Feature Story
USA Hockey announces comprehensive player
recruitment, retention and development programs
By
At the semi-annual USA Hockey directors
meeting on Jan. 17,
USA Hockey President Ron DeGregorio
announced an ambitious program for amateur hockey in the
The programs and initiatives will be
funded by an $8 million annual grant from the National Hockey League to the USA
Hockey Foundation beginning immediately. Part of the funding will be used to
fully finance the National Team Development Program (NTDP) in
The framework for the proposed programs
was outlined to the directors and the documents clearly presented a
development-based approach to hockey based on time-tested and
research-documented information about the best practices for youth development
in sport. The initiatives and recommendations are modeled after many successful
programs around the world in hockey and many other sports.
The program is centered on a Long Term
Athlete Development Model (LTAD) and High Performance Club (
USA Hockey intends to provide local
resources to assist in the development and operation of programs who wish to
participate. How this will play out in
The HP Club format with Tier 1 teams from
U-18 down through PeeWees is not particularly suited
to our structure in Minnesota, due to our strong high school system and
wide-ranging community-based youth structure. Minnesota Hockey will be working
with USA Hockey and the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association to
create development opportunities for
At first glance the development program
in its entirety looks like it would be quite difficult to implement in
Since the proposed programs from USA
Hockey are first generation drafts, it is a good bet that modifications will be
made to fit local circumstances here in
A significant goal for the USA Hockey
program is to “grow the game.” This includes best practice programs for the
recruitment of players at the lowest levels and retention of players as they
move through the system. Keeping more players on a development track longer
will benefit the individual players and the organizations they are part of.
All of these outcomes are possible with
properly designed and managed programs. The guidelines and structures proposed
by USA Hockey have been proven in many other sports and programs to achieve
these goals.
The focus of the programs and guidelines
are to give every player an opportunity to develop to his or her potential on a
proven age-based format that is designed to facilitate maximum skill
acquisition within the larger picture of youth physical and psychological
development.
There are many aspects to the USA Hockey
program and if implemented fully would certainly change much of how we operate
youth hockey in
A committee from Minnesota Hockey is
already working with USA Hockey on understanding the new programs and how they
might impact our programs. Over the course of the next several months and with
input from all stakeholders in Minnesota Hockey, the committee will make
recommendations to the board about how to best incorporate the LTAD and HP Club
concepts into our programs.
Minnesota Hockey is committed to
preserving all that is unique about hockey in our state.
We will be working with USA Hockey to
fashion our own version of the programs to enhance the playing experience of
all of our players, retain players longer and attract many more youngsters to the
game in the years ahead.
Although change is difficult in most
settings and organizations, the USA Hockey initiatives provide an opportunity
to all of us to see a larger vision and enhanced outcomes for all youth players
in
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