Blog Posts

April 9, 2026

The Most Underrated Skill in Hockey: What Karl Alzner Teaches About Real Player Development

The Most Underrated Skill in Hockey: What Karl Alzner Teaches About Real Player Development

🏒 The Most Underrated Skill in Hockey (And Why It Changes Everything)What if we’ve been focusing on the wrong things in youth hockey?Goals. Highlights. Fancy plays.They’re exciting—but they’re not what earns trust. And …

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April 7, 2026

What Happens After Olympic Gold? Inside Haley Scamurra’s Return to Pro Hockey

What Happens After Olympic Gold? Inside Haley Scamurra’s Return to Pro Hockey

🥇 The Day After Gold Isn’t What You ThinkWinning an Olympic gold medal is supposed to be the peak.The celebration. The moment. The memory that lasts forever.But for Haley Scamurra, the story didn’t pause—it accelerated.With…

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April 4, 2026

How to Score More Goals in Hockey: Mike Knuble’s Net-Front Mindset

How to Score More Goals in Hockey: Mike Knuble’s Net-Front Mindset

Stop Waiting for Goals—Start Going Where They HappenIf you ask most young hockey players what they want, the answer is simple: scoremore goals.But according to former NHL forward and Stanley Cup Champion Mike Knuble, theproblem isn&rsq…

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April 2, 2026

The Truth About Youth Hockey Development (From NHL Veteran Mike Knuble)

The Truth About Youth Hockey Development (From NHL Veteran Mike Knuble)

🏒 The Truth About Youth Hockey Development (From an NHL Veteran)What if the biggest advantage in youth hockey today… is slowing down?In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, NHL veteran Mike Knuble delivers a message that cuts through the…

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March 31, 2026

How to Train, Eat, and Think Like a Pro Hockey Player (Girls Hockey Guide)

How to Train, Eat, and Think Like a Pro Hockey Player (Girls Hockey Guide)

🏒 What It Really Takes to Play Hockey at the Highest LevelWhat does it actually take to become a professional hockey player?It’s a question every young athlete — and every hockey parent — eventually asks. And while highlight re…

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March 28, 2026

The Simple 5-Minute Hockey Mindset Shift Every Player Needs (Bobby Ryan’s Advice)

The Simple 5-Minute Hockey Mindset Shift Every Player Needs (Bobby Ryan’s Advice)

🏒 The Simple 5-Minute Reset That Can Change Your Hockey GameEvery hockey player knows the feeling.You walk off the ice after a game and your mind is racing.Maybe you feel unstoppable… or maybe you feel like everything went wrong.But wha…

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March 26, 2026

Bobby Ryan on Youth Hockey, Parenting, and Mental Health

Bobby Ryan on Youth Hockey, Parenting, and Mental Health

🏒 Hockey Is More Than a Game—It’s a LifelineWhat if the rink is the one place a child feels safe?That’s not just a feel-good idea—it’s reality for many kids. And in this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, former NHL f…

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March 24, 2026

How a 14-Year-Old Goalie Is Redefining Youth Hockey Success | Estela Vazquez Story

How a 14-Year-Old Goalie Is Redefining Youth Hockey Success | Estela Vazquez Story

🏒 What Can a 14-Year-Old Goalie Teach Us About Success?What were you doing at 14?For most young athletes, it’s about learning the game, having fun, and developing skills. For Estela Vazquez, it’s all of that — plus competing in…

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March 21, 2026

Be the Hardest Working Player on the Ice — Advice from Scott Hartnell

Be the Hardest Working Player on the Ice — Advice from Scott Hartnell

Every young hockey player wants to score goals. Every player wants more ice time. Every player wants to make the top team. But when former NHL All-Star Scott Hartnell joined Ride to the Rink, his advice wasn’t about skill moves, shooting techn…

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March 19, 2026

Play Your Role, Love the Game, and Stay Grounded — Lessons from Scott Hartnell’s Hockey Journey

Play Your Role, Love the Game, and Stay Grounded — Lessons from Scott Hartnell’s Hockey Journey

When a player spends 17 seasons in the NHL, plays over 1,200 games, scores more than 300 goals, and still talks about hockey with the excitement of a kid at the outdoor rink — you listen.That’s exactly what happened when former NHL pow…

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March 17, 2026

Inside the Olympic Experience with Hayley Scamurra (Part 1)

Inside the Olympic Experience with Hayley Scamurra (Part 1)

Inside the Olympic Experience with Hayley Scamurra (Part 1)For many hockey players growing up, the Olympic dream feels almost mythical.The bright lights. The national pride. The gold medal game.But what does that experience actually feel like …

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March 14, 2026

The Right Mindset for Hockey Tryouts and Evaluations

The Right Mindset for Hockey Tryouts and Evaluations

The Right Mindset for Hockey Tryouts and EvaluationsFor young hockey players, few moments feel as big as evaluations and tryouts.Maybe you’re excited. Maybe you’re nervous. Maybe you’re worried about making the team you want. A…

