Breakaway, The Minor Hockey Podcast

Host Aaron Wilbur of The Coaches Site and Ian Taylor, the Executive Director of the OMHA, catch up after the off-season and chat about the Player Pathways as skaters return to the ice for another year of minor hockey.

While all parents get involved with coaching their kid's team for all the right reasons, there are times when their hearts may get in the way of doing what's best for the team as a whole, or even doing what's best for their child. How do you figure out that balance? Guest Bio: Jay McClement is a retired NHL veteran of 10+ seasons and a Kingston native who returned home to coach his son's U9 AAA Ki...

Skating has evolved over the years from just a  focus on strides to now involving edges, angling, crossovers and so much more. What's the best way for coaches to work with their players to teach this important skill? Guest Bio: Viktor Kraatz is a former ice dancer who competed in three Olympics

Coaches know the value of practice time. Coming in prepared and with a plan of what you will be teaching can save precious minutes. Practices are where players can learn how to best be effective on the ice. Guest Bio: Tom Ward is the Head Coach of the Shattuck-St. Mary's Boys Prep Team in Minnesota. 

As players get older, situational awareness becomes more important as part of their Hockey IQ. How can players build this over the years and what can they look for in skill development? Guest Bio: Brendan Taylor is an Assistant Coach with the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads.

It's a tradition every holiday season for TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. Every year he puts his annual callout for submissions to his Twitter account of backyard hockey rinks from across the country. They come in all shapes and sizes, each with their own personal touch. As the weather gets consistently cold enough for outdoor rink season, Dreger shares how he turned backyard rinks into a passio...

Former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy says we need to continue to learn important lessons and do better after former Chicago Blackhawk Kyle Beach recently shared his story about how he had been sexually assaulted by a former video coach with the team more than a decade ago. Guest Bio: Sheldon Kennedy, Respect Group

Over the last decade, how has the modern NHL player changed? That's the first question moderator Scott Wheeler, a national reporter with The Athletic covering the NHL Draft and prospects, posed to his elite panel during the Virtual Hockey Summit. Three unique answers were given from three unique panelists, namely Chris Abbott, GM of Rogle BK in the SHL, Trevor Georgie, president & GM of the QMJHL'...

Coaches are always looking for the best ways to get the most out of their players during practice. Over the course of the season players will use this time to improve on their skills and understand different concepts. One of the ways this is done is through small area games. Adding competition to skill development and practices keeps these drills fresh and players engaged. Guest Bio: Derek Miller,...

Team fundraising is a crucial part of minor hockey to help offset some of the costs that come up during the season. From tournament fees to registration, the tried and tested methods of car washes and bottle drives have lasted for years. Over the last two seasons we've had to come up with new ways to raise money safely and lots of teams have turned to online platforms like FlipGive that make the p...

Tryouts and evaluations can be stressful for everyone involved. For players, there is pressure to perform well in a short amount of time in your first time back on the ice after the summer. Coaches need to evaluate a large number of players at the same while parents are hoping for a positive experience for their children. Is there any way to make this easier for everyone? Guest Bio: Chris Knutson,...

We've finally hit the day on the calendar we've had circled for months - hockey is back! We're excited as ever to come back to the rink and get back to the game we love. While we are still taking precautions off the ice such as masking as physical distancing in the dressing room, on the ice we are returning to traditional five on five gameplay. Guest Bio: Ian Taylor is the OMHA Executive Director

Hosts Aaron Wilbur and OMHA Executive Director Ian Taylor take a look back at some of their favourite guests and topics from the 2020-2021 season of Breakaway, The Minor Hockey Podcast.

The U7, U9 and U11 Player Pathways create consistency in all programming across the country and a seamless transition for players based on the Long Term Player Development model. The Pathways provide local minor hockey associations a framework of age appropriate development guidelines which includes an optimal seasonal structure. Guest Bio: Corey McNabb, Manager of Player Development at Hockey Can...

Skill development takes time and creating good habits. Focusing on specific areas of improvement and seeking feedback are two of the top ways to have purposeful improvement. How can players use this time away from the rink to make sure they are practicing the right way? Guest Bio: Scott Jones, Player Development with Vegas Golden Knights

It's a tradition every holiday season for TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. Every year he puts his annual callout for submissions to his Twitter account of backyard hockey rinks from across the country. They come in all shapes and sizes, each with their own personal touch. As we try to squeeze in the last few days of winter and outdoor rink season Dreger shares how he turned backyard rinks into a...

We've been spending the last few weeks in our basements, garages, driveways and backyards working on our stickhandling and shooting as we await a safe return to the rink. As we improve our skills at home the question remains - how can we turn all of this hard work on our backyard rinks back into success in practices and games? Guest Bio: Tim Turk has been an NHL Shooting and Scoring coach for over...

Willie O'Ree changed hockey forever on January 18, 1958 as the first black player in the NHL. His journey of resilience and determination was showcased in the documentary Willie. Now, you can facilitate a meaningful lesson around social justice and racism through Willie's experience using the Classroom Champions, the NHL and the Willie Doc Team's educator's guide, a tool for parents, teachers, clu...

Let's talk about the mental side of sports. If there's one thing we've realized during the last few months is that mental health is so important for our players. Often when we think of the mental aspects of hockey it involves grit, mental toughness and an old school mindset. What happens when the helmets and skates are back in the bag and players are back at home during the current pandemic? The i...

When coaches talk about working hard and playing the game the right way, what exactly do they mean? Working hard isn't just skating around the ice at full speed all game. It is a skill just like stickhandling and shooting. Determining the purpose and focus for your players is what it comes down to. Guest Bio: Andre Tourigny - Ottawa 67's Head Coach, Team Canada World Juniors Head Coach

For a career that has spanned multiple World Junior Championships and countless seasons behind the desk during TSN Tradecentre, Duthie's experiences have given him a different viewpoint of the minor hockey experience. Duthie's son played in the OMHA throughout his youth and he can relate to the ups and downs of being a minor hockey parent. Guest Bio: James Duthie, TSN Hockey Host

Mike Weaver never stopped working. At 5'8" and 185 lbs, many touted him as being undersized, especially for a defenceman. Weaver learned what he excelled at what he knew his skillset offered and turned it into 11 NHL seasons manning the blueline. Now retired, the Brampton native has taken on his next challenge as co-founder and CEO of CoachThem. Guest Bio: Mike Weaver, former NHL d-man and now co-...

Kids don't improve based on the outcome of games. They grow in an environment where emphasis is placed on deliberate skill development and hard work. Jamie Storr isn't afraid to think outside the box when it comes to minor hockey. Guest Bio: Jamie Storr - former NHL goalie and now the co-owner, President and General Manager and Head Coach of the Oakville Blades

It's the dream of any hockey player around the world: to win the Stanley Cup. Few are lucky enough to call themselves champions and it's always a special moment when someone from your own backyard gets the honour of raising the trophy above their heads. That's the case for Aurora native and OMHA grad Barclay Goodrow, capturing Lord Stanley's mug with the Tampa Bay Lightning a few short weeks ago....

Social media has become an everyday part of our lives, even more than that, it's something that we check every few hours. With the ability to connect with all of our friends and teammates across multiple platforms, sharing pictures, notes and messages has never been easier. However, there is also a negative side to constantly being aware of what is being said about you. Guest Bio: Mike McKenzie, G...