I just registered for the coaching symposium in Helsinki May 11-13 during the IIHF World Championships. It includes all of the sessions plus tickets to two games each evening. I found a good price for the flight $1250 which is $400 cheaper than anything else I saw. Calgary-London-Helsinki, May 8-16.
There is a Youth Symposium the week before but I can only afford one.
It gives me a chance to meet with Juhani Wahlsten and Kalle Kaskinen in Turku which is a few hours away by car. In Turku I stay with Juhani in his Sauna Hotel. He puts a mattress in the Sauna. There is a host hotel in Helsinki. The league I coach in will pay the conference fee with the agreement that I give a seminar on the ideas I pick up there.
Coach Deniz Ince from Turkey is going to meet me there as well.
Should be a good hockey experience.
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Another coach is going to join us in Jasper. Doug Blaney is a fantastic skater and coaches skating. He is going to come on the ice to help and to pick up some ideas about coaching hockey and skating. He will be a great addition.
This morning I start working with former NHL player Morris Lukowich doing skill camps for youth hockey players. It is called Maximum Goal Scoring. I am on the ice with U14 and then U12 players. We have discussed what he wants stressed during the sessions and he has the older groups off ice while I am on the ice with two university players.
I also start again with a U16 female player who I worked with for a few months during the season. She ended up scoring lots and was brought up to a U18 as an affiliate when they needed someone and scored there as well. We are on the ice together for a 60 minute private session once a week. Lots of skills at top speed. I also really am focusing on her being able to one time the puck on the forehand and backhand on both sides of the ice. I pass as hard as I can to her with both good and bad passes and she has to be able to adjust to get her shot off and on the net.
We also do lots of stickhandling and passing. I take my 4 small nets on the ice and they are good obstacles and targets for shots. She is going to be a prospect for the National Team in a year or two.
'Enjoy the Game'