Monthly Archives: August 2023

Post #129 – 8/31/23 – Get Set, Go!

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Ready or Not, The Youth and NCAA Season Is Here.

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

Pipeline Schedule Change

First, a scheduling note. Your inboxes will be a little less cluttered as I make a change to my Pipeline posting schedule. Now that my season has begun at Yale, (we got on the ice yesterday for the first time), I’ll be dialing back the frequency of my posts – to once per week, perhaps a second(?) dependent on news etc., of course. I’m shooting to get these out for Wednesday’s.

That said, I hope everyone enjoyed the frequency of posts in the summer and shorter format. I’ll pick that type of schedule back up in December as more time allows, then again after the season concludes.

On to today’s post!

Busy Weeks Ahead, NCAA Coaching and Pro Women’s Hockey News

Labor Day weekend is usually the unofficial start to the youth hockey and fall NCAA recruiting season – and it’s here!

Major recruiting events are taking place this weekend in Massachusetts with the NAHA Labor Day Showcase, Pittsburgh with the PIP Labor Day Girls Fest, and in Ontario – the Etobicoke Dolphins Labor Day Exhibition Series. Close to 150 teams are taking part and many more are hitting the ice with training camps to begin their seasons.

NCAA D-I programs have begun to hit the ice as well, at least for those who have started classes as per NCAA rules. Some D-I schools won’t begin class the 2nd full week into September.

Recruiting for NCAA coaches in the Fall is like NASCAR. For years the first few weeks of the month have been dominated by the same key events in the same locations, around the same weekends. Although the move to Boston for the NAHA showcase is a major change. It’s a month strait of hitting the road almost every weekend for coaches if they wanted to. Next on the calendar after Labor Day will be back-to-back Stoney Creek Showcase weekends in Hamilton, Ontario. First up is the Midget U18/U16 event next weekend and then their ‘University’ U22/U19 showcase the following one. Out in MN the Girls Upper Mid-West High School Elite League kicks off. And out in Calgary is the Firestarter U18AAA Weekend, the same weekend of the Stoney Creek University showcase.

Coaching News

The school year has begun for many, but positions still remain open and some still to be filled. Here is what I have for this week.

Colgate… Has hired former Colgate captain Breanne Wilson-Bennett ’18 as an Assistant Coach and Dir. of Operations.

Maine… Has hired former Dartmouth Assistant Coach Nina Rogers for the same role.

Plymouth State Univ… Has hired Ben Chipman, a 2022 Plymouth State men’s hockey alum.

At D-III, Head Coaches have yet to be announced at Hamilton, Marian, Potsdam, and St. Mary’s.

PWHL Announcement

On Tuesday the Professional Women’s Hockey League or PWHL announced its plans for 6 teams, a 15-round player selection draft, and free agency.

Here is what was announced:

Teams will be based in 3 Canadian cities–Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto and 3 in the US–Boston, New York, and Minneapolis for a 6-team league to start. 23-24 will consist of a 24-game schedule, with 32 in future years. Around Jan 1 is the purposed start date.

There will be a 10-day Free-Agency signing period beginning Sept. 1 where teams may sign up to 3 players. NCAA/USPORTS players with eligibility are not eligible to sign.

There will be a 15-Round player draft in Toronto on Sept. 18. Players wishing to play in the 23-24 season must declare for the draft by Sept. 3. Draft order will be determined by a lottery (details not known yet).

Teams can only sign 20 players to ‘standard contract agreements’ in advance to training camp, with a minimum 28 players at camp. 23 players must be on it’s active roster by a ‘compliance date’ which is TBD. The league minimum standard player contract will be $35K per year and no more than 9 players may be paid the minimum. 6 players on each team will be signed to 3-year contracts of no less than 80K per year.

Training camps open the week of Nov. 15

Facilities for each team have not been named yet.

I am trying to understand all that is in play for the draft and how NCAA players (or even younger) may or may not be eligible. More to come on that…

Needless to say these are exciting time for the grow of the sport. For more, be sure to follow Hailey Salvain of The Athletic HERE.

See you all next Wednesday…

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and Take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Grant Kimball is founder and contributing writer at Women’s College Hockey.org and beginning his 4th season as an Assistant Coach with the Yale University women’s hockey program. Grant has developed an experienced perspective in the world of women’s ice hockey, having coached and recruited players from across the globe during his 25+ year amateur and NCAA coaching career. He has coached at 6 NCAA DIII and DI programs in the NCHA (D3), the CHA, WCHA, Hockey East, ECAC, and the Ivy League (DI). Beyond coaching, Grant served as a site representative for the 2019 NCAA quarterfinal of the D-I NCAA Tournament. He also currently serves as an Officer with the American Hockey Coaches Association as Vice President of Membership and sits on the AHCA’s Women’s Hockey Executive Committee.

Post #128 – 8/27/23 – The Pipeline Weekly Review

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) – All Posts From The Past Week… Never Miss A Post!

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

The Pipeline Weekly Review

Miss a post from The Pipeline this week?

Get caught up with what’s going on in the world of women’s college hockey with The Pipeline Weekly Review every Sunday.

I’ll recap my posts from the past week so you never have to miss out. Just click any of the links below and stay informed.

