A great shot is easy to notice. So is a smooth set of hands, explosive skating, or a creative move around a defender. Hockey IQ is different. It often appears in the moments that happen before the goal, away from the puck, or outside the highlight…
When young hockey players imagine what an NHL scout might be looking for, they may picture dazzling goals, impressive statistics, creative moves, or a dominant performance. Former NHL player and current NHL scout Patrick Rissmiller has a much simpl…
Youth hockey families are constantly being told to do more. More practices. More private lessons. More spring tournaments. More showcases. More travel. More exposure. The pressure can make parents feel as though every missed skate is a missed oppo…
Hockey camps have become a familiar part of the youth hockey calendar. There are summer day camps, skating clinics, shooting camps, goalie camps, position-specific programs, development camps, identification camps, and elite training experiences. S…
You Are More Than a Hockey Player For young hockey players, it is easy to fall in love with the game so deeply that hockey starts to feel like your whole identity. You practice. You train. You dream about making the next team, scoring the next goa…
When Hockey Is Taken Away, What Is Left? For many young athletes, hockey can feel like everything. The practices. The travel. The teammates. The tournaments. The rankings. The pressure. The dream. But in this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, form…
Every young hockey player wants to know the same thing: How do I get better? Not just a little better. Not just better at stickhandling in the driveway or skating harder during practice. But better in the way that coaches notice. Better in the way…
In youth hockey, it is easy to get caught up in the obvious questions. What team should my child play for?What league is the best?Should we drive farther for a better opportunity?How do we get noticed?What does it take to play junior hockey? Those…
Winning a championship is supposed to feel like the end of a journey. For Hayley Scamurra, it became the beginning of something entirely new. After helping Montreal capture the Walter Cup and completing one of the strongest seasons of her professi…
A young hockey player can spend hours practicing skating, shooting, passing, positioning, and saves. But when a big game or tryout arrives, another skill often determines how freely that player performs: the ability to manage their own mind. Confid…
Playing goalie is not simply a technical challenge. It is emotional. It is mental. It is highly visible. And unlike nearly every other position in sports, a goaltender can do almost everything correctly and still watch the puck end up in the net. …
🏒 Every hockey parent has seen it. One player seems born to compete. She battles for every puck, hates losing races in practice, and treats every board game at home like a championship final. Another player loves hockey, loves her teammates, and e…
Every hockey player knows the feeling. You walk into the pro shop. You see the newest stick on the rack. It has the latest graphics, the big-name player attached to it, and the promise — spoken or unspoken — that this might be the thing that takes …
Hockey has a way of shaping people. Not just as athletes. Not just as competitors. But as thinkers, leaders, builders, and problem-solvers. In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli welcomed Zechariah Thomas, founder of S…
Some seasons are successful. Some seasons are memorable. And then there are seasons that become part of hockey history. For Hayley Scamurra, the 2025–26 season was exactly that kind of year. Over the course of this special Our G…
🏒 Sometimes the best hockey development does not happen at the rink. It happens in the driveway. It happens on the street. It happens at the park, in the backyard, on a bike, with a baseball glove, around a basketball hoop, or during a made-up ga…
🏒 Youth hockey has changed. A lot. The rinks are busier. The calendars are fuller. The training is more specialized. The tournaments start earlier. The pressure feels bigger. And for many families, the path can feel more confusing than ever. That …
There are championship recaps, and then there are championship stories. This episode of Our Girls Play Hockey is the second one. In Part 2 of our Day in the Life with Hayley Scamurra, Hayley takes us behind the scenes of Montreal’s unforgettable W…
Team GG at Wish Cup: Why Hockey’s Future Might Start Beyond the Ice 🏒 Hockey families know tournament weekends can become some of the most unforgettable experiences in a young player’s life. Yes, the games matter. The goals, save…
Youth hockey is full of big emotions. There are early mornings, late nights, expensive tournaments, long drives, tryout pressure, hotel weekends, team drama, player development questions, and the constant balancing act of trying to help kids succee…
There are hockey seasons that are memorable. And then there are hockey seasons that become part of history. For Hayley Scamurra, this was one of those years. Olympic gold medalist. Walter Cup champion. Key contributor for the Montreal Victoire. An…
The offseason can feel different for every hockey player. Some kids cannot wait to get back on the ice. Others need a break. Some are signed up for spring hockey, summer skates, camps, clinics, dryland training, or tournaments. Others are wondering…
Every hockey parent knows the feeling. The season ends, tryouts wrap up, and almost immediately the questions begin: Should we sign up for spring league?Should we do private lessons?Should my child be skating all summer?What is everyone else doing…
Every hockey parent knows the feeling. Your child comes off the ice upset. Maybe they were pulled off during a shift. Maybe they missed a chance, got yelled at, lost a game, or felt overlooked. As parents and coaches, we often want to f…