r/hockeycoaches

I have a few friends who started coaching, but had no idea how much happened outside of practices and games. Looking back, what's something you didn't realize would take so much of your time?

created this guide to email out to the parents right before the start of the season.

Please let me know what you think:

From your coaching staff

Once you enter the doors as a member of the Aces; you are a member of a large, rowdy, chaotic family. Your coaching staff will treat your children as our own; feel free to approach us with any concerns. There will be siblings running around every practice and game. They are usually surrounded by fellow Aces families, you do not need to worry.

Team Manager

We are fortunate enough to have a passionate team manager who wants our players to have an eventful and fun season. The Team Manager is the one looking for games for us to attend that are not at our home ice, or inviting teams to our ice. If you have questions about the schedule or anything about tournaments, please know that you likely will be sent to them to ask. If it is not on the ice, it likely falls within the scope of the team manager, so please be patient.

What to Expect at 8U

8U hockey is designed to help kids learn skating, puck control, teamwork, and sportsmanship in a fun environment. Expect lots of falling, lots of smiles, even some tears, and rapid improvement. Your child will learn both offense and defense, and if they want to be a goalie, we will afford them the opportunity to try. Although some players may prefer goalie; they will not stay goalie all season. As a general rule for home games, if a child spends one game as goalie, they will then spend 2 games “playing out”.

Hockey Parent Survival Guide

• Arrive 30–45 minutes early, preferably an hour, especially during tournaments. Chaos will happen, someone will forget stick wax or tape.

• Label EVERYTHING – your child will eventually forget something. It’s easier to return if labeled.

• Dry gear after every skate.

• Bring snacks and water. We will likely do a snack rotation for home games.

• Hockey families help each other. Someone will likely need tape, or help tying skates. We are all in this together.

 

 

 

 

Required Player Equipment

•         Helmet with cage

●        Neck Guard (Required per USA Hockey. You cannot get on the ice without one)

•         Shoulder pads

•         Elbow pads

•         Gloves

•         Hockey pants (breezers)

•         Shin guards

•         Hockey socks

•         Skates

•         Stick

•         Jock/Jill

•         Jersey

Gear Advice

Spend more on skates and helmets. Used gear is completely normal at 8U. Avoid buying oversized skates or expensive sticks too early. You do not need top of the line gear yet.

Where can I get gear?

Being in central Arkansas, it is extremely difficult to get gear at the last minute. Our local pro shop has some items, but if you’re looking for an upgrade, or they do not have your sizes, there are a few options:

Sideline Swap: Think of this as eBay/Amazon for new and used sports gear.  Type in what you need and it may be new or used.

Pure Hockey: Wal-mart for hockey gear. Online, or there are in-person stores in Dallas or St. Louis

Hockey Monkey: Direct Competitor for Pure Hockey.

Howie’s: Wax, laces, Tape

Facebook: The Aces have a swap group to sell/exchange gear and Aces swag.

Wait, you said wax?

Yes! Wax is applied to the blade of the stick to help keep ice and water from building up and ruining the tape quicker. It is not a make-or-break for your 8U player, but is a good thing to keep handy. There is no “schedule” of when to wax, so it’s up to your player/you. Definitely after a new tape job.

How to Size a Hockey Stick

When standing in shoes, the top of the stick should generally reach between the nose and chin. When standing on skates, it should usually fall around chin height. A stick that is too long can make puck handling more difficult for young players.

How to Dress Your Player

1. Base layer

2. Jock/Jill

3. Hockey socks

4. Shin guards

5. Hockey pants (breezers)

6. Skates (ensure to take the skate guards off)

7. Shoulder pads

8. Elbow pads

9. Jersey

10. Helmet (mouthguard if worn)

11. Gloves

I forgot XYZ, what do I do?

If it is a small item (wax, tape, etc.) seek out one of the more experienced hockey parents or one of the coaches, we likely will have spare to help you out. If it is neck guards, and there is no pro shop, please see a member of the coaching/support staff, we likely have a spare.

Basic Hockey Terms

Because 8U uses cross-ice (width) and half-ice hockey (length), some full-ice rules like icing and offsides usually do not apply yet.

Faceoff: How play starts or resumes.

Shift: A player's time on the ice before changing, typically 2 minutes per shift.

Butterfly: A goalie technique where the goalie drops to the knees.

Cross-Ice Hockey: Smaller playing areas designed for better development.

Crease: The blue painted area around the goalie. Players should avoid being in this area. It is the goalie’s home.

Tendy: The Goaltender

Celly: Celebration after a Goal. Usually in 8U play continues, but if play stops after a goal, a Celly is always appreciated.

