Player Development

8 & Under: Goals & Expectations

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT:

·        Active Start – ages 0-6

·        FUNdamentals – ages 6-8 (female) and 6-9 (male)

·        These stages focus on acquiring fundamental movement skills (running, jumping, kicking, etc.) and the development of physical literacy. Fun competitions are introduced in a team environment and the basic hockey skills of skating and puck control are introduced for skill acquisition.

·        USA Hockey encourages activity that incorporates fundamental movement skills in the four environments that lead to physical literacy. Activity includes in the water (swimming), on the ground (athletics), in the air (gymnastics) and on ice and snow (sliding/skating)

·        According to SHAPE America (the society of health and physical educators), “Physical literacy is the ability to move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person.”

GOALS/DESIRED OUTCOMES:

·        Put young athletes in an environment where they will play, love and excel at hockey.

·        More puck touches. Smaller spaces mean more opportunity for a player to touch the puck and improve skills.

·        Age-appropriate training. By scaling the ice to their level, children are more involved, more engaged and develop skills more efficiently.

·        Increased competition. A smaller ice surface makes players of all skill levels think and act quicker, resulting in more frequent battles for the puck and hockey decision-making.

·        FUN for all participants.

LONG-TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT:

·        Practice fundamental movement skills like running, jumping, skating and swimming.

·        Introduce the ABCs of athleticism – agility, balance, coordination and speed.

·        Focus on flexibility.

·        Emphasis on agility, quickness and change of direction. Bursts are less than 5 seconds in duration.

·        Once a week, prior to or after practice, spend 30 minutes off-ice working on fundamental movements and the ABCs. Do this through games and challenging activities. Keep it fun.

·        Play multiple sports (e.g., soccer, running, gymnastics, lacrosse, baseball, swimming, skiing, etc.).

APPROPRIATE TRAINING:

·        Keep players active. Station-based practices maximize ice time and repetitions.

·        Design drills to focus on multiple skills and hockey situations.

·        Use small-area games for individual skill development and to introduce basic concepts (puck pursuit, puck support).

·        30-60 players per practice session.

·        2-3 ice touches per week

·        50-minute ice sessions

·        5 months = 20 weeks per season maximum

·        50-60 ice touches per season (34-40 practices and 16-20 cross-ice games)

·        9-13 players per team; no full-time goalies

PRACTICE DESIGN SHOULD INCORPORATE THE PRINCIPLES OF:

·        FUN/Engaging

·        Looks like the game

·        Constant decision making

·        Lots of puck touches

·        Challenging

10 & Under: Goals & Expectations

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT:

·        Learn To Train – ages 8-11 (female) and ages 9-12 (male)

·        Prior to the beginning of the adolescent growth spurt, players have the best opportunity to learn and begin mastering fine motor skills (the small movements of the hands, wrists, fingers, feet, toes) that can be used in combination with other skills.

·        In most cases, what is learned or not learned in this stage will have a significant effect on the level of play that is ultimately achieved later in a player’s life. As these 10U players are in the Golden Age of Skill Development (a prime age for children to acquire and develop sport skills), coaches should remember that mastering fundamental skills takes a tremendous amount of time and the time invested at this stage will pay great dividends later.

·        In this stage, players should be able to begin transferring skills and concepts from practices to games. A proper balance of practices and meaningful games will promote the continued development and mastery of key hockey skills.

·        According to SHAPE America (the society of health and physical educators), “Physical literacy is the ability to move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person.”

GOALS/DESIRED OUTCOMES:

·        Focus on physical literacy, general athleticism (ABCs) and hockey skills.

·        Competition with puck races and small-area games.

·        FUN for all participants.

LONG-TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT:

·        Hockey-like speed training (e.g., stopping, starting, changes in direction, puck races).

·        Continue development of general athletic skills; play multiple sports.

o  Focus on athleticism and ABCs (agility, balance, coordination).

AGE-APPROPRIATE TRAINING:

·        Small-area games, with decision-making elements, will nurture hockey sense development.

·        Basic hockey concepts (support, give-and-go, numerical superiority, etc.).

·        6- to 7-month training calendar.

·        95-100 ice sessions per season (3-4 sessions per week).

