What Pavel Barber Wants Young Hockey Players to Understand About Getting Better

Every young hockey player loves highlights.

Toe drags. Trick shots. The Michigan. The moments that make your teammates say “wow” and your parents reach for their phones.

But when Pavel Barber — one of the most skilled puck handlers on the planet — sits down with kids on The Ride to the Rink, his message is refreshingly clear:

If you really want to get better at hockey, start with skating… and learn to love failure.

This conversation wasn’t about flash.
It was about growth.

Below are the biggest takeaways every young player — and every hockey parent — should hear.

🏒 Skating Comes First. Always.

If there was one message Pavel repeated, it was this:

Your skating is more important than your hands.

Even more important than shooting.

Why? Because hockey is a game of constant movement and direction changes. Watch any high-level game and you’ll see it:

• Stops and starts

• Tight turns

• Explosive edge work

• Deceptive changes of direction

You can’t get to the right spots — or create space — without strong skating.

👉 Hands don’t matter if your feet can’t get you there.

🧠 Puck Control Is About Options, Not Tricks

Pavel explained puck control in a way kids can really understand.

It’s not about keeping the puck close just to look cool.
It’s about keeping it away from your body so you have multiple options.

That’s where deception comes from.

When you can:

• Pass

• Shoot

• Pull the puck

• Change direction

…all from the same position, defenders don’t know what’s coming next.

That’s real skill.

❌ Failure Isn’t a Problem — It’s the Point

One of the most powerful parts of this episode was Pavel’s message about failure.

He talked openly about ego — and how it can hold players back.

If you only practice what you’re already good at, you stay exactly where you are.

To improve, you have to fail. A lot.

That means:

• Falling

• Losing the puck

• Messing up moves

• Feeling uncomfortable

But that discomfort is where learning lives.

When you’re right at the edge of what you can do, your brain is engaged — and that’s when real improvement happens.

🐢 Slow Down to Speed Up

Another important reminder: you can’t rush skill development.

Pavel stressed the importance of going slow and being methodical when learning new skills.

A great test?

• Can you tell what you’re doing right?

• Can you tell what you’re doing wrong?

If the answer is no, you’re probably moving too fast.

Skill development isn’t about shortcuts.
It’s about feedback, retention, and patience.

🧩 Knowing When to Use Your Skills

Yes — toe drags, pullbacks, and creative moves matter.

But they only work in the right situation.

Pavel broke it down simply:

• If you have a speed advantage, don’t let defenders get close

• If they’re tight on your hip, that’s when deception matters

• Read their feet, their weight, and their gap

Great players don’t just know how to do moves — they know when to do them.

And that awareness comes from experience… and mistakes.

🌟 A Message for Kids With Big Dreams

For the kid listening who dreams of “making it,” Pavel offered one of the most important lessons of all.

Don’t focus on:

• Odds

• Percentages

• Expectations from others

Those things don’t help you.

What matters is:

• Your effort

• Your focus

• Your willingness to fail and keep going

Progress is slow for everyone. That’s normal.

Enjoy the process.
Use frustration as fuel.
And keep showing up.

🚗 Final Thought

This episode of The Ride to the Rink is one every young player should hear more than once.

It’s a reminder that:

• The basics matter

• Failure is necessary

• Confidence is built, not given

And no matter where you are on your hockey journey — you’re capable of more than you think.

We believe in you.
You should too. 💙