A Giant Leap For
Young Players
Youth Hockey Programs Look to Make a Safe and Smooth Transition
from Squirts to Peewees for Players and Parents
By Lindsey Boone
It’s
a jungle out there, especially when you’re a 10-year-old hockey player on
the cusp of playing Peewee hockey. There are so many things to think about
before you reach that all-important age when checking is first introduced into
the game.
And imagine what it’s like for mom and dad as they watch from the
bleachers the first time their son gets his first taste of full-contact hockey.
How will the pint-sized player respond when he’s crunched by some
overgrown Peewee player who looks like he drove himself to the rink? How will
mom and dad deal with it as they watch helplessly from the other side of the
glass?
Monica Buller is team manager of the Peewee AA Junior
Tigers in
“I’m not too excited about my baby getting hit, but it is part of
the game,” she says.
Buller’s husband, James also grew up with the
game. He sees the fear involved with checking as a natural reaction to a new
experience.
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“I’m
not too excited about my baby getting hit, but it is part of |
“They
are all keen about hitting, until they realize that they get hit back,”
he laughs.
There’s no doubt that the transition from Squirt to Peewee hockey can be
an emotionally and physically tumultuous time for both players and their
parents. But every Squirt-aged player and his parents can take comfort, though,
in the fact that they are not alone in this journey into the unknown. There is
a roadmap in place to help everyone involved navigate through this uncharted
territory and make a smooth and safe transition to the next level of hockey.
Checking is a merely tool, a means to produce results within the game, and not
an arbitrary flash of violence put in place for spectator enjoyment. The goal
of a check is to separate the opponent from the puck, and not from
consciousness.
“You’re not out there to hurt anybody, you’re just trying to
create time and space between you and the opponent,” says Mark Grignano, head coach of the Junior Tigers Squirt B team.
Coaches across the board agree that education and preparation are integral
factors in the successful transition to body contact hockey.
“You can’t just throw them in there on the first day,” says
Mike Taylor, an assistant coach of the Colorado Springs Junior Tigers Squirt B
team.
The young players need to be prepared for the challenges that go along with the
higher level of playing.
“More than anything, it is teaching them how to take a hit,” says
Pete Geronazzo, a local Peewee AA coach who was an
All-American at
At the beginning of each season, Geronazzo teaches
his players not only how to deliver, but also to receive a check. He stresses
the idea that the point is to separate the puck, not to “lay somebody
out.”
The training should actually begin at the Squirt level, where coaches teach
players about angling and body positioning. Then, by the time they reach
Peewees, checking is only that little bump at the end of the play.
USA Hockey’s Coaching Education Program has also developed tools to
assist coaches through this stage in the hockey player’s career. From
literature to interactive videos to the new coaching workshop, “Checking
the
Kevin Keenan, the president of the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association,
teaches checking clinics during the summer to help players prepare for their
first foray into the physical world of hockey. Players are taught the basic
principles of checking and other body contact situations, such as how to take a
check without getting hurt. More importantly, Keenan teaches players never to
check from behind..
While Keenan admits that nobody is going to learn everything about checking in
a three-day clinic, they will get the basics. “It is then the
coaches’ responsibility to reinforce those ideals,” he says.
Here’s a secret, though. It seems that Squirt-aged players aren’t
nearly as nervous about checking as their parents may be. Hayden Perea is looking forward to a faster-paced game where he
can grow as a player.
J.P. Nolette has been waiting a long time to be able
to check. When he makes the move to Peewee next season, he won’t be
afraid to be on the receiving end, either. His plan is simply to get faster and
make sure that nobody can catch him.
Travis Work and Derek Hammer are both excited just to keep playing their
favorite game next year, even if there is some fear of “getting
leveled.” But they know that they will be fine if they just keep
their heads up.
All of these kids look positively to the challenge of more contact in their
sport. In fact, most are excited for the chance to use checking as a tool to be
a better player. Which is the whole point anyway.
Still, all the education and pep talks are all fine and dandy, but the fact
remains that there is a drop off of kids reaching the Peewee level. So what is
the cause of this drop? Is body contact too much for some players to handle? Is
fear stifling the development of some of our young hockey players? Or can mom
and dad simply not take the anxiety of watching while their little ones are
bounced around the boards like ping pong balls?
No one really knows why there is such a drop off at the Peewee level. Perhaps
the drop is the result of athletes who play multiple sports deciding to focus
on something other than hockey.
Take solace, though, in numbers. They have shown in recent studies that the
occurrence of injuries in post-checking hockey is only marginally higher than
non-checking. The vast majority of injuries in youth hockey occur as a result
of accidental collision.
Still, the most experienced hockey people say that it’s never easy
watching their little tike get his first taste of physical contact.
Mike Sullivan’s day job may be as assistant coach for the Tampa Bay
Lightning, but he is still a hockey parent and a fan of the game.
Early on in his son’s playing career, Sullivan wondered if waiting to
introduce contact until Peewees was helping or hurting his development. After
weighing the on pros and cons, Sullivan’s son participated in both USA
Hockey-sanctioned leagues and non-sanctioned leagues, which promote checking
even earlier. After seeing first hand the differences in development, he is on
board with USA Hockey’s timetable to introduce checking into youth
hockey.
“It is difficult for them to acquire skills when they are too worried
about getting hit,” he says. “Non-contact [youth hockey] allows
them the opportunity to acquire those skills in a safe environment.”
Sullivan says that parents need to understand that hockey by nature is
confrontational, that there is a physical nature to the game. But also, players
need leadership from their coaches to not teach intimidation as a tactic to
win, but to teach skills for separating the puck.
The fear involved in checking as unavoidable, Sullivan says, but adds that
it’s the responsibility of parents and coaches to manage that fear. If
contact is introduced as a function of the game, and confidence is built with
other basic skills, the transition can go smoothly.
“Look at youth hockey in terms of developing the athlete,” Sullivan
says. “We want gritty players, but we want skilled players. It’s a
delicate balance.”
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