How Things Run
Above all else, this league is aimed at being a learning experience for all young players!
That in mind, we will work in "Phases" -- from one that incorporates as much drilling as game-play, to the final phases where our games are slightly more intense and more meaningful (with standings, playoffs and all). Throughout, however, team coaches will be using their time with the kids to help them with their game.
The Basics
- Loaner goalie equipment, pucks, a greaseboard, playground chalk and other necessary tools will be available at the rink.
- Goalies may be rotated each week, or a youngster may choose to be a regular (or fairly regular) goaltender. Please be sure the next-week's goaltender is assigned rather early.
- Be sure to collect team jerseys after each game, so that call-up* players can use the jerseys of missing players. All players get to keep their jerseys at season's end.
- Ask parents to have kids dressed and ready 10-minutes early for each off-ice session (see ideas for these below).
Phase I (First, We Have To Care...)
*Teams can skate shorthanded during this phase (so there is no need to borrow players).Major emphasis:
Get players to know their face-off positions REALLY well. (Early games will be 1-period, with not switching ends.) Gradually, start readying them for the calling of off-sides in Phase II.
By Coach Chic
Okay, I may have just as easily named this post "Where There's A Will There's A Way".
In either case, my real point is that ice-time is hard to come by, and practice ice will always be difficult to get -- for us coaches, parents and players. So, if we really care, and if we really think, there's a good chance we can find some alternative ways to get a job done.
Such was the case a few seasons ago as I wrestled with the choice between keeping my young Mighty Mites active on their practice ice, or wasting a lot of costly ice standing around to work on some basic positional skills. So, take a look at what we did, and then let me comment further after you see this short video...
As an aside here... I hope you noticed the repetition in my teaching, as well as the constant quizzing. I mean, we all said the word "center" or "centerman" so many times the kids had to get it. And, over subsequent weeks, they also ingrained the terms left and right "wingers", and left and right "defensemen". Then, when the time was right, we coaches drew chalk lines on the floor, and the kids practiced countless times dealing with the off-side rule.
Finally, although I'm sure some viewers are going to think this sort of off-ice practice is only meant for beginners, let me tell you that I would sometimes bring-out my chalk between periods as I coached my old high school and college teams. And, in subsequent seasons, even my older youth teams have been able to learn some high level strategies and tactics, because I kept a box of chalk handy to teach or review such things.
Yes, I happen to care. And, with that, I know there just has to be a way of getting a given job done.
League Guidelines
As the league progresses...
- Orient kids to the rink, its markings, game objective and face-off positions.
- Teams get to practice in their own ends (and at the center face-off circle) for the first 20-minutes, with the remaining 45-minutes used for a game
- During this phase, no new ice will be made between sessions
- Head coaches should assess players and assign them to "first" (strongest) or "second" (next strongest) lines
- First lines will then play against first lines, etc.
- Over the earliest weeks, some roster adjustments/trades may be made to keep teams as even as possible.
- It is recommended -- but not mandatory -- that players take turns as the team's goalie (gear is always available at the BIA front office (or in the lobby), and goalies should report early enough to get their gear and to dress in plenty of time for the on-ice segment)
- All coaches are permitted on the ice during Phase I -- for the practice portion and during games, with on-ice coaches reduced as the schedule goes along
- Initial games will be one period (or no switching ends), with later games consisting of two halves, then regular (3-period) games.
- We will start with 2-minute (buzzer) shifts, because lining-up for face-offs will likely be painfully time-consuming at first, although we might(?) experiment with shorter shifts as time goes along
- All face-offs will initially take place at center-ice (with the other dots and circles being phased in as players adapt)
- "Obvious" penalties should be called (with a penalized player only missing the remainder of a shift), and these should be used as "teaching moments" for ALL players
- No "official" game results or standings will be kept in the earliest weeks (this allows the focus to be on teaching and preparing for the real games)
- Coaches might point team parents towards the resources listed on the right side of this page (they have proven extremely helpful to many past beginner players
- Coach Chic DOES want your input as we go along... Our collective goal should be to make this the best teaching atmosphere possible (Email Coach Chic)
Suggestions (on prioritizing things)... Just lining-up for face-offs can be a challenge for a few weeks (while some players might even need help with which goals to attack and defend). Once these are established, we might move on to teaching the off-sides rule. Gradually, young players usually also need help learning to spread-out a bit instead of all bunching around the puck.
Make no mistake about it: more serious games will be coming as our schedule moves along, these to be played by traditional rules (like off-sides and icing). There will also ultimately be league standings, as well as end-of-season play-offs. So, we will probably all need the earliest weeks to help our young ones prepare for all that.
Phase II Updates - Coming
Entering the second phase of this league, it appears our young players are adapting well to their face-off positions, and even the off-side rule. (Good for the little ones! Good for the coaches!)Parents and coaches should expect a few player trades to be made over the next two weeks, this to create balance within the teams. (For sure, we want to keep a stable environment for the kids, and we know that it can be unsettling for a youngster to move. So, in the event this does happen, let's all -- parents and coaches -- try to put as positive a spin as possible on each move.)
In preparation for Phase III, Head Coaches are asked to begin firming their first and second lines. (Each team will need to ultimately submit these lines in writing prior to the start of Phase III.)
Attention Parents & Coaches:
- Coach Chic welcomes your input -- good, bad and ugly -- :) So, please feel free to email Dennis (<= by clicking that link) with your thoughts.
- Coach Chic is also putting together a promotional video for future Mighty Mite League candidates, and he'd love your positive feedback, recommendations, endorsements, etc, to add to that. (Please give permission to reprint if you'd be nice enough to contribute. Only a first name and last initial will be included with the endorsement.)
