Reply To: Stepping up to High School hockey from the PW/Bantams

[Tom Molloy]

Iceman, congratulations for the new coaching position. I know that you can't design the practice schedule as an assistant coach but here is how I organized the practices when I had 4 practices and two games a week at college. I am hoping the new elite U18 team I have been asked to coach has 4 on ice practices a week.

Monday: Skating Technique and Individual Offensive Skills followed by plyometrics or bike spinning after.

Tueday: Individual and group offensive skill and goalie warm up the first 30 minutes then focus on Individual Defensive Skills.

Wednesday: Individual and group offensive skill and goalie warm up the first 30 minutes then focus on Team Offensive Skills.

Thursday: Individual and group offensive skill and goalie warm up the first 30 minutes then focus on Team Defensive Skills.

Game Friday and Saturday with Sunday off.

I sart every season by teaching our systems the first few weeks and then we refine the indiividual technique and team play.

So if you need to focus on body checking technique do it on the individual defense day, Power play on Team Offense Day, Pk Team Defense etc. Keep progressing through the individual and team skills using drills, games and transition games all season.

When you play games the games show you what your team does and doesn't do well and you focus on these issues but still cover all of the skills needed in hockey.

Each practice should have a Theme

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'