Tag Archives: Recruiting

Post #134 – April 12, 2024 – Sifters + Possible D-I Recruiting Changes?

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

How will the absence of the COVID 5th year graduate transfer change D-I recruiting?

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated.

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

Errors & Omissions…

Omissions…
One more crack at correcting my myself about the USA Hockey Girls Tier II National Championship Tournament locations… I was partly correct in saying they were held in Green Bay, WI. However, only the U16 division was held there.

I omitted the fact that the Tier II tournament had 3 separate locations for each age division, whereas the Tier I tournament was held at a single location for all divisions. The U14’s were in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U16’s in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and U19’s in East Lansing, Michigan.

Possible D-I Recruiting Changes W/ COVID 5th Year Grad. Transfers Going Away…

Change is coming to the way D-I coaches manage their future recruiting classes. Which should be good news to future incoming first-year recruits – in that there will be more of them entering college hockey. Why?

The upcoming 2024-2025 season will be the last year D-I programs can recruit 5th year Graduate Transfer players. And with around 80-90 grad. transfer players (plus or minus a few), dotting D-I rosters since 20-21, a majority of those 80-90 roster spots will now be filled with first-year incoming players. Around 265-ish players is the average makeup a typical recruiting class across D-I. So about one-third was taken up of grad transfers.

There will still be a small number of grad transfers for reasons like for medical/injury red-shirt situations or other NCAA waivers players could take advantage of. I think the question programs are wondering is how may players with eligibility left in their career will decide to transfer. There has always been a small number of players each year that decide to move on from their previous school with eligibility remaining. The NCAA has made transferring easier with the introduction of new rules allowing players to become eligible right away without sitting out a year.

We’ll have to wait and see what the numbers look like at the start of the 25-26 season. Suffice to say, there will undoubtedly be more first-year recruits than grad transfers a part of future recruiting classes.

Sifters… Little Lobs of News & Info From Around Women’s College Hockey

-Post University is seeking a new head coach as it has posted for the position. That makes 3 new head coaches for 24-25, 2 in the WCHA and 1 in the NEWHA.

-Congrats to Chris MacKenzie of UCONN and Joe Cranston of UW-River Falls for being named the D-I and D-III AHCA National Coach of the Year.

-The SUNYAC, State University of New York Athletic Conference, will be adding William-Smith beginning in 25-26.

-Transfer rules may be changing to allow student-athletes to transfer as many times as they like and be immediately eligible as long as they meet academic requirements. The change could come to a vote at the D-I council meetings April 17-18.

-Forrest Karr, athletic director at MN-Duluth, has been named the new Executive Director of the American Hockey Coaches Association. Karr will take over for longtime Exec. Dir. Joe Bertagna in July.

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.

Hello There! Grant Kimball here… founder and contributing writer to my blog & website: Women’s College Hockey.org. I’m very glad you found my site. My goal is simple – to help those play women’s NCAA college hockey. I am beginning my 6th season as an Assistant Coach with the Yale University women’s hockey program. I have developed an experienced perspective in the world of women’s ice hockey having coached and recruited literally hundreds of players from across the globe and talked with thousands of parents during my close to 30 years of amateur and NCAA coaching. I have coached at 6 NCAA DI and DIII programs in the NCHA (D3), the CHA, WCHA, Hockey East, ECAC, and the Ivy League (DI). Beyond coaching, I have served in a variety of leadership capacities. I currently serves as an Officer with the American Hockey Coaches Association as Vice President of Women’s Hockey where I lead our D-I and D-III coaching body and sit on the AHCA’s Women’s Hockey Executive Committee.

Post #130 – 9/6/23 – Welcome To The Adjustment Phase

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Grant Kimball One comment

Adjusting To A New Age Group Or Level of Play Takes Time.

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

It Takes Time To Get Up To Speed

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

It’s a new year at a new age level. You’ve just had your first few weeks of practices & games with your new team. Your coaches have been great. New teammates seem awesome. And now, weekly practices and games have begun. You’re excited for a great year.