·        75-80 practices and 20-25 games.

·        30-45 players per practice session.

·        10-12 skaters and 1 goalie per team.

·        Twice a week, before practice, invest 30 minutes in training and development of fundamental movement skills off the ice.

PRACTICE DESIGN SHOULD INCORPORATE THE PRINCIPLES OF:

·        FUN/Engaging

·        Looks like the game

·        Constant decision making

·        Lots of puck touches

·        Challenging

12 & Under: Goals & Expectations

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT:

·        Learn To Train – ages 8-11 (female) and ages 9-12 (male)

·        Train to Train – ages 11-15 (female) and 12-16 (male)

·        Prior to the beginning of the adolescent growth spurt, children grow overall at a slower pace while the nervous system develops more rapidly. As 12U players, there is a need to continue to develop physical literacy along with their sports specific skills. Coaches should remember that mastering fundamental skills takes a tremendous amount of time and the time invested at this stage will pay great dividends later.

·        At 12U, players should be able to transfer skills and concepts from practices to games and really begin to develop an understanding of how the game is linked together. A proper balance of practices and games will promote the continued development and mastery of key hockey abilities.

·        According to SHAPE America (the society of health and physical educators), “Physical literacy is the ability to move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person.”

GOALS/DESIRED OUTCOMES:

·        Focus on skill development and fun.

·        Continue development of physical literacy and general athleticism.

·        Prepare players for 14-and-Under hockey where body-checking is permitted.

LONG-TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT:

·        Continue development of general athletic skills, play multiple sports.

·        Continue development of sports specific skills in game situations.

·        Focus on athleticism and ABCs (agility, balance, coordination).

AGE-APPROPRIATE TRAINING:

·        Use small-area games to train team concepts and decision-making skills.

·        Hockey sense development through games and situational play.

·        Maintain proper work-to-rest ratio; game-like scenarios in training.

·        Increase body-contact training (on- and off-ice); angling, puck protection, stick-on-puck, contact confidence, receiving a check, etc.

·        7-month training calendar.

·        105-120 ice sessions per season (4 sessions per week).

·        15 skaters and 2 goalies per team.

·        Increase off-ice training.

PRACTICE DESIGN SHOULD INCORPORATE THE PRINCIPLES OF:

·        FUN/Engaging

·        Looks like the game

·        Constant decision making

·        Lots of puck touches

·        Challenging

14 & Under: Goals & Expectations

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT:

·        Train to Train – ages 11-15 (female) and 12-16 (male)

·        This is a stage that sees kids go through their adolescent growth spurt. It may or may not cause disruptions to their immediate performance abilities. Some athletes may need to re-learn some skills that were previously refined due to rapid growth and changes in body proportions.

·        Good training habits should be developed while technical and fitness training programs should be individualized. The focus remains on learning the basics through a games based approach. Training volume should increase as athletes progress through this stage. Toward the end of this stage, athletes will likely begin to specialize in ice hockey.

GOALS/DESIRED OUTCOMES:

·        Focus on fun and engagement.

·        Building the physical engine (endurance, speed and core strength).

·        Further develop fundamental skills.

LONG-TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT:

·        Building the engine and consolidating sports skills.

·        Continue to play multiple sports (soccer, swimming, lacrosse, baseball, golf, track and field, etc.).

AGE-APPROPRIATE TRAINING:

·        Proper work-to-rest ratio.

·        Be cognizant of development (physical and emotional) variance among athletes.

·        Continue to use small-area and small-sided games to teach desired concepts.

·        Allow players to learn through problem solving experiences.

·        As body-checking is allowed in games, incorporate body-checking with a purpose in training (on- and-off-ice).

·        Nine-month training and competition calendar.

·        160 ice sessions per year (4-5 ice sessions per week).

·        80-minute practice sessions. Combined and separate practices for team and position.

·        120-130 practices and 40-50 games.

·        16 skaters and 2 goalies per team.

PRACTICE DESIGN SHOULD INCORPORATE THE PRINCIPLES OF:

·        FUN/Engaging

·        Looks like the game

·        Constant decision making

·        Lots of puck touches

·        Challenging