suter is due to become an unrestricted free agent. With the Predators seemingly committed to retaining Weber, budgetary pressures in Nashville may make it hard for them to retain both of their blue-chip blueliners. With so much cap room, Detroit is also well positioned to take on salary in a trade. The Wings were said to have seriously kicked the tires on a deal for Bogosian at last February’s trade deadline. A factor in all of this will be the Wings’assessment of how well their own youngsters are prepared to take on the sudden availability of ice time. Certainly Jonathan Ericsson’s position in negotiations would seem to have improved. Detroit offered him a $2-million deal earlier this spring that was rejected. No doubt he could gain a more lucrative offer on the open market, but the Wings aren’t interested in going a whole lot higher for the 27-year-old. Jakub Kindl made huge strides in the second half of last season and many in Detroit’s front office felt he had supplanted Salei in Detroit’s top six by season’s end. A job will be his for the taking. The wild card in all this is defenseman Brendan Smith. The six-foot-two, 195-pound Smith was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie team this past season and played in the league’s All-Star Game. He finished with 12 goals, 32 points and was a plus-seven in 63 games. A silky smooth skater with great offensive upside, Smith also has a bit of a nasty edge as evidenced by his 124 penalty minutes. More importantly, the Wings feel the 22-year-old is ready to make the jump to the NHL this fall.
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Michigan Hockey
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