Rink Etiquette

• Respect coaches and officials

• Let coaches coach

• Be careful around skate blades

• Keep rink doors closed -this is for the safety of our players.

• Support all players

Make the memories

It is a high probability that the games will be recorded for posting on Youtube(@streamtheaces). Feel free to tune in if you cannot attend the games, or if you have family unable to. Please remember that anything said near the camera may be heard by other families watching our children. It will also be live-streamed; so if you want the minute-by-minute, you will need to speak to the Team Manager about the streaming.

Understanding Skate Sharpening

The 'hollow' describes how deep the cut is in the skate blade.

• 1/2" = More grip and easier turning – This is where to start for 8U.

• 5/8" = More glide and speed

• 3/4" = Maximum glide, less bite

For most 8U players, 1/2" is a great starting point. Sharpen skates approximately every 8–15 hours of ice time or whenever your player starts slipping unexpectedly. If your player says the skates “feel slippery” (other than normal) then it may be time to sharpen skates.

The rink provides sharpening for a fee, but will not be available before home games. You can also ask a member of the coaching staff for sharpening and we will get you taken care of, their prices do vary based off coach.

Team Communication

Home game and schedule information will primarily be handled through TeamSnap. Ensure you are checking Teamsnap prior to home games to find out which team your child will be on. If you do not mark availability, they will not be assigned a team until arrival. Tournament weekends may use a separate group chat for quick updates.

Goaltending

As mentioned before, we will rotate the goalies for home games. During away games, we will have designated goalies who have shown skill and dedication. As this is a highly technical position with all different gear (literally everything is different) it is recommended to not buy goalie gear within the first season. Ensure your child will want to stay dedicated to the position.

This position is extremely difficult for everyone, and takes a special type of person to stay “in the crease”. Often times, their parents are more worried about how the goalie is doing than every other parent on the team. Often times, they will be pacing back and forth(this is normal), and they will tell the other goalie how good they are with saves.

Goalies can have a massive impact on the outcome of the game, so please ensure that we are uplifting them, not berating every missed block. At 8U the key is to learn and have fun. With that being said, the players will develop their own team’s way of how they treat their Tendy. Sometimes it’s simply patting them on the head at the end of the game, sometimes it’s skating after them and dog-piling. This is all normal, and expected. When we shake hands after a game, Goalies First. One final note: Our players should not intentionally touch the other team's goalie, nor should the other team touch ours.

House Games

This will be the majority of our games. We will play one game a week (schedule TBD). As mentioned before, please check Teamsnap for team assignments, and ensure you show up early enough to get your player dressed and allow them to warm up, and make sure we have enough on each team.

Friendlies/Tournaments(what are they, what are the types)

We will have multiple opportunities to travel to play other teams. Sometimes these will be Friendlies, where there will be nothing at stake except egos. Some of the teams we have played friendlies against in the past have been Northwest Arkansas, Springfield Missouri, and Shreveport Louisiana. No travel is required, and is always optional.

Tournaments are like any other sport, where there will be a trophy on the line. Typically we are playing on a blue division, which is a lower-tier team filled with new players. This gives our players a good chance to seek development, hockey IQ, and still have a good time. Some tournaments are Stay to Play, meaning we have to stay at a specific hotel in order to attend the tournament.

No matter what type of game we travel for, if there are team fees, they will be billed through TeamSnap amongst the players that showed up.

Final Thoughts

Your coaching and support staff is here for you and your player, in any way that we can. We are here to allow you to enjoy the game, and to answer questions about “why”. We also allow the players to build their own culture so they can take ownership in their team.

Every parent in the rink started out somewhere, so do not feel bad about asking questions. We will do our very best to ensure that you get all the answers you need to make a great experience for you as well.

Hockey can look intimidating from the outside, but hockey families quickly become like extended family. Enjoy the early mornings, the excitement after goals, the locker rooms blaring Katy Perry, and watching your child gain confidence every week. You are entering into a culture and sport like no other in Central Arkansas, and your coaching staff will do their absolute best to ensure that you enjoy the season and your player ends the season with a  passion for the sport and a new confidence in themselves.

I am a lifelong hockey player and wanted to get into the market of ai sports training apps, and there seems to be a large gap for hockey. I built a landing page to get beta users so they can see how the ai works and how in depth of a report it gives back. I plan to full launch soon with even more features you can check out on the site. Please let me know what you guys think!
Link: [atlashockey.net](http://atlashockey.net)
Insta: @atlashockeyai

Literally as the title says. Would appreciate any leads. I’m a beginner player