Sunday’s are usually reserved for our Weekly Review. But, after a busy week, there were only 2 Pipeline posts this week – Monday and Wednesday. So I’m adding our Friday Sifters edition w/ today’s post. Enjoy!

Friday’s Sifters

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

Gustavus Women’s Hockey Tragedy

I’d like to start today’s post by offering my deepest condolences to the families, friends, teammates, coaches, and the greater women’s hockey community affected by the tragic passing of Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey player Jori Jones. Jones and three of her teammates were involved in a two-car accident last Sunday in western Minnesota. Jones succumbed to her injuries caused in the crash while 3 of her teammates suffered non-life threatening injuries. Jones was coming off a freshman season winning the Division III National Championship.

Friday Sifters

This week has been the calm before the storm.

We are just a few days away from September and the 23-24 college hockey season about to begin. First-year student orientations are in full swing. Freshman are moving in and returning students are just days if not hours from getting settled back on campus.

NCAA coaches are in ‘Full Go Mode’ as they juggle everything that occurs at the beginning of the year. Players return to campus, recruiting activity ramps up, those beginning of the school year meetings etc., and for D-I coaches – the planning of on-ice practices as soon as classes begin. It’ a busy but exciting time.

Here is what’s happening in today’s Sifters edition.

-Coaching moves news to announce.

-D-III Changes to Playing Season & National Championship.

-UNH Receives Alumni Support for New

-IIHF Women’s Division 1A World Championships Conclude.

-In-Season D-I Tournaments Announced

Let’ get to it!

Coaching/Staff News

Staff news to announce at… Chatham Univ., Dartmouth, Harvard, Holy Cross, Univ. of New England,, RPI, Saint Anselm College, and St. Lawrence,

Here’s what I have this week.

In The NCAA

Chatham University… is seeking applicants for its position of volunteer goalie coach.

Dartmouth… Has announced its searching for a full-time Assistant Coach.

Harvard… Has recently posted for a Full-Time Assistant Coach position. Joe Grossman is no longer listed on the Crimson website.

Holy Cross… Is seeking applicants for a Full-Time Assistant Coach. Associate Head Coach Meredith Roth is no longer listed on the website.

University of New England… Has announced Cassandra Sherman as its next Head Coach. Sherman played at Southern Maine and was an Assistant Coach there from 2017-2021.

RPI… Has announced the hiring of former Bently Men’s Assistant Coach Ben Murphy as its new Assistant Coach.

Saint Anselm College… Has announced its searching for a Full-Time Assistant Coach. Vinnie Ferrainola is no longer listed on the website.

St. Lawrence… Has announced the hiring of their 3rd Assistant Coach Brittney Gout ’21 M’23. Gout played three seasons for the Saints graduating after the 21-22 season. She spent last season as the Saints’ Graduate Assistant Coach while getting her Masters of Arts Degree in Leadership.

In The Pros

Angela Ruggiero… The New York Rangers have hired the former 4 x US Olympic medalist and Harvard defender as a Hockey Operations Advisor.

D-III Changes Coming in 2023-2024

Some big changes are coming to D-III this year.

The hockey season calendar is changing from a number of weeks in the season to a number of days model. Here is what teams can expect:

Hockey has 114 total days to use.
From the beginning of classes to the first Monday in October they may use up to 8 of the 114 days [they don’t have to but they can.]:
- Those days can be on or off-ice
- During this period they can’t use more than three days in a week
- They can’t compete
From the first Monday in October to the second Monday in October:
- They can only go “off-ice’
- The days count against the 114 total
- They have to have a day off
- They don’t have to practice at all during that week
From the second Monday in October to NCAA championship selection:
- They have to have 5 on-ice days before they can compete
- They have to have a day off per week
From Champs selection to five weekdays before final exams for the academic year (provided they weren’t chosen for NCAA championships or some other post-season tournament):
- They can only practice if they have not used 114 total days and they did not use 8 days before the first Monday in October (if they used 5 days before the season then they can use 3 days after the season provide they haven’t used 114 days)

Additionally the NCAA Championships Committee approved a ‘predetermined site pilot’ program for the National Championships over a 4-year period. The 2025 and 2027 Championship finals will be held at a predetermined site. The 2024 and 2026 finals will be held at the site of the highest seed eligible to host.

UNH Hockey Programs Receives $4 Million Boost

The Women’s and Men’s hockey programs at the University of New Hampshire recently received a $4 million dollar gift from Anthony DiLorenzo ’87, owner of Key Auto Group. The gift is part of an overall campaign to support upgrades to the Whittemore Center.

The USCHO.com release stated… “The upgraded arena will feature larger, more functional and accessible multi-use locker rooms for both men’s and women’s hockey, an expanded strength and conditioning space, and new offices for coaches and administrative staff. The upgrade will also benefit other UNH teams using the facility including UNH Field Hockey and Paralympic athletes that compete in sled hockey on UNH’s Northeast Passage team.”

You can read the full release HERE.

China Wins IIHF Division I, Group A World Championships

China went 5-0 to claim the gold medal during the IIHF Division I Group A World Championship this passed week in Shenzhen, China. Denmark took Silver and Austria took home the Bronze.

China and Denmark have been promoted to the top level division and will travel to Utica, New York in April to compete in the Women’s World Championships. They will be in group B along with Sweden, Japan, and Germany.

