Hello Hockey Friends And Families Around The World!

The Our Kids Play Hockey family of podcasts is hosted by a team of expert hockey parents and coaches who deliver essential tips, strategies, and stories to help guide hockey families on and off the ice.

Recent Episodes

546
July 15, 2026

What NHL Scouts Really Look For in Young Players with Former NHLer and NHL Scout Patrick Rissmiller

🏒 What does an NHL scout really notice—and are youth hockey families focusing on the wrong things? Former NHL player, development coach, and current Anaheim Ducks scout Patrick Rissmiller joins Lee, Christie, and Mike for an honest conversation about how hockey players actually develop. Patrick’s path was anything but automatic. He went undrafted, entered professional hockey on a tryout, earned an American Hockey League contract, and eventually built a 13-year professional career that inclu...
545
July 14, 2026

Our Girls Play Hockey: How Players Can Get More From Every Hockey Camp

🏒 Is your player attending hockey camp—or simply spending more time on the ice? Hockey camps can be an incredible opportunity for girls to improve their skills, meet new teammates, build confidence, and rediscover their love for the game. But with so many camps available, how can families tell the difference between a meaningful development experience and an expensive week that offers little lasting value? In this episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Olympic gold medalist and PWHL ...
544
July 10, 2026

The Ride to the Rink: You Become Who You’re Around — A Youth Hockey Mindset Lesson with Doug Smith

🚗🏒 What kind of hockey player are you becoming — and what kind of person are you becoming along the way? On this episode of The Ride to the Rink, powered by NHL Sense Arena, Lee and Mike are joined by former NHL player Doug Smith — a second overall NHL Draft pick and a member of the legendary Miracle on Manchester, one of the greatest playoff comebacks in NHL history. But today’s message goes far beyond goals, skating, and hockey highlights. Doug speaks directly to young players about identit...
543
July 8, 2026

Former NHLer Doug Smith on Hockey, Identity, and Rebuilding Your Life After the Game

🏒 What happens when the game you’ve built your identity around is suddenly taken away? This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli sit down with Doug Smith, former NHL forward, 1981 second-overall draft pick, Ottawa 67s standout, Bobby Smith Award winner, and one of the most powerful voices in hockey when it comes to resilience, recovery, and perspective. Doug’s story is extraordinary. After being drafted second overall and playing for NHL teams including the Los Angeles Kin...
542
July 3, 2026

The Ride to The Rink: How Young Hockey Players Can Build Skills On and Off the Ice

🏒 Want to become a better hockey player? It’s not just about what you do during practice — it’s about the habits you build everywhere else, too. On this episode of The Ride to The Rink, Lee, Mike, and Christie are joined by Coach Andrew, a high-level junior hockey coach and former NCAA player, to talk directly to young skaters and goalies about what really helps players improve. Andrew breaks down the balance between skill development and team systems, why younger players should spend most of t
541
July 1, 2026

Beyond the Scoreboard: Andrew Trimble on Youth Hockey Development That Lasts

🏒 What really makes a hockey player better — more ice, a higher-level team, a longer commute, or the right culture? This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, and Christie Casciano-Burns sit down with Andrew Trimble, GM and co-owner of the New England Wolves Hockey Club, founder of Scoring Concepts, and author of Beyond the Scoreboard. Andrew has coached from learn-to-skate all the way to the collegiate level, giving him a rare perspective on what true development looks like at
540
June 29, 2026

Our Girls Play Hockey: Hayley Scamurra’s New PWHL Chapter in Las Vegas (A Day in the Life Series)

🏒 What happens when you win a championship, celebrate the biggest season of your career—and then learn that your entire professional future may be changing? In the first Day in the Life episode of the new season, Olympic gold medalist and Walter Cup champion Hayley Scamurra joins Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli to discuss her next major chapter: signing a three-year agreement with the PWHL’s new Las Vegas expansion team. Hayley takes listeners inside a fast-moving expansion process filled with compl