A STEP aHEAD PROGRAM RETURNS THIS SEASON |
AHAI, the Chicago Blackhawks, Athletico and NorthShore University Health System will once again offer education on concussion assessment/treat-ment and free baseline concussion testing through the "A Step aHead" program. The program will run from 9/1/13 - 11/30/13. Please watch your emails and future AHAI newsletters for further details.
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LEVEL 4 CEP CLINIC |
DATES & LOCATION
Saturday, August 24 ~ 8am-7pm
Sunday, August 25 - 8am-4pm
TOPICS
Offensive and Defensive Player Development, Special Teams, Ethics, ADM, Teambuilding, Goaltending, Small Games, Bench Management, Practice Efficiency, Off Ice Development
GENERAL INFORMATION
Clinic fee is $215 and includes clinic materials, coaches' gifts, door prizes, lunch on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. If you need accomodations, please call the Renaissance Hotel at 314.429.1100 and mention that you are with the USA Hockey Coaching Seminar. A limited number of rooms are available at a discounted rate of $99. The hotel offers an airport shuttle. Click HERE for full Level 4 Clinic Flyer.
Click HERE to register TODAY!
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2013-2014 CEP CLINIC SCHEDULE |
AHAI has announced the Coaching Education Program Clinics for the 2013-14 season. All coaches are required to be certified at the appropriate level for the upcoming season.
All 2013-14 AHAI CEP Clinics will be open for registration on July 12, 2013 ONLY on the USA Hockey website.
Click HERE for full listing of AHAI/USAH CEP Clinics
Dates & Locations.
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30 SKATERS REPRESENT IL AT USA HOCKEY'S NATIONAL PLAYER DEVELOPMENT CAMPS |
Initially identified through AHAI's Player Development Program, the following skaters were then chosen by the Central District to move on to USA Hockey's National Player Development Camp.
GIRLS' SELECT U18
St. Cloud, MN - July 10-16
Erin O'Connor (D)
Amanda Conway (F)
Bailey Larson (F)
Grace Zarzecki (F)
Sonjia Shelley (G)
Jackie Mota (F)
Rebecca Lindblad (F)
Catherine Davis (D)
Mikaela Gardner (D)
Sophie Skarzynski (D)
Kristin Chivers (F)
Morgan Crane (F)
Alyssa Gorecki (F)
BOYS' SELECT 15
Williamsville, NY - July 14-20
Demetri Katsis (D)
Ryan Carlson (D)
James Sanchez (F)
Martin Yelle (F)
Hugh McGing (F)
Michael Cali (F)
GIRLS' SELECT 15
St. Cloud, MN - July 19-25
Caitlyn Schneider (F)
Natalie Ryan (D)
Sydney Sorkin (D)
Taylor House (F)
Shea Nelson (F)
Andrea Renner (F)
GIRLS' SELECT 14
St. Cloud, MN - July 19-25
Victoria Soukup (D)
Christina VonAulock (D)
Nicole LaMantia (F)
Lauren Severson (F)
Hayley Kliczko (G)
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WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CLASSROOM IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT HAPPENS ON THE ICE |
 Mason is a nineteen year-old, 2nd line NAHL defender. He has been playing junior hockey since he was fifteen and living away from home for hockey since he was twelve.
Mason has seen more than his fair share of coaches and systems. He has been able to execute his duties exactly as directed for every team he has played for. He is one of those guys that does not stand out, he just gets the job done, shift after shift, and night after night.
Hockey has taken a toll on Mason academically. He has been in nine different schools from the 6th grade until his graduation last year. Graduation was not easy, and he had to spend two summers at a community college to get it done. His overall high school GPA was 1.8. This season he was supposed to be preparing for the SAT, but instead he has enjoyed his first year off from academics.
Click HERE to read full article.
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10 REASONS HOCKEY MOMS ROCK |
Being a hockey mom is no small feat. It takes wisdom to know when to keep your mouth shut in the bleachers, and courage to speak up when needed. It takes patience when the kids are young and learning the sport. And it takes twice as much patience when kids are older and coaches don't play your child enough or the ref makes a bad call. It takes a listening ear when your child has had a bad game. And it takes a positive attitude when they've been cut from the rep team-again. It's summer and maybe your kids are having a break from hockey, and just maybe you're a "year-rounder" and are still at the rink even when it's summer. Whatever type of Hockey Mom you are, pat yourself on the back. Hockey Moms, you are doing a fabulous job! Click HERE for 10 reasons.