NCAA connections helping China and Denmark advance were:

China:

UCONN, Tyia, CHEN
St. Lawrence, Xifang, ZHANG (Anna Segedi)
Colgate Univ., Mulan, KANG (Kas Betinol)
Long Island Univ., Anna, FEI (Anna Fairman)

Team China’s head coach is Scott Spencer, who formerly coached at Lindenwood University, Mercyhurst University, and Robert Morris University.

Denmark:

Mercyhurst Univ., Sofia SKRIVER
Vermont, Sofie, SKOTT
St. Lawrence, Emma-Sofie, NORDSTROM

2023-2024 D-1 In-Season Tournaments

In-Season tournaments are becoming known. Here is a list with participating teams as of now based on schedules and dates released:

2023 Women’s College Hockey Icebreaker – Fairfield, CT, Oct. 20-21: Sacred Heart (host), Northeastern, St. Cloud, and Lindenwood.
U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game – Maple Grove, MN Nov. 9: Minnesota State-Mankato vs. St. Thomas.
Nutmeg Classic – New Haven, CT, Nov. 24-25: UCONN, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, and Yale (host).
Smashville Showcase – Nashville, TN: Nov. 24-25 : Boston University, Minnesota State Univ-Mankato, Robert Morris.
D1 in DC – Washington, D.C., Nov. 24-25: Cornell, Harvard, Minnesota, and St. Thomas.
Battle at the Burgh – Pittsburgh, PA, Dec. 29-30: Bemidji, Colgate, Maine, and Robert Morris (host).
Friendship Series – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Jan 5-6: Princeton and Providence (2-game series).
Beanpot – Boston, MA, Jan 16 & 23: Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern.

Monday – Post #126 – College Visit Time

With College Visits, Coaches Should Be Mindful As Well As Flexible
Don’t Be That Coach
Communication Is The Key

Wednesday – Post #127 – IIHF D-1 Worlds Update

After 2 Days, Austria On Top
List of NCAA Players Participating
Link to video of all games via YouTube

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #127 – 8/23/23 – IIHF Div I. Worlds Update

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Worlds Enters Day 3, Watch Denmark vs. China LIVE on YouTube (Free)

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

After 2 days, Austria On Top

With a 12-hour time change between the eastern US and Shenzhen, Denmark and China are just about to drop the puck.

You can watch this game live on YouTube HERE. Looks like a big crowd on hand as well to support the home team.

Here is a link to video from all games played HERE.

The 2023 Women’s Division I Group A World Championships in Shenzhen, China began this week. Leading the group of 6 countries is Austria with a 2-0-0-0 record. China is right behind with a 2-0-0-0 record as well. Full standings are below.

The NCAA is well represented with multiple current and former players representing their home countries. See a list of current players ⬇️. Scott Spencer, former head coach at Lindenwood University and associate head coach at Robert Morris Univ. is the head coach for team China.

Austria

Norwich University, Marja, LINZBICHLER
Long Island Univ., Lisa, SCHROFL
Long Island Univ., Emma, MORTL
Yale, Anja, TRUMMER

China

UCONN, Tyia, CHEN
St. Lawrence, Xifang, ZHANG (Anna Segedi)
Colgate Univ., Mulan, KANG (Kas Betinol)
Long Island University., Anna, FEI (Anna Fairman)

Denmark

Mercyhurst Univ., Sofia SKRIVER
Vermont, Sofie, SKOTT
St. Lawrence, Emma-Sofie, NORDSTROM

Netherlands

Wesleyan Univ., Aimee, SEPPENWOLDE

Norway

Holy Cross, Millie, SERIUM
Nazareth College, Ingrid, BERGE
Lindenwood Univ., Thea, JOEGENSEN
Mount Royal University (Canadian School), Emma, BERGESEN

Slovakia

Oswego University, Simone Martina, BEDNARIK

There are also about half a dozen players who are still in high school. To see all team rosters and where players are playing just click HERE.

Standings as of 8/23

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and Take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #126 – 8/21/23 – College Visit Time!

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Coaches Should Keep The Bigger Picture In Mind

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

With College Visits, Coaches Should Be Mindful As Well As Flexible

Recruiting activity is starting to pick up for the class of 2025. There seems to be an uptick in recent commitments and the scheduling of official/unofficial visits. The next few weeks into September will certainly be busy.

The scheduling of official and unofficial visits can be not only a challenge at times, but also come with some real angst felt by players and parents, as well as coaches.

Players and parents can sometimes get caught between a rock and hard place… they know a college visit will really help make their college decision, but often it comes at a cost–time away from their team. And that may cause some missed practices or games. As such, players/parents wind up worrying about how they will be viewed by their teammates and especially their coaches, heck – even other parents. Their commitment to the team can sometimes come into question. AND IT ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT.

High School and Club coaches on the other hand, feel some angst because sometimes they may miss one or multiple players. And that can make managing such games/practices a challenge. Coaches are competitive people too, they want to win and have success.

The bigger picture to keep in mind is – college visits are for a really good reason! A chance to figure out which college/university best suits them!

Believe me, college coaches get it too. Scheduling these things aren’t always easy. But they are a crucial piece of the process and can be the difference between a fantastic four years or a trip to the transfer portal.

Don’t Be That Coach

Some High School and Club Coaches are great about letting their players schedule college visits and are totally understanding about time missed. Others not so much… to the point where they take it personally or almost get offended by such a request. Then they wind up holding a bit of a grudge against the player and or parents.

