Former pro has developed a tool for coaches and players
“Under pressure, we do not rise to the occasion, but rather sink to the level of our training.”
The quote, often used by the U.S. Navy SEALs, has long applied to elite performance. For former professional player and coach Nate DiCasmirro, it applies perfectly to hockey.
Born in Canada and raised in Burnsville, Minnesota, DiCasmirro played in the USHL, earned Player of the Year honors, and went on to a standout career at St. Cloud State University, finishing among the school’s all-time scoring leaders. He then played 17 professional seasons and more than 1,000 games before transitioning into coaching, including time with the Iowa Wild and overseas in Austria.
Through every level of the game, DiCasmirro learned one thing above all: preparation determines performance.
Nate Dicasmirro“As a player, I only had to make sure I was ready,” DiCasmirro said. “As a coach, I realized I had to make sure a whole staff and a whole team were ready — every single day.”
That shift led him to study how successful coaches stayed organized. The common thread? They all kept detailed notebooks and journals.
So DiCasmirro began doing the same — writing down practice plans, systems, game notes, and development ideas. Over time, he realized he was rewriting the same structure over and over again.
That idea became the foundation of XEDGE Hockey, a line of journals and notebooks now used by coaches and players across the game — including custom-designed team journals created for NHL organizations such as the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Ducks.
In addition to its core product line, XEDGE also offers fully custom cover and logo options for teams at every level, allowing organizations to align their journals and notebooks with their identity, culture, and development philosophy. From youth programs to professional organizations, teams can customize covers with their logos, colors, and branding while keeping the same proven internal structure.
The Four Core XEDGE Hockey Tools
XEDGE’s system is built around four core products, each serving a specific role in preparation and development:
The Hockey Coaches Journal
Designed to help coaches plan, review, and reflect throughout the season. It includes structured sections for game reviews, player meetings, staff notes, and season-long planning — giving coaches a clear framework to stay organized and intentional.
The Hockey Player Journal
Built for players who want to take ownership of their development. The journal guides athletes through daily focus, weekly goals, and season reflection, helping turn habits and awareness into consistent improvement.
The Hockey Notebook
A flexible, hockey-specific notebook used for game notes, system breakdowns, scouting, and idea capture. It’s a simple but intentional tool for staying organized at the rink or on the road.
The Hockey Practice Plan Notebook
Created to streamline practice design. Coaches can build efficient practices, track what works, and make adjustments over the course of the season — making practices more purposeful and productive.
Together, these four tools form a complete preparation system, connecting planning, execution, review, and development into one continuous loop.
“They help coaches and players stay focused, prepared, and organized all season long,” DiCasmirro said. “When you know where everything is, you can spend more time actually coaching and developing players.”
Looking back, DiCasmirro says he wishes he had used a player journal during his playing career.
“Athletes are always looking for that little extra edge,” he said. “The journals give you a way to earn that edge through preparation, reflection, and consistency.”
Just like Navy SEALs, hockey players and coaches don’t default to hope — they default to their habits. Preparation doesn’t only happen on the ice or in the weight room. It happens in how you think, plan, review, and reflect.
With the Hockey Coaches Journal, Hockey Player Journal, The Hockey Notebook, and Hockey Practice Plan Notebook, that preparation now has a structure — and that structure can be the difference between being ready… and being great.
If the best coaches in the world rely on notebooks to stay organized and prepared, maybe the real question is simple:
Why wouldn’t you?
