MYH Hockey Development

As a hockey club, it's important to have a plan and justification for what we do and why we do it. Ideally, our plans & practices evolve as we learn together. In general, we follow the guidelines provided in USA Hockey's American Development Model (ADM) & their Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) program. Learn more about the ADM & LTAD and what they recommend for our kids below.

MYH's Hockey Development Committee

Middleton Youth Hockey's Board approved a Hockey Development Committee to focus on and help guide player & coach development and hockey programming. You can learn more by reading the HDC's founding charter.

First things first: USA Hockey's American Development Model

In the early 2000s, USA Hockey had the sinking realization that they weren't producing high-level players at the same rate as European countries, particularly Scandinavian countries, and they needed to figure out why.

USA Hockey studied how youth hockey was being delivered in the U.S.A. and compared it to hockey nations that were creating elite players at a significantly higher rate, despite being much smaller countries. Their research led them to a few important conclusions and a new "American Development Model (ADM)" in 2009.

Seven Pillars of the ADM

Before we get too far in, just to make certain everyone see them...here are distilled ADM principles we should probably follow:

Practice more than you play.

Prioritize skill development over winning.

Use age-appropriate training and competition.

Maximize puck touches and decision-making through small-area games and stations.

Encourage multi-sport participation and well-rounded athletic development.

Create a fun environment that builds confidence and keeps kids playing.

Focus on long-term player development rather than short-term success.

USA Hockey's Findings While Creating the ADM

Ok, so back to what USA Hockey found when researching their relative failure to produce high-performing hockey players consistently in the early 2000s. In no particular order:

The best hockey nations emphasized development over early results.

Their emphasis on skill acquisition, enjoyment, and long-term participation consistently produced stronger players than systems focused on competing or winning at young ages.

Skill development happens primarily in practice - not games.

More puck touches, skating, and decision-making (practice) lead to faster development.

American kids were playing too many games and not practicing enough.

Athletes spent too much time traveling, competing, and recovering instead of preparing and developing. The balance of time in American youth hockey favored competition over deliberate training and skill acquisition.

Competition often came before players had built fundamental skills.

"There was too heavy a focus on the scoreboard result rather than the performance and individual skill development. This attitude led often to long-term failure, as coaches de-prioritized the development of skills to focus on specific game tactics."

Age-appropriate training creates better players and lifelong athletes.

Research showed that training matched to a child's stage of development builds more skilled players, lifelong athletes, and greater confidence and enjoyment.

Small-area games and station-based practices accelerate skill development.

Limiting space and increasing puck touches create more skating, puck possession, decisions, and game-like situations than full-ice drills, allowing young players to develop skills more efficiently through Squirts.

Kids were specializing too early.

"Too many athletes were specializing too early. An early focus on just one or two sports often led to injuries, burnout and capped athletic potential."

Fun, confidence, and long-term retention and participation matter more than early success.

Hockey has to be fun at every age.