Coaches, do consider this is a stressful process for your players and parents, so PLEASE don’t hold it over their heads for wanting to go on a college visit. You do want them to move on and play at the next level don’t you? This process isn’t about you. So best to be accommodating and understanding. Be flexible and supportive if one of your players may miss some time – its for a great reason. How you react is noticed by every other player and parent. Bottom line, college visits are a HUGE piece to the recruiting process for most players as they try to find that right fit. Who knows, in their absence you might just be surprised by who one of your players does in their place.

Players and parents, you should be communicative and keep your coaches in the loop as early as you can about potential visit dates. Be mindful of your coaches expectations around college visits if they have them too. Do the same with your teachers and school administrators as well. Sometimes, your college guidance counselor will be right with you every step of the way and help with communicating to your teachers, etc. But for those of you don’t really have that kind of relationship with your counselor, best to talk with your teachers on when you will be missing class, why, and ask what work needs to be made up.

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and Take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #125 – 8/20/23 – The Pipeline Weekly Review

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) – All Posts From The Past Week… Never Miss A Post!

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

The Pipeline Weekly Review

Miss a post from The Pipeline this week?

Get caught up with what’s going on in the world of women’s college hockey with The Pipeline Weekly Review every Sunday.

I’ll recap my posts from the past week so you never have to miss out. Just click any of the links below and stay informed.

Due to being on vacation last week, there were only 2 Pipeline posts.

Monday – Post #122 – Canada vs USA Lake Placid Preview

Hockey Canada and USA Hockey Announce Teams For Lake Placid
Diving Into The Rosters
USA Notes
Canada Notes

Wednesday – Post #123 – How To Use Video

Video Becoming A Valuable Piece In The Recruiting Process
5 video tips to incorporate into your video use
- Angles
- Screen Position
- Player Accents
- Video Length
- Clip Organization

Friday – Post #124 – Sifters

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

Coaching news at Amherst, Augsburg, Franklin Pierce, Keene State, King’s College, Merrimack, Middlebury, MN-Duluth, UNH, Penn St. x 2, RPI, St. Cloud, Syracuse, and Vermont x2
USA Hockey and Hockey Canada are battling it out in their Under-18 and Collegiate Team 3-game series in Lake Placid
The IIHF Women’s Division 1A World Championships are set to begin (finally) in China
The NCAA Women’s and Men’s rules committee makes a tweak to video review
Leadership changes coming for the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA)

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #124 – 8/18/23 – Friday’s Sifters

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

Friday’s Sifters

It’s been a busy week with lots of activity. Here is what’s happening in today’s Sifters edition.

-Lots of last minute coaching and staff hires to announce.

-USA Hockey and Hockey Canada are battling it out in their Under-18 and Collegiate Team 3-game series in Lake Placid.

-The IIHF Women’s Division 1A World Championships are set to begin (finally) in China

-The NCAA Women’s and Men’s rules committee makes a tweak to video review

-Leadership changes coming for the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA)

Let’ get to it!

Coaching/Staff News

Staff news to announce at… Amherst, Augsburg, Franklin Pierce, Keene State, King’s College, Merrimack, Middlebury, MN-Duluth, UNH, Penn St. x 2, RPI, St. Cloud, Syracuse, and Vermont

August is usually a busy month for hiring announcements due to university budgets opening up for the new academic year. There seems to be about a 50/50 split between hiring announcements vs. open positions needed to be filled.

Here’s what I have this week… In the NCAA and on the Professional side

In The NCAA

Amherst College and Head Coach Jeff Mathews has announced the hiring of Kaylain Kelly as an Assistant Coach. Kelly is a graduate and former captain of Worcester State.

Augsburg College and Head Coach Michelle McAteer has announced that former Wisconsin-Stevens Point Nicole Neuberger will be the new Graduate Fellow Assistant Coach.

Franklin Pierce has announced it is hiring for a Graduate Assistant Coach position.

Keene State College, a new D-III program starting in 24-25, is hiring its inaugural Head Coach to build the program.

Merrimack College has announced 2 new Assistant Coach hirings – Danielle Blanchard, former UMASS-Boston Head Coach and Yale/Plattsburgh Assistant. And Stephanie Wood, former Director of Hockey and Head Coach at Austin Prep high school and managing director at the Islanders Hockey Club.

Middlebury College and Head Coach Bill Mandigo announced the hiring of Emily McNamara as its new Assistant Coach. McNamara spent the last 11 seasons as the Head Coach at Hamilton College. She now returns to her alma matter for a 2nd tour of duty with Mandigo as an Assistant Coach.

With McNamara’s departure, Hamilton now needs a Head Coach.

King’s College has announced it is seeking applications for its 2 Graduate Assistant Coaches.

Minnesota-Duluth and Head Coach Maura Crowell has announced the hiring of Mark Breiter as its Director of Operations. Breiter spent the last season with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues as the Equipment Assistant Manager. Prior to his stint in St. Louis, from 2017-2022 he was the Equipment Manager for the MSU-Mankato Women’s Hockey Program.

The University of New Hampshire is seeking applications for Director of Women’s Hockey Operations.