But as the season has gotten underway, you feel as though things aren’t going too well.

You’re not happy with how you are playing–no goals scored, no assists, you can’t make pass and you got roasted defending a few 1v1’s. Some of the older girls on the team are giving you the stink-eye with every missed pass. You didn’t think moving up would be this hard. You’re feeling a little lost and don’t know to make things better. You are super frustrated!

Does this sound familiar?

Well, for anyone who moved up an age group, skipped one entirely, or is playing at a higher level like AA to AAA, tier II to tier I, or even tier I to NCAA D-I or D-III… this situation is extremely common.

You have begun – The Adjustment Phase. That period of time when a player struggles with their play at a new age or competitive level before settling in and getting comfortable.

Players… before you have a total meltdown and think you’re terrible at hockey and should quit the game… and for you parents out there too – before you voice your disappointment in your daughter’s performance – again, just know this:

Almost every hockey player – at every level – goes through a period of adjustment. Doesn’t matter if you’re going from U14 to U16, Tier II to Tier I, Tier I to NCAA D-I / D-III. It’s part of the natural development process and it’s suppose to be difficult for you.

It’s extremely rare for players to seamlessly transition to a new level and have major success right off the bat.

So why an adjustment? Well for starter’s, biology plays a huge role. As you move from one age level to the next, you can expect to play against older (2 years older in some cases), players who are typically more physically developed, more skilled, and who do everything quicker and faster. So for the younger player just starting out at a particular age group… they tend to be a little smaller, not as physically developed, not as skilled or as fast and as quick as their competition. Thus – the success is harder to have. The game becomes harder to process and think, and thus more mistakes get made and you have less of an impact on the game.

This adjustment isn’t just in hockey skill set or physical strength. There is a mental processing or hockey IQ component (which is a skill too) and a social dynamic in play as well. Your brain processes the game a certain way and that changes as you get older and your brain develops. The theory being… the older you get, the quicker you can process. Everyone processes information differently. To some, it’s more visual, players need to see it in order to understand it. To others it’s more auditory, once they hear it explained, they get it. And still, others need both so they can make the connections.

The social dynamic piece is really big and I’m guessing often overlooked as to how long. aplayers adjustment phase can be. Say you are in grade 9 and made your HS varsity team… now playing with girls who are 4 years older. That locker room is WAY different than if you were playing with just grade 9/10 players. The social dynamic of a team can make that adjustment period much longer. Imagine the stress level of a younger player who is trying to fit in with girls that much older? Make a few mistakes on the ice and you can bet that younger player is super worried about how the older girls view her.

So how do you avoid The Adjustment Phase?

For starter’s, you don’t. It’s not and ‘if’ question, but ‘when’. And when it happens, usually at the beginning of the season, you’re best to find ways to cope with it then to pretend it isn’t happening to you.

#1 – Have a positive mindset about your hockey development and know the adjustment is all part of YOUR process.

#2 – Realizing what you need to fix or adjust in your game is like getting answers to the test. If the game of hockey is the exam, once you know what to work on, you can then focus on those areas while letting nature take its course on the physical side of your development.

#3 – Having realistic expectations about your play is also SUPER important. If you’re in the first year at a new age level and expect to score 50 goals while you only scored 13 the year before, that probably isn’t the best frame of mind to be in. However, if you focus on process driven goals, you will focus on something that is absolutely attainable and in your control – no one else’s – not even your opponent. All you need is your work ethic and determination. For example, if your shot needs work, a goal of shooting 1,000 pucks a week vs. getting 10 shots per game is much better to focus on. Goals that drive the process of improvement are really key.

There is no exact timeline of when a player gets over the hump on her adjustment phase. Some players take mere weeks, some months, some even longer. It’s one of those things that takes as long as it takes. You can’t fake it either, the game – and your performance – doesn’t lie (it’s like video).

Look at your ‘adjustment phase’ as an advantage… Identify what needs adjusting, focus on attainable, process-driven goals, and keep a positive attitude about the challenge of adjusting!