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Greetings!
Well summer time is in full swing and for most hockey people, this means barbeques, swimming pools and Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Championship reruns (maybe not so much for the Boston crowd on this one).
While the summer is underway, the Illinois Hockey Officials' Association (IHOA) seminar staff is busy at work preparing for the upcoming officials' seminar season. First year officials start as a Level 1 and may ultimately progress towards the highest level for officials - Level 4.
Did you know that USA Hockey officials must certify each and every year in order to continue officiating? Yep, that's right. All officials must attend a seminar every year and pass an open book exam through USA Hockey. Levels 2, 3 and 4 officials must also pass a closed book exam. Talk about dedication!
Every year, the IHOA staff and its certified instructors and assistants prepare for and instruct the USA Hockey mandated seminars. This year is certainly no different.
Starting August 1, 2013, any person interested in officiating, and all returning officials, may register for the IHOA seminars. The seminars are conducted throughout the State of Illinois and are level specific.
Each and every year, IHOA is seeking persons interested in becoming officials and there are no limitations to becoming an official other than the ability to skate and the desire to be involved in a great aspect of the game. New officials are male and female, young and beyond young. We see 14 year olds registering and we see 60 somethings registering and everything in between.
So, if you are interested in becoming an official, head to IHOA website and click on the registration link along the left hand side of the home page. All of the information regarding becoming an official and the registration process is listed on the IHOA web page.
Remember, the game cannot be played without officials and we encourage anyone who is interested to apply.
Enjoy the rest of the summer and hockey season is right around the corner!
Mike Barrett
Illinois Referee in Chief and
Supervisor of Officials
mbarrett@ahai2.org

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3 Skaters to Represent Illinois on U.S. Under-17 Select Team Tory Dello, Defenseman from Crystal Lake, Vasili Kolias, Defenseman from Schaumburg and Forward Michael Floodstrand of Hinsdale have been rostered to the 2013 U.S. Under-17 Select Team after participating in USA Hockey's Boys' Select 16 Player Development Camp. Dello, Kolias and Floodstrand all most recently played for Chicago Mission's U16 Team. Initially identified through AHAI's Player Development Program, the three young men were then selected to represent the Central District at USA Hockey's Boys' Select 16 Player Development Camp. The U.S. Under-17 Select Team will compete in the 2013 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament Aug. 14-18 in Trnava, Slovakia and will include teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland.
Michael Floodstrand
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Vasili Kolias
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Tory Dello
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2 IL Players Selected for 2013-14 U.S. National Sled Team Kevin McKee, age 23 from Chicago, and Brody Roybal, age 15 from Northlake were recently selected to represent the United States in international competition as part of the U.S. National Sled Hockey team. These players will practice and compete in international events until December 31 when the roster will be trimmed to 17 final players who will represent the United States at the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, Russia in March. Roybal, who spent eight years with the Hornets Youth Sled Hockey Team, currently plays for the RIC Blackhawks along with McKee. Kevin McKee Brody Roybal |
Denver U. Welcomes Former New Trier HS Goalie, Greg Ogard as Recruited Walk-On
 After his senior year at New Trier High School, former Bay State Breakers goalie Greg Ogard was accepted to Denver University as a student. He even had academic scholarships to help him along the way. Ogard played a year for the Breakers in the former Eastern Junior Hockey League. Denver University is welcoming him into the hockey program as a recruited walk-on. Ogard represents the 13th Breakers goalie to move to the NCAA Division 1 ranks in the last 11 years. "I love the campus, I love the area, and the school is a good fit with what I want to do," said Ogard. "When the hockey part came along, I just knew it was the right choice." Ogard is joining a DU program that is going through a transition with a new head coach in Jim Montgomery, and joining a new league in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. "For the most part, it's a role on the team this first year, and then we'll go from there and see what happens," said Ogard. "Any playing time I get I will have earned. I'm confident in my abilities and I think I'll be able to find my role there. It's going to be a step up from what I'm used to." Click HERE to read full article.