Penn State and Head Coach Jeff Kampersal has promoted volunteer goaltending coach Ben Halford to the position of Assistant Coach and has named former RIT, Dartmouth, and Boston University operations manager Olivia Fox as Director of Hockey Operations.

RPI has announced it is seeking applications for a full-time Assistant Coach.

St. Cloud State University and Head Coach Brian Idalski has announced the hiring of ’06 Husky alum Billy Hengen as its new Assistant Coach. Hengen comes to St. Cloud after winning a MN Class AA State Title with Gentry Academy last season.

Vermont and Head Coach Jim Plumer announced the promotion of Alex Gettens to Associate Head Coach and the addition of Assistant Coach Victoria Blake. Blake comes to UVM after a 4-year assistant stint at Sacred Heart.

In The Pros

The Kitchener Rangers of the OHL have hired former Syracuse Defender Lindsay Eastwood as their Manager of Communications and Team Services.

The Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL have hired former Minnesota Gopher and US Gold Medalist Amanda Kessel as the inaugural participant in the new Penguins’ Executive Management Program. The program provides a one-year opportunity to work alongside executives within the Penguins partnership, marketing, communication and broadcast departments, as well as hockey operations.

USA Hockey and Hockey Canada Clash In Lake Placid

USA Hockey’s Collegiate Select Team has won the first 2 games by scores of 4-0 and 4-3. Hockey Canada’s Under-18 team has won its first 2 games also by scores of 4-0 and 6-1.

Both groups will play the 3rd and final game tomorrow, Saturday in Lake Placid. The Under18’s play at 3pm with the Collegiate Select/Development group at 6pm.

Older Players A Factor?

Team Canada U-18s have a decidedly older group as compared to Team USA. Canada has only five 2007 born players while the US has 10 players born 2007 or earlier… eight 2007’s and two 2008’s.
All but 3 members of Team Canada’s U18 Team played last season at the oldest amateur age group allowed in each players’ respective province.
Of 24-rostered players, Team USA’s Select 18 team has 13 players that played at the USA Hockey Under 16 age group last season .
Canada’s Development Team has 8 players who have yet to play a NCAA game.
The USA Hockey Collegiate Select Team has 3 Graduate players, 12 Seniors, 0 Juniors, 6 Sophomores, and 1 incoming freshman.
In terms of accumulated NCAA points from last season… Team USA’s Collegiate Group is led by Yale Senior Elle Hartje with 52 total points, the D corps had 34 G’s, 121 A’s for 155 PTS. The Forward group had 176 G’s, 229 A’s for 405 PTS.
Canada’s Development Team is led by Clarkson Senior Forward Anne Cherkowski with 52 total points.

IIHF Division 1 Group A World Championships Aug. 20-26

Shenzhen, China will play host the next weeks IIHF Women’s Division I Group A World Championships.

Austria, China, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, and Slovakia are participating countries. The tournament kicks off with Netherlands taking on Norway at 1pm local time.

Some countries will have live streams available. You can find the names of services HERE on the tournament home of the IIHF website.

There will certainly be NCAA players both past and current in this event. Once rosters are made public I’ll have a breakdown.

Rules Committee Removes Too Many Players On Ice For Video Review Rule

Last week, sighting ‘significant confusion’, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a recommendation from the Women’s and Men’s Ice Hockey Rules Committee where: “Having too many players on the ice when a goal is scored on the ensuing play has been removed from the list of plays that can be reviewed by video in NCAA men’s and women’s hockey for the 2023-24 season”.

“Despite attempted education during the 2022-23 season, rules committee members think the rule is better managed by the on-ice officials and should not be part of the instant-replay criteria,” reads the NCAA announcement.

Leadership Changes Coming To AHCA

The American Hockey Coaches Association is the official Ice Hockey coaches association recognized by the NCAA of women’s and men’s programs participating in divisions I and III.

Starting with the upcoming 2023-2024 season, The AHCA will add 2 new Vice President positions to its leadership structure of Officers. One VP of Women’s Issues and one VP for Men’s Issues.

These two positions will help serve as conduits between the women’s and men’s coaching body of Division I / III and key stakeholders within the NCAA, member conferences, conference commissioners, and various sport specific NCAA committees. In addition, these people will help streamline communication and participation in important initiatives for both sides of the game.

Joe Bertagna enters his final year as AHCA Executive Director, a position he has held for more than 30 years. Joe will step down and take on a media relations role in for the start of the 2024-2025 season.

The process to find a successor for the Executive Director position has begun.

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Car

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #123 – 8/16/23 – How To Use Video

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Grant Kimball One comment

Plan On Sending Video To Coaches? Here Are 5 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Video Footage.

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

Video Is Becoming A Valuable Piece In The Recruiting Process

If it’s one thing COVID sort of forced NCAA Coaches to do, it was watch a lot of video.

With the COVID recruiting shutdown imposed by the NCAA for D-I Coaches, watching video was the only way they could really evaluate players. Websites and platforms like Live Barn, HUDL, InStat, etc. we’re gaining a foothold with NCAA programs even prior to the pandemic, but became even more popular during, and most certainly now.

With the youth/minor hockey season about to start, plenty of parents and coaches will be fighting for space in the stands to capture game video.

And that’s what I’m going to talk to you about today – how to properly use video footage so you can send coaches the best version of yourself and give the coaches what they need.

