My Golden Rules for defenseman and for forwards began many years ago, al-though each gets some fine tuning occasionally. It didn’t take long to figure out that it was appropriate to have Golden Rules for goaltenders, too.

It is interesting to note that several of the rules are the same or similar to those for defenseman and forwards.

These are items that coaches should be using to teach goalies and to monitor their progress. They are things that players should strive to master as they progress up through the youth ranks and on to high school, juniors or college.

1. Stay alert at all times, no matter where the puck is on the ice. Of course, that does not mean you have to be in a crouch at all times, but it does mean that the eyes and the mind have to always follow the play.

2. Learn the basic moves and techniques as soon as possible and work to excel at them. The basic moves and techniques are skate saves, pad stack, V drops, stick or pad saves with puck control, blocker saves, catcher saves, covering the puck, puck movement with the stick (shooting, passing and clearing), slides, glides and skating.

3. Understand and work on angles and distances. This is knowing the distance and angle from the goal to take away the maxi-mum goal opening away from the shooter. This is a matter of constant practice and monitoring.

4. Learn to analyze each situation — especially when being attacked — then act accordingly. There are innumerable possibilities for situations that, by analysis, involve understanding the options of the player with the puck, as well as attackers without the puck, plus the level of support available from teammates.

5. Work on major segments of the goaltender’s arsenal: feet, gloves, pads, stick. Work must be more than just taking shots; it must often be specific isolated segments. Don’t let any segment be dominant because another is weak.

6. Just like other hockey positions, master the skating skills and major arsenal segments so that the thinking portion of the position can be concentrated on. If you don’t have good mechanical skills, the critical mental portion of the game will not develop.

7. Work, work, work on skating skills. Invariably, the best goaltenders skate very well and have great agility and balance.

8. Learn what it takes for you to prepare yourself to play a good game. Find the appropriate process that gets you focused.

9. Learn to control the puck whenever possible. That means controlling shoot-in pucks behind the net, freezing the puck when-ever it’s loose around the net, deflecting shots or loose pucks to the corners, getting the puck to teammates and controlling rebounds.

10. Play with confidence and shake off goals allowed to maintain focus on upcoming action. Non-emotional, clear thinking is one of the basics of good goaltending.

11. Strive for consistency. The best way to do that is to control emotions and have a good grasp of physical skills.

12. Be aggressive and force the attacker with the puck to shoot when and where you want. Challenge the play any time possible.

13. When you are not involved in a team drill during practice, work on individual skills, such as shooting, handling the puck and skating skills and techniques. Good shooting skills are especially important because they allow you to become part of moving the puck out of your zone.

14. Ask for help from coaches and goaltender teammates if you are having problems.

15. Don’t retaliate from contact around the net — whether legal or not. Retaliation often results in penalties to you and your teammates who feel obligated to defend their goaltender.

16. Communicate with your teammates, especially those defending around the net. It is a critical aspect of successful goaltending. Don’t ever communicate with opposing players; it is seldom of value and exposes your emotions.

17. Look for opportunities to get shots. Every shot is an experience that makes stopping the next puck easier.

Courtesy of John Russo

• Skill set: Your player is quite simply not ready for the specific level he or she is trying out for. Can your player skate at this level? Can your player pass, handle and shoot the puck at this level?

• Maturity: The maturity of players can sometimes factor into the selection process. Is this player a first or second year?  Additionally given January cut off date for US hockey player:s a child with a January birth date will have nine months of growth and maturity over a child born in September.  Size can be a big factor at younger ages!

• Fit: Some coaches look for a specific type of player, role or skill set when determining their roster. How will that player fit with the chemistry of the team?

• Hockey sense: A big concern for many coaches is “hockey sense” or “hockey smarts.” Does your player understand, think and read the game? This aspect of his or her game can be a major factor in determining if player child makes the team.

• Development: A coach can sometimes weigh the option if a player might be better off playing on the team at the lower level then what they are trying out for. This will sometimes allow the player to be a top-line player instead of the ninth forward or sixth defenseman for the higher-level team. This will allow that player to develop and see more ice time in critical situations of the game.

Here are overviews of the the programs – please contact us for more information or if you have any questions  at SteelCityLightning.com . Please register using the Player Registration page.   Our programs sell out quickly as space is limited to allow for optimal player development!

