Reply To: Body Checking in youth hockey

[michel]

my personal thoughts are no checking should be allowed until 16 years old. From what i have seen in youth games in the US, physical intimidation is demanded by coaches, and the focus is on hitting not to take the puck but to just smash the other player. it seemed hitting was the priority and not passing. to me, it seemed like youth players at the U12 & U14 levels simply panicked and threw away puck when they were under physical pressure. this leads to players not able to focus on making passing combinations and understanding movement away from puck and to use passes to take zones but rather simply throw puck forward to avoid a hit. though its not as bad in most parts of europe, i think the focus should be on the kids learning passing combinations and stickhandling technique without fear of being hit by a player who outweighs them by 25 kilos. feel free to add thoughts to my ideas.