Game-Changers?

Growing the game of hockey has turned into a hot-button issue as participation in the sport has dropped in recent years. In an effort to grow hockey, coaches have plenty of ideas on ways to make the game more safe and enjoyable.

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Exposure events help NAHL set new NCAA commitments mark

Details: Last Updated on Monday, 10 September 2012 18:40

By Alex Kyrias

The 2011-12 season was a record-breaking year for NCAA commitments for players in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). Traditionally, the NAHL’s NCAA college commitment list exceeds the century mark every year, but this past year players from the NAHL shattered the mark.

A total number of 193 players that played in the NAHL this past season or were an alumni of the NAHL from last season, committed to an NCAA school during the 2011-12 season. That averages to almost seven players per NAHL team, or roughly one-third of players on NAHL rosters, committing to an NCAA program last season.

Sled sprints help develop horizontal acceleration

Details: Last Updated on Tuesday, 11 September 2012 15:59

By Jack Blatherwick
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

Definition: Acceleration is a change in the direction or magnitude of velocity. In hockey this is Speed, Quickness and Agility. (Note: Speed is included in the definition, because with each stride there is deceleration and acceleration. Note 2: Agility = changing directions while maintaining speed and balance.)

Herb Brooks used the term “hockey-athleticism” for the physical characteristics (other than skills) required for success in hockey: speed, quickness, agility, strength, endurance, etc. When I’ve asked coaches and players to identify the most important elements of athleticism, invariably they placed speed, quickness and agility at the top. In effect they said, “Horizontal acceleration is the highest priority.”

The Stand-up Goalie: Where summer hockey came from and where it went

Details: Last Updated on Friday, 07 September 2012 17:34

By Hans Eisenbeis

Summer hockey is over, so now it’s time to set our sights on … next summer’s hockey. Yes, even as hockey moms and hockey dads everywhere collect empty Diet Coke cans, dig coins out of their car seats and buy bulk carrot sticks to scrape together the funds necessary to keep the kids in good standing with the association, we’re also busy scheduling tryouts for next summer’s hockey leagues.

I blame Gary Bettman. Twenty-five years ago, hockey was played where it belonged – in the cold North where there was nothing better to do in the winter except drink Schnapps and order Domino’s Pizza. But when Bettman came to the NHL from the NBA, he brought a basketball attitude: The game should be played professionally wherever the earth was flat, including places where snow was what you saw only after network TV went to sleep, and ice was something you wore on your fingers to hide money from the IRS.

Zach LaValle: A three-sport Pioneer

Details: Last Updated on Tuesday, 11 September 2012 16:02

By Peter Knutson
Let’s Play Hockey

Three-sport athletes are hard to come by today. With college scouts starting to look at high school athletes earlier than ever before, most scouts want these recruits to focus on their main sport so as to not get injured during the off-season and prevent them from playing. One high school athlete who has challenged this idea is senior Zach LaValle of Hill-Murray. LaValle is the starting quarterback and captain of the football team, one of the leading scorers and second-year captain of the hockey team, and a second baseman on the baseball team.

It becomes even more impressive when you learn that each of those teams made it to the state tournament and faired quite well. In football, LaValle led the team to the semifinals where they lost to the eventual state champions by just two points. In hockey, he captained the team as a junior and led them to a second-place finish. Finally to wrap up the school year, the baseball team finished with a state consolation championship. Not a bad year for a junior.

Top three reasons girls can’t shoot

Details: Last Updated on Friday, 07 September 2012 17:17

By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

As a coach, I’m constantly amazed at how poorly most girls’ hockey players shoot. Here are my top three reasons why (there are many more as well):

1. Bad stick choice: Far too many girls are using sticks with the wrong amount of flex. You should calculate the amount of flex you need by taking your weight in pounds and dividing by 2. So if you weigh 130 pounds, you likely need a 65 flex stick.

But ... you also need to keep in mind that when you cut the stick, it makes the stick less flexible. So if you cut a couple of inches off a 65 flex stick, it will now feel like a 75 or 85 flex stick, which means that it will be much harder to bend while shooting.

Should I stay or should I go?

Details: Last Updated on Thursday, 04 October 2012 17:10

Players leaving high school early for junior hockey leagues has become a hot-button topic in Minnesota

This is the second in a series of articles about high school hockey in Minnesota.

By Kevin Kurtt & Peter Knutson
Let’s Play Hockey

This fall in Duluth, Minn., and South Bend, Ind., two freshmen from Minnesota are beginning their college careers.

From 2008-11, they played hockey together at Wayzata High School, leading the team in scoring and helping the Trojans to within a goal of the 2011 State Tournament.

At the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at the Xcel Energy Center, they both were drafted, one by an Original Six franchise, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the other by the hometown Minnesota Wild.

Last season, both played Junior A/Tier I hockey, enjoying successful seasons with their teams. One joined the United States Hockey League’s Waterloo Black Hawks after completing his high school career. The other decided to forego his senior season in favor of a year with the Penticton Vees in the British Columbian Hockey League (BCHL)

Tony Cameranesi and Mario Lucia are just two of the many elite hockey players that Minnesota produces on an annual basis. Both were faced with what has become a common question for the state’s best hockey players: Should I stay or should I go?