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 #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 #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 #108 – 7/10/23 – Managing Communication Expectations

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Focus On The Things You Can Control

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

Knowing The Rules Of Engagement

You’ve sent multiple emails to the coaching staff of your #1 choice D-I dream school. You can’t wait to hear back from them. You check your email daily. Two months go by, now three. No reply yet. And now you begin to wonder… are my emails even getting through? Why haven’t they gotten back to me??? This is torture!

Communication with coaches can be a bit tricky. Coaches have to not only manage NCAA rules, but time in their schedule to respond or not at all.

You literally you can drive yourself a little crazy trying to read into why you haven’t gotten a response yet.

So, before you bite off all your fingernails or pull your hair out in frustration, here are some tips to managing expectations when trying to communicate with coaches.

Know The Landscape, Communicate Appropriately, Control What You Can.

First, Know The Landscape…

There Are NCAA Rules… Under NCAA rules, D-I coaches are not allowed to engage in regular communication (phone, text, email, social media DM’s, etc.) with recruits or family members until June 15 after the recruits’ grade 10 year (or when finishing grade 10 if after June 15). In-person contacts may not occur until August 1 after the prospects grade 10 year. However, D-I coaches are allowed a one-time response to a recruits’ inquiry where they can advise the recruit/family of NCAA communication rules. Also, D-I coaches may provide their recruiting questionnaire or camp or clinic information at any time.

D-III coaches have no restrictions on electronic communication (phone, text, email, social media DM’s, etc.) with recruits or family members. Face-to-face in-person contacts may not occur until after the prospects grade 10 year is complete.

Coaches are extremely busy… As coaches, we’re extremely busy. For people who think being a college coach means planning practice and just showing up for games, you’d be dead wrong. We manage the entire day-to-day operation of our program. It’s a 24/7, 365 type of commitment. The job doesn’t go away when we leave the office for the day. Programs have limited full-time staffs too. Most D-III programs have 1, may be 2 full-times coaches if they’re lucky. Most if not all D-I programs have between 2-3 (some now 4) full time coaches on staff. Coaches also have lives outside of hockey… relationships to enjoy, friends to see, other interests to take part in. We’re just like everyone else.

Reaching out to coaches is easy… Everyone who runs a showcase or camp and has a recruiting seminar/talk as part of the program – says to reach out and contact coaches. It’s easy. Craft your message and press send. We live in a world of instant gratification. The issue for coaches becomes the sheer volume of inquiries they get from prospective recruits. Additionally, coaches try to balance if that email, DM, or text – is worth responding to right then and there, waiting a bit, or not replying at all.

Second, Communicate Appropriately

An intro email and 1-2 in-season updates before the holidays and after your season has ended, should do the trick. Anything more than that is overkill. Just my opinion though… unless there is a real compelling reason like you changed teams or schools. Don’t be that player (or parent!) who sends an email update after every weekend. It’s not necessary, and quite frankly too much contact is bad form. Intro’s should include a little bit about why you have an interest in the institution, a bit about who you are, the grade you are in, name of your high school and name of the team(s) you play for, your position, your season schedule if you have one. Any academic info like your transcript. Plus–you, your coaches, and parents contact info is imperative. Your In-Season Updates… should be just that. Include how your hockey season and school year are going, any personal triumphs or interesting tidbits about your hockey development, but keep them short and sweet. If sending one at the end of the year, you can include your summer hockey plans so coaches will know where they can see you play.

Control what you can…

You can’t control if a coach responds back to you. But you can control your communication to coaches and most of all – your effort in becoming the best player and student you can be. Which, at the end of the day, is the primary factor in why a coach will reach back out to you – because of how good she or he thinks you are and how you can help their program!

You can control your content – what exactly your messages say – and the frequency of how often your messages are sent. So as hard as it may be, try not to worry if you don’t get a reply. Know that your emails have been received and read–all of them are. Your communication to schools should be looked as a supplement to your hockey development. You might write a great email, but if you can’t play the game, you’ll be tough for coaches to want

And if you do get a reply, be glad you did!