Tryout Camps

• Tryout based camps targeting all aspects of game play
• Evaluates all skating, stickhandling, shooting and passing
• Players are assessed both objectively and subjectively
• Two groups aimed towards both Mite/ADM and Squirts
• Featuring drills similar to those found in actual tryouts
• Identifies player strengths and weaknesses before it counts

Group 1 – Bladerunners Warrendale – April 2nd-5th – 5-6 PM (Mite/ADM) – $100
Group 2 – Bladerunners Warrendale – April 2nd-5th – 6-7 PM (Squirts) – $100
Group 3 - Airport Ice Arena - TBD (Mite/ADM)
Group 4 – Airport Ice Arena – TBD (Squirts)

Summer Skills & Scrimmage Program

• Once-a-week program featuring 1/2 drills & 1/2 scrimmage
• Station-based training designed to work on all fundamentals
• Equal time spent on skating, stickhandling, shooting, passing & more
• Stop-action instructional scrimmages correcting players on ice
• Players divided and matched into competitive groups and teams
• Fast-paced, constantly moving environment with quick transitions

Group 1 – Airport Ice Arena – Wednesdays April 18th-May 30th (7 Weeks) – 6:00-7:30 PM - $150
Group 2 – Bladerunners Warrendale – Tuesdays May 29th – July 24th (9 Weeks) – 6:00-7:30 PM – $175
Group 3 – Airport Ice Arena – TBD - Mondays (?)
Group 4 – Bladerunners Warrendale – TBD – Thursdays (?)

The Goal Scoring Club

• Small Group Private Instruction (low Student-to-Instructor ratios)
• Station-based drills focusing on stickhandling, shooting and scoring
• All types of shots – wrist, backhand, in-close, rebounds and more
• Age appropriate and situation-based techniques and strategies
• Flexible schedule with both full-time and part-time memberships available
• Goalies welcome to participate (200-300 shots per session)

Group 1 – Bladerunners Warrendalee – Tuesdays May 29th – July 24th (9 Weeks) – 5:00-6:00 PM – $TBD
Group 2 – Airport Ice Arena – TBD – Mondays (?)

Summer Tournament Teams

• Competitive team-based environment focused on game play
• Featuring high level AAA-style practices and training
• Focus on various team play concepts, system and strategies
• Approximately 2 scrimmage and an out-of-town tournament each month
• Players develop and bond over a four-month summer season

Group 1 – Mites (2004 & Younger) – Airport/Warrendale - Dates/Times/Costs TBD
Group 2 - Squirts (2002s & 2003s) – Airport/Warrendale – Dates/Times/Costs TBD

Please contact us for more information, particularly for programs with dates and times not identified.

We offer several various discounts for multi-child, multi-program and coaching and off-ice help reimbursements – contact us for more information.

The researchers found open ice collisions resulted in a statistically  significant increase in forces to the head compared to collisions along the boards.  Most importantly, players in the “ready” position who anticipated collisions, e.g. those whose  knees and trunk were flexed with feet shoulder-width apart, who used their legs to drive their shoulders through the body check – suffered significantly less severe impacts to their head during collisions.

Recommendations resulting from this research was provided for coaches, game officials and parents.  These recommendations included:

Parents:

Need to know the symptoms of a concussion and proper management.  It is equally important for the parents to properly report the injury so that it can be properly managed.

Game officials: 

Must immediately penalize any player who takes advantage of opponents in susceptible, vulnerable positions to deliver unsuspected checks.

Coaches: 

Coaches should possess the appropriate training and certification to ensure safe player development.  These coaches should focus on skill development in which young hockey players are taught to anticipate collisions more effectively.

Coaches should include eduction during practice on how to deliver and receive body collisions in all areas of the ice.

Player’s should be taught the ready position and to skate through the body check as encouraged by USA Hockey.

Coaches should practice full contact game-related drills in order for players to adapt to he speed of the gmae and constantly changing conditions.  Include:  high speed, quick movements and game related tasks in small games drills,  use small confined spaces this forces the young athletes to play with increased sense of awareness that allows them to anticipate incoming body collisions.