It seems like most recruiting emails sent to NCAA coaches have some kind of link to video. Some of it really good… and some of it… well, let’s say it could use some improvement.

I think most coaches would agree they aren’t soley basing decisions to recruit players off of video… but it sure can help. It’s a great tool to evaluate how a player skates, judge their overall skill level, how they play with the puck and w/ out, or how a player can defends. Plus, it’s a great tool to eval goalies as well.

At the end of the day, video allows coaches a chance to get excited about a player. Or not. The opposite is also true. Coaches can easily determine they don’t need to spend their time recruiting a particular player based on what they see.

So here are 5 video tips to incorporate into your video use when sending clips to coaches.

Angles, Screen Position, Player Accents, Length, and Organization

#1 – Use a decent & elevated camera angle… that captures the game action over the top (not through) of the glass and not through netting if possible. There’s nothing worse than trying to look for jersey numbers through glass or really dark netting. Try and get to an elevated part of the stands and shoot from as close to center-ice as possible. Now goalies, I know you have these GoPro suction cup camera systems that mom or dad sticks behind the net on the glass itself – those are actually pretty decent. It also helps to use some kind of tripod or camera stabilizer so the video doesn’t make coaches get motion sickness!

#2 – Puck Position On Screen… As you record your game, try to keep the puck in the dead-center middle of your screen as much as possible… If you’re focussed on the puck and it is too high toward the top of your screen, you’ll miss some of the play above the puck. Same goes for if the puck is too close to the bottom of your screen, you’ll miss action below the puck. As for zooming in and out… Unless you’re a camera whiz, it’s prob best to use a wide enough angle where you can see most of the play and still read jersey numbers. Appropriate zooming in and our as the play moves up and down the ice would be ideal – if it can be done correctly. But that is TOUGH to master.

#3 – Find a way to accent the player in the video you want coaches to watch… This is HUGE!! There are many ways to do this with video editors now. It’s really helpful. I can’t tell you how many times coaches get video and weren’t told what color jersey or number or position a player has in the video – we don’t know what to look for! A nice brightly colored circle, encompassing the player you want us to watch, an arrow, a star – something – just before the video begins that let’s us know who to watch and where they are on the ice is really helpful!

#4 – Don’t send a full game… Every coaches’ time is limited and we seldom have time to fast-forward through a full game to find all of a players’ shifts. Do some editing so coaches have clips of just the players’ shifts. And for goalies, there isn’t much need to include video when the play is at the other end of the ice.

#5 – ORGANIZE YOUR VIDEO!

I recently received an email from a recruit where she organized her video clips in a certain way that really made it really easy for me to watch her video.

In the body of her email, she used bolded ‘titles’ or ‘headings’ with individual clips relative to that title/heading underneath. For example:

Breakouts

No Pressure
With Pressure
Passing Decisions

Defensive Zone Play

Defending the Point
Defending Circle Top Seam
Defending the slot

She had a bunch more… but it was so helpful to know what I was going to be looking at vs. just watching random clips and having no clue.

So, here are some general game sequences that most coaches would want to see in video by position, that you could use as ‘clip types’ titles or ‘headings’ in your emails to help you organize the video you send to coaches.

Defenders & Forwards

Breakouts & Offensive Zone Exits – Forwards – passes made, passes received, exiting the zone w/ the puck
Breakouts – Defenders – retrievals, passes made, passes received, partner support, rushing w/ puck up ice
Neutral Zone Re-Groups – puck support & positioning, passes made, passes received
Offensive Zone Entries – w/ puck possession, passes made, passes received, play w/ out the puck
Offensive Zone Play – Forwards – w/ puck possession, passes made, passes received, play w/ out the puck
Offensive Zone Play – Defenders – puck management i.e. walking the blue line w/ puck, D to D passes, passes to forwards
Shots on goal
Goals scored
For-Checking (F1, F2, & F3 for forwards and Pinching for Defenders)
Neutral Zone For-Checking
Back-Checking (forwards)
Defending the rush (defenders) 3v2’s, 2v1’s, 1v1’s, gap control, etc.
Defensive Zone Play – Wings – defending the half-wall, slot, and point/blue line area
Defensive Zone Play – Centers & Defenders – defending the low corners, net front, half-wall, slot,
Special Teams Play — Powerplay & Penalty Kill

Goaltenders

Saves from all angles – Left, Right, and Center, in tight around the crease, inside dot-lane, net front, slot, blue line area
Rebound Control
Goals Scored Against
Puck Play – stop rimmed puck, set-up behind net, passes made
Crease Movement – saves off passes across the mid-line/royal road
Shot Set-up – zone entries
Play Behind Net/Out of Corners play

The most effective video is that of players making decisions with and w/ out the puck, and against really good competition. We don’t just want to see the highlight reel either. You certainly don’t have to do all of these above, but a couple will at least give coaches some idea how you play at a certain position.

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Video Use

Post #122 – 8/14/23 – Canada vs. USA Lake Placid Preview

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Hockey Canada and USA Hockey Announced Teams That Will Play A 3-Game Series Aug. 16-19

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

Hockey Canada and USA Hockey Announce Teams For Lake Placid

The Under-18 and Development/Collegiate Select Teams for both Hockey Canada and USA Hockey were announced yesterday.