The Bottom Line… There are so many players who want to play college hockey and technology makes it easy for them to reach coaches. Some programs make an effort to reply to everyone who reaches out, others are a bit more selective, and some even take the, ‘Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You’ approach.

At the end of the day, focus on the controllable’s and the communication will become two-sided at some point!

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 #101 – 6/28/23 – What Coaches Look For

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Grant Kimball One comment

With The Summer, Comes Important Evaluations

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 Answer is… It Depends

Coaches often get asked – So, what do you look for in a player when recruiting?

Truth be told, there is A LOT that goes into recruiting a student-athlete. There is the hockey piece of course, but there are academics, character & personality, is she a good human, among a whole host of other factors.

But on the hockey side of things you might be surprised at the answer you’d get. If you asked 10 different coaches, you would probably get 10 different answers.

There is no standard across the board, All-coaches-want-this-type-of-player answer”. What one coach may value, another may not. What one coaches wants, she or he – may not be able to get.

It Depends… is the more probable answer. Because like art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And in the case of recruiting, coaches are the beholders.

So with all the summer showcases, tournaments, and camps to come, here are some basic/general, but important, answers to that question above – What Do Coaches Look For?

At the end of the day, coaches are going to look at how you help your team defend and or create offense. I say it this way because scoring or creating offense is HARD! Not everyone can be that kind of player. The alternative of course, is being a responsible defender. WHICH at minimum most coaches would say, you need to be to be able to do. If you can’t defend and you can’t create offense, it’s really hard for a coach to use you–plain and simple.

Let’s look by position at some general, but really important areas, that NCAA coaches evaluate when watching players.

For Goalies… it goes without saying but, stop the puck. It’s more than just that however. How are you stopping pucks? Are you just blocking shots or are you able to control rebounds and put them to a safe area away from second chances? Or can you eat pucks and not give up rebounds at all? Do you stop dump-ins and set pucks up for your Defenders? Are you communicating to your team? Are you deep in your crease or out on top of it? Are you tracking pucks well through traffic?

For Centers… Face-offs are the one situation that happens the most in a game. Can you win draws? Do you tie up opposing centers on an offensive zone face-off win or just let them go by you? Are you positionally sound in your D-Zone? When the puck is at the point, are you trying to play goalie to block a shot, or have you identified your check and stuck with them?

For Wings… Breakouts are a key game component. Can you break pucks out and advance the play for your team with possession? Or do you turn pucks over in your own zone with ill-advised passes to the middle? Do you just dump pucks out and give up possession? In the D-Zone can you defend? Can you defend an opposing player trying to cut the high seam around the top of the circle or are you able to defend the opposing defender on your side of the ice trying to shoot and block their shot? Can you get pucks back when your team doesn’t have it? Do you take good For-Checking angles to cause turnovers and gain back possession?

For Defenders… Breakouts again – are key… can you retrieve dump-ins and manage breaking the puck out with success? Do you make a good first pass? Are you passive in defending your own end? Do you puck-watch when the opposing teams’ Defenders have possession at the blue-line and lose your check? Can you defend odd-man rushes? Do you get caught outside the dot-lane and over-commit to the puck carrier exposing the middle? Can you get pucks to the net with your shot or are blasting pucks into shin-pads?

Most coaches look for certain traits at certain positions. And there is also a balance between being a little selfish, showing coaches what you can do, vs. playing the game the way you should – making the right play based on the situation you are in. No coach likes a puck-hog. And coaches love players who share the puck and understand how they can gain the advantage for their team. That’s great you’re a speedy player, but do you just get the puck and go with blinders on, or—can you see & understand what is happening as the play is developing? Do you shoot when you can and pass when you should? Or do you shoot from every impossible angle or pass only when you’ve skated yourself out of options?

There are a thousand and one aspects to the game that coaches use to evaluate players. Above, are some some of what coaches may look for.

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.

Observations

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