player tips

Each year at the start of the season after tryouts, players and parents are revved up with anticipation about where they will fit in on their team.

What will your role be?

What position will you play?

And the biggest question, what line will will you be on?

At younger ages, it is important to pump the brakes a bit, and to keep the larger development picture in perspective. The better players are not just necessarily the players who did the best at tryouts. They are players who understand all aspects of the game. 

The better players are able to adapt to all situations in the game, offensively and defensively. The better players are able to skate competitively both forwards and backwards and understand the importance of “positional versatility” as it is described in a USA Hockey article:

“The ability to be versatile is a key component of today’s successful hockey player,” said USA Hockey’s Bob Mancini. “And it starts in youth hockey. Playing multiple positions at a young age does more than just give options to kids and their coaches. By playing and learning multiple positions, players view the game from different areas and understand  how to better defeat opponents in the small battles that typically pit one position against another. So the benefits can be immediate, and they can also be long-term. Years down the road, those youth hockey days of playing multiple positions can pay big dividends.”

Being able to play multiple positions will help players not only with their long term development, but also immediately this season, as  you seek to find your place, and role, on a team. There are numerous success stories about prep, collegiate and professional players who earned a spot on a top team – and the top line – playing a position other than the one they anticipated. The great players know how to play all positions, and how to accept their role on a team.

As an old coach of mine used to say, it’s more important to be a complete player, than a first line player.

So as you start the season, rather than focusing on the first, second or third line, keep in mind all of the hard work that you put in at hockey camp and your off-season goals, and remember that playing all positions is just as important in long term development as is playing first line center or first line wing. The best players will always find a way to play together, and sometimes that might mean playing defense instead of center.

The question is, will you be prepared, and ready to play?

Labor Day has come and gone, cooler weather and football is upon us and preseason NHL games are starting to pop up on the TV schedule. This could only mean one thing; the youth hockey season is upon us!

As youth hockey players gear up for the season, it’s important to reflect on what was accomplished during your summer hockey training. What are your plans to use the development to be a huge contributor and leader on your team this season?

A good way for young hockey players to start this season, is to reflect back to last season.

What areas of your game needed work? What goals did you set for the summer and did you accomplish them?

Hopefully your summer hockey training allowed you to refocus, work on new skills, get rid of any bad habits and position yourself for a great season.

The areas that you identified as needing work in your post season evaluation were hopefully the key areas of focus for you over the summer. 

Now is the time to apply everything that you learned, as well as show off those skills that you mastered. Maybe you needed to increase your speed, develop a better shot or improve your stick handling skills. Make sure you take what you learned and apply it to every practice, every game and every shift this season!

Hockey is a game that requires many skills, and putting forth the time and effort in the off-season to work hard on your development is part of the equation, but what you do on the ice this season is the true test. Are you prepared to apply your development to your everyday hockey experience?

Everyone has heard the slogan that ‘practice makes perfect’ and this is especially true when it comes to using the tools that you learned over the summer to improvement your skills each and every day this season.

Thanks for reading and good luck with the start of  your season. We look forward to hearing about your next great hockey experience and seeing you at the rink soon!

One of our favorite messages to send each summer is our appreciation for all who keep us motivated and excited to train hockey players! This is especially true this summer as we enter our final month of camps and finish our 30th year of running hockey schools!

So who are these summer superstars you ask?

Players

We owe the success of all of our camps to the players. Each and every day we see players show up who want to learn, work hard and improve their skills. And wow, the talent level this summer is off the charts! Thank you to all of the players who attend our camps, it is a joy to coach you!

Pro Staff

We are fortunate at our summer hockey camp to employ some of the most talented and dedicated staff you will find anywhere. Having a great ‘Hockey IQ’ is important to us. But so is being a great mentor, coach and communicator. We couldn’t be more proud of our Pro Staff that brings their ‘A Game’ each and every session to make sure players are soaking it all up!

Parents

Of course none of the success would be possible without the commitment from the parents of these great players. One of the best parts of each week of camp is when we receive compliments from parents about how we run our camps. From emails, phone calls and social media posts, we appreciate the acknowledgement of the hard work of our staff and more importantly, the players!

We are looking forward to our final month of camp and invite you to join our roster of superstars! Limited spots remain. To view dates and locations, click here.

Thanks for reading!

There can always be an excuse for why something can’t or didn’t get done. It’s too early, too cold, too late or too difficult. But people who set goals and really want to achieve something don’t make excuses. They simply find a way to get it done and make it happen, regardless of the obstacles!

An ice rink manager recently told this story about an NHL player: He described a player as ‘one of those kids who came to the rink to run stairs‘. He would show up at the rink unannounced, ask permission to run the stairs, and there in the dark – the only one in the entire building – he would start his workout.

Eventually the arena manager started turning on the lights for this athlete and over time developed a friendship.  Sometimes friends would show up to run stairs with him, but eventually they would drop off and within a week or two, it was back to this one player running stairs, alone.

One day the arena manager asked the athlete what happened to his buddies. They had work. They went to the beach. They went fishing. They went to a movie. They were tired . . . The excuses were endless.

However for this one player who set a goal, who wanted to make the most out of his hockey career and play at the highest level he possibly could, there was no stopping him. This was his priority and he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of it. There were no excuses, ever, for why he couldn’t find time in his daily routine to workout and best prepare himself to reach his goal.

There is a quote that says, “If it’s important enough, you’ll find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.”

So this summer ask yourself, are you finding a way, or are you finding an excuse?

Thanks for reading and we have limited spots left in select 2024 Summer Hockey Schools. For dates & details, click here.

Youth hockey players have many training options and it’s important to take the right track to success. This summer we invite you to train the CARTER method to reach your full potential!  The CARTER method includes key fundamental skills including:

Control

Our hockey camps educate all students on the importance of body control. We have designed a sequence of drills to help them understand and enhance body movements to improve their overall balance and body posture. 

Agility

Our unique training methods focus on quick lateral movements and foot work. With proper body control and weight distribution, students will develop evasive techniques, make them more effective hockey players. 

Reflex

Hockey is a read and react game. Reflexes and split second decisions affect the game. Increasing your hockey skills (skating, stick handling, shooting, checking and edge control) helps to improve all aspects of the game. Through the CARTER METHOD we raise the level of play and quicken your reflexes.

Technique

We teach and improve hockey techniques under controlled situations and through repetition. We then incorporate speed once the proper techniques have been mastered. 

Edge

Edges are challenged and enhanced throughout the week using control and overspeed drills. Edges are incorporated into the skating stride through Power Skating and Dynamic Skating.

Retention

Individual Skill Development. All of Greg Carter’s European Hockey School Training Camps work on total skill development through the use of European training equipment, parallel bars, and carousels. 

Thank you for reading! Although many of our summer 2024 hockey camps are sold out, we have limited space left at select locations. To check on dates and locations CLICK HERE.