Category Archives: Coaching

Post #131 – 9/10/23 – The Pipeline Weekly Review

Posted on September 10, 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.

I received a lot of positive feedback on my post last Week – which was great to hear. ‘The Adjustment Phase’ as I call it, happens to most players at every level. As you move up the competitive hockey ladder, the game harder. But it doesn’t have to be all bad news just because you struggle a bit. With struggle comes growth – as long as you have the right mindset and a plan to face the adjustments needed. Enjoy!

Wednesday – Post #130 – Welcome To The Adjustment Phase

Adjusting To A New Age Group Or Level of Play Takes Time. It’s Suppose To Be Hard – Embrace It!

Moving Up An Age Group Or Competitive Level?
Not Playing As Well As You Thought To Start The Year?
Three Ideas To Help You Cope 1) Mindset 2) Adjustments/Improvements 3) Realistic Expectations & Goals

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 #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.

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 #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.