Kim McCullough
What most girls’ hockey players won’t do
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- Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Most girls’ hockey players I know don’t play pick-up hockey. Either they don’t want to or they don’t think they have time to. But those who do are developing their game sense, their confidence with the puck and their ability to create time and space on the ice – all things that are essential to success at all levels of girls’ hockey.
Stickhandling for girls’ hockey players
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- Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Your ability to stickhandle effectively is another skill that can really make you stand out in girls’ hockey. It is important to note that stickhandling isn’t all about having the fanciest moves on the ice.
It’s about being able to beat people one-on-one while maintaining control of the puck. It’s about maximizing the distance between the player defending you and the puck so that you can beat them with speed and strength.
Body Checking in Girls' Hockey
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- Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
There is no full body checking in girls’ hockey, but there is checking. Checking is an essential skill for all hockey players - girls’ included. The bone-crushing body checks you see in NHL games are the highest and most aggressive level of checking. But there are 4 stages of checking below that all players must perfect - angling, containing, pressuring, contact, and then body checking. Boys are taught the essential aspects of contact very early on. Most boys practices I watch incorporate checking during their drills. But these skills are rarely addressed in the girls’ game at all.
Take your shot to the next level
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- Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Having a great shot in girls’ hockey is a huge asset, as most girls’ hockey players don’t shoot very well at all. It is actually a real compliment if someone tells you “you shoot like a guy.”
The biggest reason why girls don’t shoot well is that they don’t practice it nearly enough. I would guarantee that every young aspiring male hockey player willingly goes out in the driveway and will gladly shoot hundreds of pucks by themselves. Most girls’ hockey players won’t do this. But to be honest, the ones who end up playing at the next level always do.
One of the major reasons they get to the next level is their willingness to do things that their teammates and opponents aren’t willing to do. And going out in the driveway and practicing their shots for hours is one of those things most girls won’t do.
How to Build Character
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- Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Every year, I take my players from the PEAC School For Elite Athletes in Toronto on a road trip to the States to visit NCAA schools. We do this so that they can see firsthand what college hockey is all about. This fall, we went to Boston and visited Boston University, Northeastern and Harvard. We saw the teams practice, watched a game and got tours from the coaches themselves.
These tours are always an amazing part of the trip as they allow our kids to ask the coaches anything and everything about the college hockey experience. One question that the girls always ask is, “What do you look for most in players you are recruiting?”
And every single coach says, “CHARACTER.”