By Greg Bates, Special to AHAI - This hockey season is going to be anything but normal. Coaches know that and certainly players are finding that out. It’s going to take an extra effort from both coaches and players to make the season run smoothly and be as enjoyable as possible.

With so much uncertainty going on, it will be helpful for coaches and players to inject some positivity into the season that will benefit everyone. Lake Forest Academy boys’ hockey assistant coach Rob Klein shared his thoughts on three traits that are important for coaches and players. For coaches, the most important trait is flexibility.

“I think flexibility’s huge, because we’re going to have to be able to adapt to the current environment,” Klein said. “Players are going to be faced with challenges as well as coaches and we’re going to have to work around practice schedules and have that flexibility to be able to get the most out of each practice this season.”

By Jim Clare, Illinois Coach-in-Chief - The iCoachKids website is a great tool for coaches; they provide vast resources for coaches to truly understand the HOW and WHY we coach. iCoachKids focuses less on the specifics; anyone can find drills, skills, and small area game resources on a variety of websites or apps. Creating the positive environment for learning is as important, if not more, than the tactics. If the environment does not exist, players will never learn the intricacies of the game of hockey. Take a moment to click the button below to read the iCoachKids Pledge. I've made notes in blue on how to relate the iCoachKids Pledge to the game of hockey.

By Dan Scifo - Paul Carnathan logged into a virtual coaching seminar this summer as a 10U coach. The former official with more than two decades of experience in the American Hockey League, ECHL and more was watching as USA Hockey staff and volunteers covered video clips with examples from the Declaration of Safety, Fair Play and Respect.

From practice to evaluation and everything in between, never before have the leaders in our game had such power when it comes to teaching, guiding, and, of course, coaching. But it’s still up to the coaches to use those tools effectively.

Q: I run a local rink and one of my 10U coaches asked me what they should be doing for warmups, both off- and on-ice. What should I tell him?

A: This is a great question and we get it often. First we have to ask ourselves, “What is the purpose of warmups in both situations?” And remember, a 10-year-old should warm up much differently than a 16-year-old. 

A twist on a traditional 2 vs 2 game. The 2 vs 2 Barrier Support uses restricted zones to encourage the use of perimeter teammates to create space on the attack. It also teaches players awareness while defending, and forces them to defend away from the puck.

Kids don’t just play anymore. They have to travel and seek out the best. The neighbourhood kid is just too big of a plug to play against and is a waste of time.

My advice: Just play and play a lot. Play against bigger, faster, younger, older, slower, more skilled, less experienced, girls, boys, and so on. The game is the greatest teacher and coach of all-time. Every game at every level despite winning or losing or the scoreboard has lessons to be learned. Skills to be practiced. Situations to be experienced and played out. Roles to be perfected. Systems and concepts to be applied. Fun to be had! Imagine that?