IN THIS ISSUE

The Aspen Institute: Project Play

Chicago Blackhawks 3v3 Hockey Series

FOMO & Youth Sports Specialization

Matt Cullen's Off-Season Advice

Despite City's Crisis, Flinty Hockey Continues to Make Progress

Traverse City Hockey Strikes Back at Parent-Driven Sports Culture

Video: Power of Sports

Video: Dirt is Good

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

Volume 3 Issue 5
May 27, 2016
THE ASPEN INSTITUTE:
PROJECT PLAY
The Aspen Institute selected USA Hockey's Ken Martel, technical director for the American Development Model, to participate as a panelist at the 2016 Project Play Summit in Washington, D.C.

The nation's premier gathering of leaders at the intersection of youth, health and sports, the 2016 Project Play Summit begins Tuesday at the Newseum's Knight Conference Center. The event brings together leaders from throughout the world of athletics who are building healthy communities through sport.
Insights shared during the event will expand the Project Play report, which offered 40-plus ideas for making youth sports better, more accessible and more affordable for kids in the United States.

Martel will be part of the Sport Sampling panel, a group that will discuss increasing kids' physical literacy and overall athleticism through low-cost sport sampling programs. He discussed Project Play and its effect on youth hockey in the video below. READ MORE>>

ILLINOIS ADM NEWS
DON'T MISS OUT! REGISTER TODAY! SPOTS ARE FILLING UP FAST!
Hurry! Spots are filling up quickly for the Chicago Blackhawks 3v3 Youth Hockey Tournament. This year's tournament (Mites, Squirts and Pee Wees) will be held August 5-6 at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge, IL. Please call 312-455-7046 or email Laura Jordan at with any questions regarding registration.
USA HOCKEY ADM NEWS
FOMO & YOUTH SPORTS SPECIALIZATION
By Michael Rand
Dr. James Andrews, who has performed countless career-saving surgeries on top-level athletes and is perhaps the most famed sports surgeon on the planet, was recently quoted in the Orlando Sentinel as saying, "Don't treat 6- and 7-year-old kids like they're professional athletes. They're not ready for that level of high-intensity training." READ MORE>>
MATT CULLEN'S
OFF-SEASON ADVICE
By Minnesota Hockey
By now players, parents and coaches have heard all about the importance of hanging up the skates once spring rolls around. But there's still the nagging feeling that a player that steps away for a few months is missing out on developing into the best player he or she can be. After all, don't players in the NHL play hockey year-round? Isn't that why they're elite? READ MORE>>
ADM ACROSS AMERICA
TC HOCKEY STRIKES BACK AT PARENT-DRIVEN SPORTS CULTURE
By USA Hockey
Peter Payette from Michigan's Interlochen Public Radio explored how the age-appropriate development approach is changing hockey for the better in Traverse City, home to the Grand Traverse Hockey Association, a USA Hockey Model Club. Read the full story HERE, or click the audio link below to listen.
DESPITE CITY'S CRISIS, FLINT HOCKEY CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS
By USA Hockey
The city of Flint, Michigan, may be better known lately for its poisonous water supply and the crisis that has resulted. But on the ice, things are much more positive. For the second straight season, the Flint Inner City Youth Hockey Program successfully filled all 27 slots for its nine-week instructional session built around USA Hockey's American Development Model. READ MORE>>
ADM MULTIMEDIA

POWER OF SPORTS
While this may not be about an 8U or 10U hockey team, it is a great example of what it means to truly COACH a team. Benton Harbor HS Football had not had a winning season in years, not made the playoffs ever, and were hit hard economically. Enter retired college coach, Phil Uzelac, and see how one man, a group of kids, and a town rally through the Power of Sports. WATCH VIDEO>>
FREE THE KIDS:
DIRT IS GOOD
Playing outside isn't just fun; it's vital. Who spends more time outside, a child...or a maximum-security prisoner?


JUST FOR COACHES

PRACTICE PLANS FOR ON-ICE
8U Sprint Race to Push-the-Tire Battle

PRACTICE PLANS FOR DRYLAND
Agility & Balance - Ladder: 180s
PURPOSE: Engage players in a sprint-type race that ends with a 1v1 battle using a tire and upside-down sticks. The purpose is twofold: (1) to develop explosive take-offs and skating speed and (2) to get low and compete in the tire battle, using edges, leverage and powerful strides. VIEW PLAN>>

Dryland Plan for Agility and Balance -Ladder: 180s  VIEW PLAN>>