You can view rosters below:

Hockey Canada (Link Below)

USA Hockey (Link Below)

Under-18 Series Schedule (Link)

Collegiate/Development Series Schedule (Link)

Live Stream

USA Hockey will provide a live stream for all six games through USAHockeyTV. Single game streams are $14.99 per game whereas the monthly pass is $29.99. You can purchase your pass HERE or go directly to USAHockeyTV.com for more info.

Diving In

USA Hockey Collegiate Select Team

The US Collegiate roster is represented by 9 NCAA D-I schools with 3 goaltenders, 8 defenders, and 12 forwards. Here is a breakdown of schools and # of players represented from each:

Ohio State – 9
Colgate – 4
Northeastern – 2
St. Cloud State – 2
Wisconsin – 2
Cornell – 1
MN-Duluth – 1
Minnesota – 1
Yale – 1

USA Notes

Kelsey King transferred to Ohio State this summer after a 4-year career at Minnesota State – Mankato
Kiara Zanon transferred to Ohio State this summer after three-years at Penn State
Sydney Morrow transferred to Colgate this summer after her freshman year at Ohio State
Joy Dunne will be entering her freshman year at Ohio State this fall

The US Collegiate Select Team Head Coach is Chelsea Wakland – Asst. Coach at Colgate and she is assisted by Lindsay Berman, Asst. Coach at Northeastern, Holley Tyng, Head coach at Colby College, and the Goaltending Coach is Mackenzie Bruch, Asst. Coach at Yale.

Canadian Development Team

The Canadian Development Team roster is represented by 11 NCAA D-I schools with 3 goaltenders, 7 defenders, and 13 forwards. Here is a breakdown of schools and # of players represented from each:

Colgate – 4
Wisconsin – 4
Ohio State – 3
Boston University – 2
Clarkson – 2
Cornell – 2
MN-Duluth – 2
Boston College – 1
Brown University – 1
Quinnipiac – 1
Stonehill – 1

Canada Notes

Canada has 8 players who have yet to play an NCAA game, 1 goaltender, 1 defender, and 6 forwards.
Cassandra Turner is the only NCAA coach on staff.
Cornell defender Ashley Messier and Princeton forward Sarah Paul were invited but unable to participate.

The Canadian Development Team Head Coach is Kori Cheverie and is assisted by Rachel Flanagan, Head Coach at the University of Guelph, Noémie Marin, Head Coach at John Abbott College, Cassandra Turner, Head Coach at Quinnipiac University, and the Goaltending Coach is Sheldon Goertzen, Goaltending Coach at the Univ. of Saskatchewan.

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #121 – 8/11/23 – Friday’s Sifters

Posted on August 11, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

Friday’s Sifters

Coaching/Staff News At Bemidji x 2, King’s, Mercyhurst, St. Mary’s, Suffolk, ECAC Hockey

As expected there has been a late head coaching position open up, this time in D-III. There will probably be more movement on the D-I Assistant Coach side of things in the coming weeks as well. Here is what I have for this week.

Bemidji… Has 2 position announcements… In addition to announcing the program has posted its position for a 4th coach, Coach Scanlan has named Amber Fryklund Associate Head Coach. This marks Fryklund’s second tour of duty with the Beavers as she spent 9 years as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach from 2011-2019. You can read more on Amber’s hiring HERE. It’s nice to have you back in the game Amber!

Mercyhurst… Has searching for it 3rd Assistant Coach position.

King’s College… Has announced its new Head Coach – Josh Hoff. You can read more about his hiring HERE.

St. Mary’s (MN)… Will be looking for a new Head Coach as Sarah Murray has stepped down to take the Head Coaching position of the Shattuck St. Mary’s U19 Team.

Suffolk… Has announced former Boston University Assistant Coach Abby Ostrom as its new Head Coach. Abby takes over for Taylor Wasylk who left to become the Head Coach at Lindenwood University.

ECAC Hockey… ECAC Hockey is seeking applications for its Digital Media Internship. You can read more about the position and application process HERE.

In Other Coaching News… On the D-I men’s side, Colorado College has hired former Ohio State Women’s Assistant Coach Emily West. West, who played at Minnesota, helped the Buckeye’s to its first NCAA title in 2022. You can read more about her hiring HERE.

The Rochester Americans… Former Cornell standout Alyssa Gagliardi has hired by the Rochester Americans of the AHL as a Development Coach.

In Addition…

USA Hockey / Hockey Canada National Team Programs Underway… I was at both events this past week. USA Hockey has been using the Olympic Training facilities in Lake Placid – and what a renovation they did to the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena and the 1932 rink. For those who haven’t been to LP in a while, there has been major – to the tune of over $100 million – in renovations to both arenas. Herb Brooks arena is now a regulation sized sheet of ice with brand new red colored chair-backed seats and a new scoreboard. The 1932 rink has all brand new blue chair-back seats and looks very sharp. The Old Scoreboard with the USA 4 URS (Russia) 3 from 1980 is now on full display in the lobby of the arena.

Hockey Canada is using the brand new 1,200 seat Canada Games Park Arena. A 2 sheet, multi purpose facility that was built for conjunction with the Canada Winter Games (think Olympic Winter Games but only in Canada) on the Brock University Campus.

Union Dutchmen/Women No More… Union College will now be called the Union College Garnet Chargers. New Logo Below:

Busy Labor Day WKND

Labor Day Weekend you could say is the unofficial weekend to kick off the 23-24 hockey season. And there will be plenty of events happening so college coaches can get eyes on all the new teams.

