Team Personnel, Roster, PeeWee BB, Rep Hockey, 2019-2020, Rep (Erin-Hillsburgh Minor Hockey Association)

Your hockey background:  Started hockey at age 8, played AAA hockey in Bantam and moved to Jr B hockey at 15, Played University hockey in Michigan, Played various senior men’s leagues

Your coaching history:  Coached minor midget AAA and Jr hockey in Western Canada ( non-parent )
Along with Steve Busby, developed the EH Chip program
Developed the Wizards spring hockey organization
Worked with the i-train hockey organization
Built and ran first Select 6 and Select 7 program in EH
Coached Novice BB – Provincial Champions
Atom BB – Tri -County Champions
Women’s hockey: PeeWee Tier 1 – Provincial Champions
Bantam Tier 1 – Lower Lakes Silver Medalist
Midget Tier 1 – Provincial Champions
Successfully developed 14 female players into NCAA Div 1 schoolarships and 2 players chose Canadian U-sports opportunities.  Out of 17 players.  

What you are looking forward to accomplishing with your team this coming season:
FUN – A cliché as it sounds, we forget all the time that hockey is a game and the kids play for fun.  I will make sure my team has the most fun this season.

Development – There are many different development opportunities for these kids, skating, shooting, individual tactics, team tactics.  But we also overlook the life skills we engrain in these kids, development of hard work, respect, resiliency, working with others and how to overcome obstacles and challenges.  We will look to ensure the players finish the season not only better hockey players but better people.

Competition – This is representative hockey and every player and family starts the season with an expectation to win.  Depending on the group of athletes there are many different ways to win and be competitive.  As we go through the tryout process and select a team we will select our team goals over the summer and start executing in the fall.  

What you will be looking for at tryouts:      
Relentless drive - will the player do whatever it takes to win a battle, a game of hockey is made up of hundreds of little battles all wrapped up in an hour of fun.  If you win more little battles than your opponent you will be successful (Blocking shots, back checking, winning the battles for pucks in the corners, being physical without taking a penalty)
Team first mentality – will the player do what’s right for the team first before their own personal success.  As an example on a 2 on 1 will the player make the right pass versus taking a selfish shot   (Passing, passing, passing, positional play, thinking two steps ahead of the puck and then passing)  

Willingness to learn – every kid that comes to the tryout is an athlete but some athletes are not willing to learn, effort combine with the willingness to learn are the fundamental pieces I will be looking for