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Let's See How the Adults Like It

The Football Association in England recently exper-imented with adults playing on a pitch that was relative to kids playing on a full-size soccer field. St. George's Park Football club created a pitch for adults that was the same scale as if the kids were playing on a regulation pitch. The video demonstrates what children feel when they play on an adult sized pitch. The participating coaches described their view of the game, the ability to make plays and the daunting task of playing on a field that is too large for them. We are not saying that soccer and hockey are the same thing, or that the experiences of all will mimic what you see here, but a little perspective is good. Imagine if we doubled or tripled the size of the ice surface for the older skaters? How would it feel to have to skate 400 feet or take a shot from a blue line that is 120 feet from the goal? How about a goalie covering a net that is 12 by 8 feet? Other sports shrink their fields for their younger players (and no, the rules are not kept the same); those kids learn and develop quite well. One of the greatest soccer countries in the world sees a benefit for their children (if you watch the video you will hear them talk about ball touches) and has made changes. Take the time to learn more about the American Development Model (ADM) and what it is truly all about.
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AHAI Golf Outing
The 17th Annual AHAI Golf Outing is set for Friday, August 16 at 1pm at the beautiful Indian Lakes Golf Resort in Bloomingdale, Illinois. Slots are filling up FAST! If you haven't registered yet and would like to play, please email Golf Outing Chairman, Don Allord at donallordtravel@gmail.com. All proceeds for this event go toward assisting the Tomahawks Special Hockey Program, the Hornets Youth Sled Hockey Team, the Hearing Impaired Hockey Team and the AHAI Diversity Hockey Program.
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ADM Pilot a Success for Tomahawks

In September 2012 the Chicago Tomahawks (a local ice hockey program for players with special needs) made a significant change in the structure of their skill development program by incorporating USA Hockey's American Development Model (ADM) into their weekly practices. The plan was to pilot the ADM (a program that utilizes the long term athlete development (LTAD) principles as its framework) which allows for the existing systems and structures to be more consistent especially in the skill development areas of developing a hockey player. The concept is simple, by focusing more on how young players learn, increasing the number of repetitions of specific skills and situations, will quickly increase the probability of skill development and hockey sense. The ADM pilot was a success for the Tomahawk players that participated in the practice sessions at Center Ice in Glen Ellyn. Station based practices were incorporated to increase repetitions in addition to playing small area games to enhance decision making and increase the amount of time a player actually touches the puck. Coaches were engaged, players were challenged and by the end of the season player skill level had improved. The plan is to roll out the ADM concepts to all Tomahawk players over the next two years and to make ADM the way we train. Watch the video above for more information on the Tomahawks ADM player development program. |
Registration Date for Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey Nationals Announced
Registration will open on Monday July 29, 2013, for the 9th Annual Labatt Blue USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships. Details regarding this year's registration process will be announced shortly. The 2014 event will take place Feb 7-9 and again be held on Dollar Lake in Eagle River, Wis.
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The Grand Total of Youth Hockey $$$$ Steve Wulf, ESPN The Magazine
 They came in all shapes and sizes, from Maine to Arizona, Alaska to Florida, 25 states in all. Yet, every one of the 1,300 girls descending upon Sharks Ice at San Jose for USA Hockey's 2013 National Championships had one thing in common. Slung over each player's shoulder was a duffel bag -- a big, bulky, about-to-rip duffel bag. That's part of being a hockey player, carrying this 40-pound behemoth into and out of rinks while juggling two sticks in one hand and a drink in the other. Goalies have it a little worse, what with their larger paddles, pads and gloves, but nobody ever complains. Hockey teaches you to carry your load at an early age. For the benefit of the uninitiated, each bag contains skates, a helmet, shin guards, a neck guard, shoulder pads, elbow pads, protective pants or girdles, shells, home and away jerseys, home and away socks, (smelly) gloves, various undergarments, hosiery and lots of tape, as well as sundry items like a blade sharpener, first aid kit, scissors, a rag, wax, talcum powder and an iPod. Click HERE to read full article. |
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