The North American Hockey Academy (NAHA) will host its 23rd annual Labor Day Tournament. A total of 84 teams in the U14/U15, U16/U18, and U19/U22 age divisions will attend.

Premiere Ice Prospects will hold its 3rd annual (I think) Labor Day Girls Fest in Pittsburgh. This years team list hasn’t been made public yet, but if last year is any indication, we’ll upwards of 65+ teams in 3 age groups.

North of the border in Ontario the Etobicoke Dolphins are hosting an exhibition series at the U15, U18, and U22 levels. 30 teams, 10 in each age group will attend.

The National Girls Hockey League will host its Dawg Daze of Summer Invitational the weekend prior to Labor Day, Aug 25-27 in Connecticut.

Players – Check Your Email!

Players… with the 23-24 season almost here, it’s important that you check your email! And check the ‘JUNK’ folder too!

You don’t want to miss a note from a college coach – so check it early and often. Especially if you’re sending emails to schools in preparation for future events that you’ll be at.

Time is one of those things you can’t get back. And at this time of year, recruiting can move lightning fast sometimes. If coaches send you an email, it’s for a reason. Get in the habit of checking your email at least once a day if not more. I can assure you, the quicker you reply to an email from a coach, the better that coach is going to feel about you as a potential recruit. Coaches don’t want to deal with players who are always delayed in their reply.

So check your email often and reply as soon as you are able!

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #120 – 8/9/23 – Coaching Over Winning? You Bet.

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

At The End of The Day, Coaching Matters Most

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

Pay Attention To Development

Monday’s post about the Fun vs. Rewarding argument yielded some great feedback. One comment in particular got me thinking about next year’s youth/minor hockey season. Which is pretty much already here even though it’s only mid-August.

The comment was primarily – can you have a rewarding experience without winning. Said another way… if your team loses more than wins, how can that be rewarding?

My answer would be a resounding YES YOU CAN!

As I began to think about the comment more… it got me thinking about the mindset of players and parents regarding what a lot of them think is really important about their hockey experience – i.e. winning or at least having a chance to more often than not.

But then I began to ponder – where does development fit in on that list of desires? Especially when we’re talking about the ages of u10/12/14/16. How come we never hear parents say, “I want my kid to LEARN the most”… instead of I want them to be on a winning team?

Those parents are out there – but they are few and far between.

However… you do hear parents say… go to school, get your education, pay attention in class. Seek extra help if you need it. Do your homework, study for that exam – I want you to LEARN something! May be if there was a championship academic trophy for being a part of the best grade 6 class section in school, things would change?

Your child’s’ ‘hockey education’ shouldn’t be looked at any different.

In the US at the U14, U16, U19 age levels, there seems this… I have to play tier I and MUST make it to US Nationals and National Development Camp… mentality. Before moving to a new team, most parents and players evaluate the likelihood of that team going to USA Hockey Nationals. In Canada, it’s a slightly different model, but they same issues apply there too. What team has the best chance to win?

College coaches often get asked by parents, what should my daughter do? Play with the boys again or make the jump to girls? Should we move to that new association/team that has the best girls playing on it? Next years team isn’t going to be very good, we won’t win much, we have no chance at making it to nationals. If I don’t make it to USA Hockey Nationals or National Camp, my college hockey dreams are crushed.

Sound familiar?

Simply put folks, there is no substitute for coaching and development (the hockey education)… and by that I mean – a coaching staff that is focussed on the process of improvement.

My answer to those questions above about where should my daughter play – boys vs. girls or a new team, has always been this:

Go where the coaching going to be the best — plain and simple.

Go where your daughter is going to learn the most and have the opportunity to EARN ample playing time.

I’m not going to say winning doesn’t matter, it does, but to a very small degree. What should matter, is do her coaches have a development plan to teach her the technical and tactical skills necessary to improve her game and make sure she’s ready for the next level of play.

Any coach can sound smart with hockey-lingo… “oh, we play a 1-2-2 this and we got a 1-3-1 that. Your daughter will fit right in on our top 2 lines! Which is all well and good – AS LONG AS THEY KNOW HOW TO TEACH IT! To know is great… but to know how to teach is the greatest.

So the next time you are confronted with making a change in your daughters hockey education plan… be it a new club, prep school, academy, high school, boys/girls, college… make sure there is a player development plan. Ask how they teach the game and what your daughter will LEARN. Anyone can stand behind a bench, open a door and yell about compete level & working hard. Find the best teacher!

When speaking about youth/minor hockey, a colleague of mine put it best this way, and I couldn’t agree more… The best coaches and programs:

Value your development as a player OVER winning (they are out there but maybe not as numerous as we would like)
Uses ALL players in multiple situations regularly: PP PK starters for games/periods etc. at least the first half of each season
Doesn’t “pigeon hole” anyone as a checker, grinder etc. at the age of 13, 14, 15 thereby stunting development
Coach/Staff is honest, upfront and provides “useful” honest feedback in a positive manner
Coach/Staff prioritizes fun/enjoyment thru the process of pushing you toward improvement
Academic success is valued and prioritized

Find a program with coaches who can do this… and you’ll be well on your way to reaching your goals on the ice!

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

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