Quinton Amundson
Whether you’ve coached at various levels of the game for decades or have an urge to serve behind a bench for the first time, Hockey Canada is here to empower and support you.
Benefits that come with utilizing the coaching resources section of the Hockey Canada website include:
During an appearance on Breakaway, The Minor Hockey Podcast, Mike Bara, Hockey Canada’s manager of coaching development, said that coaches must always strive for self-improvement.
“If we’re not developing as coaches, we’re certainly not helping our players. I think at the end of the day when you look at what we’re trying to do as coaches, it is to better the player.”
New Brunswick native Rob Mullaly, who coaches in the Fredericton Youth Hockey Association, abides by this philosophy, utilizing the Hockey Canada website to look up drills and sign up for coaching clinics. Mullaly, who has instructed at all levels of minor hockey, said what Hockey Canada offers is particularly valuable for coaches working with younger kids.
“Drills are nicely laid out and there is information on when they should be moving on to do a more advanced skill. [Hockey Canada] also has a lot of great games for kids to play that can be integrated into practice plans.”
Kyle Makaric, head coach of the Chatham Maroons in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, decided to enter the coaching ranks as soon as his playing career wrapped up with the University of Windsor in 2013. The coaching section of the Hockey Canada website was a boon for Makaric, providing clear instructions on how to sign up for a High Performance 1 coaching clinic.
He continues to find value in the literature that Hockey Canada makes available to coaches.
“There are some helpful articles on how much coaches should devote their practices to individual skill development and how much they should focus on team concepts. I think those resources are valuable as established coaches write them.”
The FAQ pages also hold value because they contain details about the NCCP, outline steps on how to become a hockey coach and it details why over 230,000 coaches in Canadian hockey have opted to complete Respect in Sport courses.
Check out the resources at HockeyCanada.ca/Coaching.