Youth Hockey Podcast

More opportunity for your kids to play high-level hockey in California. Leave it to Lance to connect all of the good fortune to the next generation of players. What a guy.

We are always looking at new technology for spreading the word about hockey to the kids and parents. Today we interview a Dallas dad who has come up with his own solution.

What does it take to run a rink? How can you get ice for your own club? These are questions we take on with a veteran of the ice hockey ups and downs in Las Vegas. Get all the answers without having to pay the luxury tax, or the resort fee.

What do you do when your local rink closes? Is it time to move? I'm joking of course, but many parents have been through this. Right now it is happening in the Valley at a rink both of my sons played for. They almost closed my home rink during Covid. The emotions run high.

Is there anything more sad than a family wandering around a rink without purpose? That's what happens my friends when the kids grow up. It's sometimes harrowing, but it does give the whole community some perspective on what it is like to step away from the ice as a player and as a fan.

How does that work? Lance talks about how scouts have guaranteed him that points don't matter then in the next comment let him know that a point a game is a must.

The merry band of podcasters discuss the merits of leaving a team. It's not always cut and dry, but there are signs. Read the signs and save your family some frustration. Ice is hard.

Corwin wants to know what event produced the happiest moment for each of the podcasters this year. Lance is big on college hockey prospects. Randall loves talking about his daughter, but realizes that it's unhealthy to stack that much pride on top of one 15-year-old girl. Corwin matches them both with enthusiasm and the insight of someone who has been around the sport all his life.

Thanksgiving. Is it a time for quiet reflection on the things we all have to give thanks for, or another opportunity for your kid to skate? Christmas. We all love it. Is there time for hockey AFTER it?

Lance talks about his costs now that youth hockey is over. Corwin talks about the accountability of players and how that shifts in circumstances. Randall talks about how hockey world builds better people (not the parents, the kids).

Randall talks about getting kids to start being critical of their own games. Corwin talks about how watching hockey makes a better hockey player. Lance talks about the balance of hockey and summer.

Randall knows his Canadian TV. He brings up the idea of hockey levels and parent satisfaction. Corwin loves the idea of coaches being one of the barometers of success. Lance doesn't understand what it's like to have his kids on anything less than AAA.

Lance wants to know why people are so violent in the stands. The anger that is in the sport is perhaps growing. Corwin talks up the social media winners. Randall wants to know why his parents never came to his games. Wasn't he special?

Coach wants to talk about how one gets into coaching in the US. The steps are really interesting. Lance wants to know if systems are part of hockey coaching training. Randall shows his love for Canada by responding to the new information that Canada day is being celebrated all over the 49th parallel.

Corwin talks about puck possession and how it applies to strategy. Lance wants to know more about how kids learn how to make good decisions on ice. Randall runs the numbers for the Nation Women's teams of Canada and US.

Out of order, but still just as fun. We had to post our nationals podcast early. Lance talks about the smartest way to end a game. Corwin gets into the safety of kids on the ice. How the coach has to be the final say. Randy gets into the tactics of hockey. He loves it when a plan beats up brute force.

Randall thanks a special fan of the podcast. It's so cool meeting people who love the podcast. We were at nationals and we had the warmest welcome. Lance explains how to get noticed at tryouts. Corwin gives the coaches' experience watching a tryout. First to the puck is his motto.

Playoff hockey in the youth world. Everything is coming down to spring. Lots of new things for a young hockey player. Lance talks about how different coaches (on the same team) managed games. When one coach was missing, the style of play changes. The favored players changed. It was a chaotic mess and he loved every minute of it. That's my take. :) Corwin talks about how teams see each other in...

Randall looks into a few flashes in the pan who were aided by early maturity. There are kids who will appear at 12u and just rocket past the kids. Are they benefiting from a mirage? Lance has several examples of how kids have been pushed to the top by growth spurts only to come back to the pack later. Corwin amplifies this with talk about hockey birthdays.

Lance talks about the 10-7 rule in college hockey. He knows about how to get your kid ready for college with course choice preparation in high school. Corwin talks about the Canadian college process. Randall has a game relating to world juniors. Corwin knows the kid who helped put the US on top this year.

Lance got an email about a five-year-old hockey player. The question was: how do they start out and then get to where his kids got? Corwin talks helmets and kids. Randall talks about how the fit of the skates makes all the difference.

Randall goes through the reporting on the top twenty youth hockey scandals as presented by AI. Corwin has a more personal approach. Lance thinks that every team his kid played on were choirboys and the other teams are filled with thugs.

Lance talks about how people are quitting hockey in their teens. Corwin is a bit shocked by the number. He talks about how it might be part of the lower levels. Randall makes a point about AAA girls teams.

Club envy. So many people go there. Is it the best place to vacation? Does your kid get lost in travel because of swaps? Lance knows how to get from one club to the next. Corwin thinks that San Diego needs more clubs to jump around to.

Lance talks about how reputation shapes a season. There are kids who get a lot of attention because of who they are. Randall gives some much needed perspective on how Lance's kids were perceived. Corwin knows how to put all the pieces in place for the players who have a reputation regardless of level.