MAHA Squirt In-House Program

https://www.minnesotahockey.org/news_article/show/1060586

“Player development is what we need to focus on, not winning and losing at the Squirt level. Nobody becomes Patrick Kane at a nine or ten-year-old level. It’s a process. These kids need to go through a lot of growing before they get to that stage. The squirt/10U level might be the most important time for these kids to develop.”

 

What is the Squirt In-House Model?

The Squirt In-House Model was implemented within MAHA in the 2021-2022 season, with the intention being that we as an association place our focus on player skill development. To start the process, Squirt players will take part in one on-ice skating timing session. Skating timing will consist of drills that test players forward skating, backward skating, puck handling, speed, and acceleration.

  • The number data gathered from the timing session will allow us to then place the players into different teams for the start of the In-House portion.
  •  Sunday October 6th players will be placed on their In-House teams.
  • These initial teams are designed to be divided as evenly as possible from a numbers and skill level standpoint to develop and push kids from top to bottom. These groups will be designated a jersey color for the In-House program (for example: Green, Red, Black, White, Yellow, Etc), that will be the in-house team they will practice with and be on for Saturday Game Days.
  • The team’s players are placed on during the In-House portion does not mean they are going to be on the A, B1, B2, or C team for the season, there is no significance or meaning behind these color teams other than to split them into their even groups. These teams will spend the next 6-8 weeks rotating through practicing and playing games amongst each other.

Our goal during the 6–8-week Squirt In-House model is to focus on skill development for the players. During this development period we want kids to focus on enjoying the game of hockey and working to develop different aspects of their game. They should not be worried about or looking at this as a 6–8-week tryout. This is a 6–8-week In-House Development Program designed for them to get a lot of repetitions and work on their skating, puck skills and hockey sense. As the practices hone in on developing players skills through repetitions in station-based practices, the game days will provide players more opportunities to apply those skills and concepts in game situations.

 

What are the benefits of the Squirt In House Model?

The benefits of the Squirt In-House model are to give our Squirt age players more on ice time to continue to develop their individual skills (skating, puck handling, hockey sense, etc). It is very important for them at this stage in their hockey development that they spend time working on these specific skills in a controlled, station specific practice setting, in which they can perform drills in tight areas and increase the amount of puck touches they get in a practice. We aim to increase players development by:

  • Increased puck touches
  • Repetition of critical hockey skills
  • Weekly game days to facilitate competition
  • Tight area drills to increase reaction time
  • Active involvement in drills

 

What is the focus?

  • Skating – Working on developing proper technique as a skater so that the players can improve their speed and acceleration. By working on their technique at this age they can continue to grow and develop the appropriate skating habits: good knee bend, chest up, striding all the way out and using their edges efficiently.
  • Puck Handling – Working on getting the players plenty of puck touches throughout practice. By putting the players in small area drill situations, it forces them to handle pucks in tight which allows them to get comfortable moving with the puck in different directions. Developing good puck handling skills will allow them to grow not only their stick handling efficiency but also get them comfortable making and receiving passes.
  • Hockey Sense – By working in tight areas, we’re forcing the players to make quick decisions both with and without the puck. Working on the reaction speed and forcing them to make quick hockey decisions will help them understand and know the plays they should be making within game situations.

 

Please contact Carter Foguth IF:

  • You have any questions, comments, concerns with any of the information above.
  • If your son or daughter intends to play goalie, whether that be full time or half the time.
  • If you’re interested in coaching for the season and have not been contacted yet.

Carter can be reached at hockeyoperations@mankatohockey.com