Volume 1 Issue 4 February 24, 2013

IN THIS ISSUE

ADM Road Show Motors to Success in Michigan

Weekend Mite Jamborees

USA Hockey Model Association Flourishing in Orchard Lake

World's Best Teams Use Small-Area Games

VIDEO: Olympians Pay Tribute to Youth Hockey

VIDEO: Overcoming Failure

Just for Coaches: On- & Off-Ice Practice Plans

ADM World Tour Moves From Chicago to Detroit

The USA Hockey ADM World Tour rolled through Chicago and found its way to our neighbors to the north, Michigan. With similar results, the ADM Tour educated and informed hundreds of Michigan parents and coaches.

ADM Road Show Motors to

Success in Michigan

By Phil Colvin

USA Hockey teamed up with the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association to conduct an American Development Model road show that made stops at 11 associations across the state this week. Designed to introduce and explain the ADM and the principles of long-term athlete development to parents, coaches and volunteers, the road show featured presentations by USA Hockey ADM regional managers, along with on-ice, station-based practice sessions at several locations. "It was terrific to have USA Hockey's Ken Martel here to help our parents understand the benefits and principles behind the American Development Model," said Cal McGowan of Suburban Hockey in Farmington Hills, Mich. "Our association appreciates USA Hockey's commitment to developing our young players."

ILLINOIS MITE NEWS

WEEKEND MITE JAMBOREES

On February 16th, Rocket Ice arena opened its doors to a late winter Cross-Ice/Half-Ice jamboree. Over 20 teams from around the area participated in the over 6 hours of ice dedicated to the kids. The 6U players began the day with 4 hours, 18 teams and 27 cross-ice games (plus an ice cut in the middle). The hard dividers were used to divide the ice in thirds, there were referees on each section and constant action on the ice. During the ice cut after the 6U games, the coaches broke down one set of boards and slid the remaining section to the red line; it was time for the 8U's to hit the ice. Two hours of half-ice games with 6 teams rounded out the jamboree. The Sabres, along with the Cyclones, Admirals, Huskies, Jaguars, Blackbirds and Vikings enjoyed a marathon Sunday morning of games and fun. Jamborees, when conducted in the proper way, are a great venue to maximize ice time, increase puck touches and give everyone a chance to excel along with gaining skill development in the small-area format. From the sounds heard around the rink, the cheering was as loud as ever and the kids had fun. Make the Weekend Mite Jamboree a regular part of your club's season. While we know you will have the doubters, why not give the kids a chance to enjoy. Make game day special, keep the kids moving and celebrate their success.

MITES ACROSS AMERICA

AFFILIATE NEWS

USA HOCKEY MITE NEWS

USA Hockey Model Association Flourishing in Orchard Lake

After the success of their American Development Model pilot program during the 2011-12 season, the Orchard Lake (Mich.) United hockey association knew they were onto something big.

"That first year we had our two squirt teams and a peewee team that followed ADM principles and it worked out great," said Brian Lenaghan, a veteran youth coach and president of Orchard Lake United. "The kids had fun, their skills improved and they wanted to be on the ice. It didn't take long for us to see that this was the way to train our kids and the way to go forward."

The pilot program was part of the United's process of informing parents, players and coaches about the ADM, a program that began in January 2011 with town-hall style meetings and culminated in April 2012 with USA Hockey designating United as one of the first model associations in the country.

World's Best Teams Use Small Area Games

How do the best teams in the world train? Here is what some of our Olympians had to say about their NHL team practices. When asked if they play small-area games in their NHL practices here is what the players had to say:

Dustin Brown, "We regularly play 2v2 in a small area to work on our battling skills"
Ryan McDonagh, "We use the small games to try and make plays quickly because you don't have a lot of time or space."
David Backes, "We do small area games for battling along with limiting time and space. At our level, making decisions must be done quickly."
Ryan Suter, "The small games work on all skills that you need to play hockey."
Ryan Miller, "The small area games we play help me to rely on reflexes as a goalie since your angles and landmarks have changed."

Small-area games in practice help even NHL players stay at the top of their game.

MITE MULTIMEDIA

Olympians Pay Tribute to Youth Hockey	Overcoming Failure
U.S. Men's and Women's Olympians reminisce about their youth hockey days and talk about the growth and development of hockey in America throughout the years. What will the future hold for USA Hockey? The sky's the limit.	When your children make a mistake in competition, they may look at you on the sidelines. Do you want them to see your grimace and hear your shouts of anger? Or would you rather they see a supportive gesture and hear your reminder that mistakes are OK so they can focus on the next play? Former Major League Baseball manager Dusty Baker explains.

JUST FOR COACHES

PRACTICE PLANS FOR ON-ICE

PRACTICE PLANS FOR DRYLAND

Disguising Skill Development In Fun Games An Effective Tool For Mites

By Guy Gosselin

When I was growing up in Rochester, Minn., we had six outdoor community rinks within two miles of my house. Depending on the weather conditions, we would play various types of games. Even as a little guy, I was always honored if the big kids let me play, but that usually meant I was the goalie. We seem to have lost some of that freewheeling fun with today's overly-structured environment.

That's why the American Development Model is so important. Too often, kids show up at the rink and are immediately told what to do and how to do it. Such a structured environment is like throwing a wet blanket over the creativity of our players. Kids are already overly stimulated enough with all the things going on in their lives away from the rink. Once they step onto the ice, that is their time to have fun. Here are a few games that will help kids develop their skills while having a lot of fun.

SAMPLE GAMES FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT>>>

USA Hockey provides an abundance of material to help coaches design efficient and fun dryland training for the 8U age group. We will highlight some of those exercises here each month. Ask your coaching coordinator or hockey director where you can get the dryland deck of cards, or contact AHAI's Coach- in- Chief.

SAMPLE DRYLAND DRILL>>>

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