Summer of Hockey!  Or not…

Maybe it’s just me, but hockey feels like it never really ends.  Ok, maybe for 2–3-week periods at a time, but there always seems to be something to do after the fall season has ended.  For us the season was stretched out due to the NIHL and State Championship games for our 10U girls’ team, which is probably influencing my view that hockey never ends, but that did not stop us from playing in the spring and summer. In this post I’ll cover some options for your young hockey players that will bridge the gap between seasons.

What are the options for my young hockey player in the summer?

  1. Don’t play hockey – I know that sounds counterintuitive, but if your young player plays another sport then let them play. At younger ages athletes are developing both gross and fine motor skills, including hand-eye coordination, endurance, and mental skills that will help them become better athletes in the future. The point is to stay active. For me personally, as kids we were out in the summers playing and didn’t have the same electronic options (although we did have and played on NES and Sega game systems), so the draw to sit in front of a computer or tablet on the couch was much less than it is today. The point is to have your young player remain active and not let gains made during the regular season go to waste.
  2. Work on hockey skills off-ice – Hockey is a sport that is learned, and skill honed, from both on-ice and off-ice practice and experience. While ice is necessary to improve skating ability (speed, edgework, strength, endurance, etc.) a young player is likely still developing hand-eye coordination and stick handling skills. The upside of practicing stick handling off-ice is that the cost is cheap to free. You only need a flat hard surface, stick (gloves), and a ball (ball hockey ball, golf ball, off-ice puck or “biscuit”).  If you’re going all out, you could also include some stickhandling training aids, shooting boards and passing kits, a full-size net for shooting, and even synthetic ice with enough square footage to all your player to practice with skates on. I included some links to equipment below.
  3. Drop-ins, 3-on-3, and skills clinics – Any open ice time at your local rink, including free skates and stick and puck, is generally an option throughout summer. Most clubs also have skills clinics that they will host and/or promote through your local club mailing list or website.  These clinics range from 1-hour sessions once or twice a week (with the ability to drop-in as you can) to half-day, full-day, and sleep-away camps.  In the half-day and full-day sessions your player will likely have on-ice, off-ice, and classroom sessions throughout the day. There are structured game options as well, and one we like is our club’s 3-on-3 tournament style pool play followed by playoffs. Played on a smaller sheet, it offers players more time on puck and battles (and shots on net), and less chasing on full ice.
  4. Spring club teams – Most programs will run a Spring hockey season that follows the end of the regular season (depending on playoff timing, fall season ends in early March).  These programs usually offer a combination of practices, games, and tournaments with travel and house-level options.  Spring season generally runs from late March through late May, and for players who want to keep playing it is a nice option to keep them engaged. Personally, we have not taken this route as we prefer 3-on-3 and skills clinics during summer in addition to a sleep-away camp I’ll mention below. One important note, if your player is considering a jump from Tier II to a Tier I team you almost have to have them play on the Tier I club’s Spring travel team. This gives coaches a longer tryout window and to see the players not only in practice but game situations. 
  5. Summer tournament teams (free agent/club) – Let’s say you didn’t do anything above, or only leveraged your rink’s stick and puck times, but your player wants to see some game action over the break.  First, if you’re aligned with a club (or in our case, 4 different clubs now) keep an eye on the email blasts looking for players to commit to a 10U, 12U, all-girls, etc. tournament teams.  Fees will be based on the entry fees plus number of players committed but would be a one-time cost. There may also be a “free agent” option for some tournaments. We took that option this past weekend for the Blackhawks Showtime Classic tournament (12U AA Girls) and jumped on a team comprised of the Northshore Warhawks and some other free agent players. While my daughter was hesitant at first, by the end of the tournament they were exchanging numbers so they could stay in touch with their newfound hockey friends.
  6. Hockey and Sons (and Daughters) – Last, but not least, is a sleep-away camp that we will be going back to for the foreseeable future. Hockey and Sons, and now Hockey and Daughters as well, is a camp run by Troy Ward. Now held on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus college in St. Peter Minnesota, it is a 5-day full-on hockey-24-7 camp that features multiple on-ice sessions/games, off-ice, and lectures. Participants stay in the dorms with a parent, who is also on the ice for all practice sessions, and again in the evening for the parent’s game each night.  Camp is well run, coaching was great, and best of all the coaches coach the parents. Not so the parents can play better, but help you understand how to coach your own young athletes on and off the ice. The first week of the camp is co-ed, but there is also a Girls only option in Hockey and Daughters this summer. If you’re reading this and attending camp this summer let’s grab a beer in the common area of the dorms after the parent’s game.

Links:

Mick’s 3-on-3 Peewee Black wins the championship – don’t ask why my daughter is using the peace sign and not a #1

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