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March 12, 2026

Youth Hockey Tryouts: What Coaches Are Really Looking For

Youth Hockey Tryouts: What Coaches Are Really Looking For

Tryout season can feel like the most stressful time of the youth hockey year.Parents are sitting in the stands gripping their coffee cups. Kids feel pressure to perform. Coaches are evaluating dozens of players in a short window of time.But here…

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March 10, 2026

The Mailbag Episode Every Young Hockey Player Should Hear: Hayley Scamurra Answers Youth Hockey Questions

The Mailbag Episode Every Young Hockey Player Should Hear: Hayley Scamurra Answers Youth Hockey Questions

What do professional hockey players eat before a game?How do they train?Where do most goals really come from?These are the kinds of questions young players constantly ask — and in this special Our Girls Play Hockey mailbag ep…

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March 7, 2026

The Pre-Skate Mindset: How to Stand Out Before Tryouts Even Begin

The Pre-Skate Mindset: How to Stand Out Before Tryouts Even Begin

Think tryouts start on evaluation day?Not quite.In youth hockey, the process often begins earlier — at pre-skates, ID skates, tune-up sessions, and camps. And while those skates aren’t official “make or break” moments, th…

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March 5, 2026

The Truth About Hockey ID Skates: A Parent’s Guide to Pre-Skates & Tryouts

The Truth About Hockey ID Skates: A Parent’s Guide to Pre-Skates & Tryouts

If you’re a hockey parent this time of year, you can feel it.The emails.The announcements.The “exclusive” invites.The pressure.ID skates and pre-skates have become a major part of youth hockey culture — but most families …

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March 3, 2026

From Whiteboard Words to Olympic Gold: Hayley Scamurra’s Historic Moment

From Whiteboard Words to Olympic Gold: Hayley Scamurra’s Historic Moment

“I am a gold medalist.”She wrote it on a whiteboard for over a year.Not “I hope to be.”Not “Maybe someday.”I am.And now, she is.In a historic Olympic tournament that captivated over five …

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Feb. 28, 2026

Youth Hockey Tryouts: Don’t Let Emotions Make the Decision

Youth Hockey Tryouts: Don’t Let Emotions Make the Decision

🚨 Tryout season changes families.The car rides get quieter. Group chats get louder. Other teams suddenly look better. And parents feel the pressure to “make the right move.”But here’s the truth:The wrong decision in youth hoc…

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Feb. 26, 2026

Why Talent Isn’t Enough in Youth Hockey with Jimmy Law

Why Talent Isn’t Enough in Youth Hockey with Jimmy Law

f talent were enough, every “best 9-year-old in the country” would end up in the NHL.They don’t.And in this week’s episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Jimmy Law explains exactly why.Jimmy — Director of Sports Perform…

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Feb. 24, 2026

What Would an Olympian Tell Her 10-Year-Old Self? With Haley Winn

What Would an Olympian Tell Her 10-Year-Old Self? With Haley Winn

Every young hockey player dreams big.The national team. The Olympics. The game-winning goal.But what if you could sit in the car on the way to the rink and hear directly from someone who’s already lived it?On this episode of The Ride to …

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Feb. 21, 2026

From Cul-de-Sac to the Stanley Cup Final: What Ryan Carter Teaches Kids About Hockey Development

From Cul-de-Sac to the Stanley Cup Final: What Ryan Carter Teaches Kids About Hockey Development

What if the best hockey development tool isn’t inside the rink?For former NHL forward and Stanley Cup Finalist Ryan Carter, it wasn’t elite showcases or private lessons that shaped him first. It was a Minnesota cul-de-sac, a tennis bal…

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Feb. 19, 2026

Slow Cooker Development: What Ryan Carter’s NHL Journey Teaches Hockey Families

Slow Cooker Development: What Ryan Carter’s NHL Journey Teaches Hockey Families

What if the thing holding your child back in hockey… is the rush to get ahead?In this powerful conversation on Our Kids Play Hockey, former NHL forward Ryan Carter challenges one of the biggest myths in youth sports: that fa…

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Feb. 17, 2026

From Backyard Ice to the Olympic Stage: Haley Winn’s Journey to Team USA

From Backyard Ice to the Olympic Stage: Haley Winn’s Journey to Team USA

There are hockey dreams… and then there are Olympic dreams.For Haley Winn, that dream started on a backyard rink built by her dad and sharpened through years of competing with three older brothers. Today, she’s a rookie defenseman wit…

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Feb. 14, 2026

Stats Don’t Define You — How Hockey Players Should Really Use Numbers to Get Better

Stats Don’t Define You — How Hockey Players Should Really Use Numbers to Get Better

📊 Stats Are Everywhere — But What Do They Really Mean?If you play hockey today, stats are impossible to avoid. Goals, assists, plus-minus, save percentage, turnovers — they’re tracked, posted, compared, and talked about constantl…

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