The Hockey Think Tank Podcast

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to break down the 1-3-1 power play. How to be successful if you’re playing it - how to stop it if you’re killing against it.   TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and...

This week Topher and Jeff welcome former UMD captain and eight year pro player, Jon Francisco to the podcast! Following his hockey career, he served as a firefighter for 10 years in California and Wisconsin before leaving the fire service to build Francisco Hockey & 4Check Hockey which make major impacts in hockey, training, skills and safety. In this episode we talk about: — Fostering passion as...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs wants to talk about what coaches should be doing with their first practice of the season.   TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph welcomes the CEO of SkillShark, Neil Anderson, to talk about the innovative way their product makes the tryout and evaluation process so much easier and more efficient for organizers. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  As a partner of ours, remember to use our discount code Hockey20 when you visit SkillShark.com We appreciate every listen, download, comme...

This week Topher and Jeff welcome one of Vechs’ former teammates and 14 year pro, Olivier Latendresse. We dive into so many topics on the game and had an absolute blast! In this episode we talk about: — Being present and enjoying the hockey journey — The importance of versatility & hard work — Preparing for life after hockey - regardless of how long you play — An UNREAL Brett Hull story AND SO MUC...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs wants to talk about not only the importance of players learning how to talk to their coaches, but tips on HOW to effectively navigate initiating them.   TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abou...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about one of the biggest kesy to our game - puck protection!  TEN MINUTES STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week Topher and Jeff are flying solo and talking about one of the things that every player struggles with at some point: figuring out how to push yourself in practice on the hard days. You’re not going to feel your best every day, developing strategies to still get the best out of yourself on those days is what fosters success - in any endeavor. In this episode we talk about: — Realities of a...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about the things coaches need to consider when putting lines together - and the guys sound off on the types of players they liked playing with most.  TEN MINUTES STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about o...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, we are switching it up and Vechs is going first this week -  he wants to know what Toph misses most from the old playing days!  TEN MINUTES STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data fo...

This week Topher and Jeff welcome performance coach and former player, Jacob Newton. This is a must listen for some deep perspective on life, mental health, and optimal performance. Some of the topics discussed are sensitive and could be triggering (we do give you a heads up in the episode) - parents, you might want to listen first before hitting play with your kiddo in earshot. In this episode we...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs wants to talk about defense development and habits that young defensemen should be focused on to have success in today’s game. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use o...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk all things F1 and “Crazy Legs LoVecchio” is HERE FOR IT! Tips, tricks, and F1 hacks (play chess, not checkers) and habits is ON THE CLOCK! TEN MINUTES STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collecti...

This week Topher and Jeff welcome former NHL defenseman, Andrew Alberts to the podcast! Such an inspiring episode including playing with Zdeno Chara in Boston, the Sedins in Vancouver, and how a little belief from a mentor after getting cut at 15 changed his life. In this episode we talk about: — Playing Midget B at 15 to over 450 NHL games — How Zdeno Chara changed the Bruins — Defending the Sedi...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs is bringing his Twitter/X rant to the podcast with some opinions about advisors who don’t actually ADVISE. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about the challenges of how to coach top players who don’t buy in. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week Topher is flying solo and recorded LIVE from Nashville with Mike Berra and Kevin Muller of the Jr. Preds organization. Both have worked at multiple levels to grow the game and we had a fantastic conversation about community hockey, non-traditional markets, player development, and what it takes to make an impact as a coach in today’s youth hockey environment. In this episode we talk about...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs wants to talk about the roles of a coaching staff, and the differences between head coaches, assistant coaches, and the expectations to grow and develop in each role to be successful. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.a...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about finishing and the importance of players practicing having a finish mentality when it comes to shooting and scoring. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection a...

This week Topher and Jeff welcome Larissa Mills from The Mental Game Academy to the podcast for an eye opening conversation about how phone use and social media is affecting our kids (and adults, too). The data is staggering - from mental health and even to hockey sense and physical ability, this episode with Larissa is going to cause a lot of folks to pause and rethink the routines they employ wi...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs wants to talk about controlled breakouts - when, why, and how to use them effectively. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about D zone faceoffs (and how important they are for a team). TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week Topher and Jeff welcome newly promoted GM of the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL), Trevor Edwards, who is also the Program Director for the Pittsburgh Pens Elite youth program! Tremendous conversation about the journey from youth hockey to the elite levels and what the development process should look like for the health of the players and our sport. In this episode we talk about: — The pre...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs wants to talk about how parents can help their players when their confidence is low. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about some great ways to end a practice. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW!  We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.