Dan Timko

Coaches from all over Western Pennsylvania descended upon the Consol Energy Center to take part in the USA Hockey American Development Model Coaching Clinic Monday night.  Coaches took part in both classroom and on ice instruction to learn more about the program and how to instruct their players using this new model.  The Pittsburgh Penguins invited more than sixty coaches to the event who were advised by Scott Paluch and Bob Mancini; both are Regional Directors for USA Hockey’s ADM Program.

Coaches were first went ‘back –to-school’ for a classroom style seminar and discussion session where they learned about the techniques and goals of the American Development Model.  This program from USA Hockey provides age-appropriate guidelines and curriculum to hockey associations all over the country to promote the sport of youth hockey and to help kids excel on and off the ice.  The ADM program allows for kids of all ages to get a better grasp of the skills they need to excel in the sport of hockey while making it more affordable to the parents.

“This program is not only about making the sport cheaper for the families who take part in youth hockey,” USA Hockey instructor and former development coach for the Edmonton Oilers Bob Mancini said. “The program was developed to give kids improved and age specific instruction while lowering the cost of the sport.”

After the off-ice instruction the coaches laced up for an hour long practice in which the USA Hockey Instructors played the roles of coaches and the Pittsburgh coaches took part in the drills they will use on their players.  Coaches first took part in a quick game of freeze tag in order to loosen up and then were broken up into groups to take part in six different stations.  Skating, stick-handling and FUN were the primary focus in all six sections.

In one drill, coaches played a game of keep away in which two coaches stood between six other coaches who were passing the puck back and forth.  When a pass was intercepted the coach in the middle took the place of the coach whose pass was intercepted.  Another drill featured coaches skating back and forth doing a series of twists and jumps to improve their skating.  Every six minutes a USA Hockey Instructor would blow a whistle and the coaches would do a series of jumping jacks before moving onto the next station.

“This program was developed to cater to the mindset of a child ten years old and younger,” Bob Mancini said when asked about how the model is designed to impact kids. “We want to cater to a child’s competitiveness while making the practice more fun.  Kids will always be moving and will always have a puck on their stick.”

The American Development Model puts more kids on the ice at a time allowing for lower ice time cost but keeps kids from standing still while waiting for team mates to finish a particular drill.  By breaking a group of sixty kids into smaller groups, the kids will always be taking part in the drill, which allows them to get more from their ice time.  As children age and develop their skills the amount of people on the ice decreases allowing for a more personal experience with their coaches.

For more information on the American Development Model please check out www.admkids.com.  Be sure to check out Pens TV later this week for a video of the PAHL, USA Hockey and Pittsburgh Penguins ADM clinic at the CONSOL Energy Center.