Tryouts for travel hockey are one of the most frustrating and mentally exhausting times for both parents and players. Deciding where to tryout is only the first step in the process. Here are some questions to consider when navigating your player through the process. Most of all stay positive and remember it is about what is in your child’s best interest.

What Level should my child tryout at?

The thought process for skill development is that the higher the level you practice and play at, the more you will improve. This holds true if there is capable coaching and adequate ice time for practices. Ice time in games is obviously good too, however, it is possible to improve more by getting less ice time at a higher level than a lot of ice time at a slower and weaker level. It comes down to skating at a particular speed and learning how to react to that level. There are negatives though. If you have a bad coach or little practice time, your child will not develop as much as if he/she had skated with a lower level team and was a star. Emotionally and mentally it can be difficult for a child to be on a higher level team if it means sitting the bench and not feeling part of the team when they win at tournaments etc. Confidence on the ice can also be hurt if your child is consistently benched or yelled at for making mistakes. Whereas, getting a lot of ice time and being praised for being a good player can do wonders for the ego.

Where do I tryout and what should I look for?

Where do you tryout? This is a big question especially when all the tryouts are at the same time. If you can investigate and find out the answers to these questions (in no particular order), you probably will be able to make a wise decision.

Does the team skate out of one rink or multiple rinks?
What are the times of the practices that will be held for my child’s age bracket?
Are the practices prescheduled on a particular night or are they random?
How many practices does my child get?
How many full ice practices are given?
How much money will it cost me and how many tournaments are there ($$$$)?
Who is the coach and what is his/her background?
Who are the assistant coaches and their backgrounds?
Is there a supplemental program for skills?
How many returning players are coming back from last year?
Is the club loyal to past players or are they open to new children?
What is the practice to game ratio for the level you are playing at (The lower the age the more the practices to games ratio should be)?
Is the organizations philosophy: Fun, winning, or development?

What position should my child tryout for?

At the mite level none except skater versus goalie. Even then some programs will let the kids play both. Until they get to a very old age like midget or bantam, there is no need to specialize in one position. A player that can play both offense and defense is much more versatile. They have a better chance of making teams and getting more ice time because of their value.

Are there Politics in youth hockey?

For the most part, coaches want to win. The teams are not fully picked before you walk through the door. The rule usually goes like this: If your child is the same as the returning player in level or slightly better, you may not make the team. To beat out a returning player or politically placed child, your child must fully prove without a doubt that he/she is the better player. With 60 – 70 kids on the ice it is not easy, but also not impossible. Yes! Coach’s friends do make teams, board members kids will make teams, and kids from within the organization will make teams for loyalty purposes. There are many other types of politics in youth hockey as well. However, do not be afraid of these.

…. Knowing all this, how does my child get noticed and make the team?

Try one or a few of the following.

Find out which children are definitely going to be on the team such as returning players that where starters. Then, have your child line up against them during the tryout (i.e. 1 on 1′s etc.).
Have your child tell one of the coaches on the ice that he/she is willing to play both positions forward and defense.
If your child has played for another travel organization, have them where the full colors of that program. It will attract the attention of the coaches.
Have your child wear something obnoxious like bright green socks to attract the coaches attention.
If you have a friend in the organization or on the team, have them bring up your child’s name. Use your own politics.

What ever happens, remember that these are kids we are talking about. 99.9999999% will never play professional hockey and never get a full or partial scholarship to college. Find a place where your child will be happy, have fun, improve, make some friends, have a good quality coach, good rink location and times to fit your schedule, and encourage your child to try their best. Remind your child that not making a team is not the end of the world and does not mean he/she will never succeed.

The list includes:

1.  A mouthguard absorbs and deflects impacts that cause tooth injuries.  (This was the obvious one to us as well!)

2.  They help prevent jaw fracture caused by side and bottom jaw impacts.

3.  They protect against internal oral lacerations.

4.  They absorb shock to help protect against brain concussions!  YES,  BRAIN CONCUSSIONS!!!!!

5.  Protects the TM joint from dislocation and related injuries.

As we have seen with other ice hockey equipment.  As technology continues and research is further customized to suit specific sports, we will see improvements and design in mouthguard design and fit.  The increasing emphasis on safety may result in mouthguards and other safety equipment being mandated in more sports.  We can’t wait to see where innovation takes us next in this area of protective equipment.