From college to the NHL

By Kevin Kurtt
Let’s Play Hockey Editor

If you’ve watched nearly any NCAA sporting event on television in the past several years, you’ve seen the ad. You may even be able to recite the tagline: “There are 380,000 NCAA student-athletes, and just about all of them will be going pro in something other than sports.”

It’s a noble campaign directed at educating the masses that most athletes in college will see their athletic careers come to an end at graduation.

In the world of NCAA hockey, the vast majority of players on the 59 Division I and 78 Division II/III men’s teams will not make the jump to the NHL, AHL, ECHL or any other of the various professional hockey leagues around the world. But for a select few, college hockey is merely a steppingstone to the bright lights of the National Hockey League.

Latest News

Stops and starts

Details: Last Updated on Thursday, 24 January 2013 15:56

By Diane Ness

If you have had a chance to get back and watch some NHL hockey, you know how important it is to sustain a good forecheck. A good forecheck is set up executing good stops and starts. There are a few ways to do stops and starts but I will explain the two main ones that you will see in a game and more importantly should be worked on and practiced.

A hockey trip out East – Part IV

Details: Last Updated on Thursday, 24 January 2013 15:48

By Kevin Hartzell
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

After a great Christmas in Connecticut, we hung around to see the high flying Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks invade Hamden, Conn., and the hottest team in the country, the Quinnipiac Bobcats who were sporting a 10-game unbeaten streak. It’s always a mystery to know what to expect after the Christmas break at any level but especially in college hockey where the boys get three weeks off. Trips home to family are great, but these trips often include visits with old friends that often are more about renewing old acquaintances than they are getting to bed and staying in a training mode. I expected sloppy hockey upon the return to game play.

Gaining an edge

Details: Last Updated on Thursday, 24 January 2013 18:18

Northern Educate Academy in Eagan is bringing a new model of specialized education and training to young Minnesota hockey players

By Peter Knutson
Let’s Play Hockey

Look out Minnesota, there’s a new school in town. The Northern Educate Academy in Eagan is now in its second year of operation. When it first opened in 2011 at the Eagan Civic Center, there were seven kids enrolled. Today, there are over 90 kids in grades K-12 and over 200 on the waiting list to get in.

Why are there 200 kids waiting to get in? Because this is no ordinary school.

Integrate, don’t always isolate skills and athleticism

Details: Last Updated on Thursday, 17 January 2013 17:52

By Jack Blatherwick
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

Michael Jordan was (arguably) the best basketball player ever, but he was not the greatest shooter of all time, not the best ball handler or passer, even though he was great at each of these. He did not have the highest vertical jump, wasn’t the fastest or most agile, not the strongest, nor did he have the greatest endurance (measured in laboratory tests of aerobic capacity).

He was the best player, because he combined skills and athleticism into one package more effectively than anyone ever has. The same might be said of Wayne Gretzky, in the opinion of Russian coach, Anatoli Tarasov.

Changing how we teach – Part II

Details: Last Updated on Thursday, 17 January 2013 17:43

By John Russo
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

Note: This will be one of the articles (Chapter 4); Effective Practices) in John Russo’s soon to be published new book “Best of Coaches’ Corner - 26 Years.” Watch for it in 2013.

Last week I laid out the reasons why I believe we need to do things differently in practices for our youth teams. This increased self learning (lower coach involvement) philosophy harkens back when kids learned most of their hockey by themselves on outdoor rinks. It was also when individual hand and head skills were better and the youngsters had, I believe, more fun.

I would like to go to any arena for a day and watch Mite, Squirt, PeeWee and Bantam practices that don’t include:

Midwest Xposure hits lucky No. 7

Details: Last Updated on Thursday, 17 January 2013 17:38

The Midwest Xposure Tournament has had great competition in its first six years, but that competitive level is about to go even higher. Xposure, Co-Director and Fall Upper Midwest High School Elite League Director, John Russo, has announced that all Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota Elite League players will be discounted $100 apiece for 2013. That puts them in the Xposure for $249.

That, says tournament co-director, Tom Ward of Shattuck-St. Mary’s, “will increase the number of Elite League players up to roughly 90 and increase the quality of the tournament. Shattuck-St. Mary’s already puts a dozen or more players in the tourney. Russo commented that “this is a league sponsored event, so it is fitting that we invest some of the Elite League fees back into the players.