The Inside Post

Investing time to learn new skills is an essential part of personal growth. And with the learning of any new technique, such as a stickhandling move, there will undoubtedly make mistakes. This is a good thing. Mistakes are signals that let you know forward progress is taking place. Instead of getting frustrated and abandoning the drill, challenge yourself to think like an elite player and become determined to conquer the issue. Learn from the mistake, make the adjustment, and go again. Soon the mistakes get fewer and fewer, and before long they’ve developed mastery of the new skill.

Every hockey player has different motivating factors for playing the game. For many, the answer could be for love of the game, to have fun with friends, and/or to be active, which are all perfectly good reasons! Those committed to becoming elite athletes, however, have other personality traits in common that motivate them on their hockey journey, which we explore further in this week's article.

For those committed to becoming elite hockey players, game day preparation isn't just the 4-5 minutes of on-ice warm-up time right before a game. These players are shooting pucks and refining stickhandling skills at home to build confidence and muscle memory, so they can simply read and react in a game situation.   

Years ago we stumbled across the following graph, published by Ontario Minor Hockey Association, with original stats compiled by Stats LLC over then-recent NHL seasons, entitled “The Science of Scoring”. ...

In this week's article, we discuss how playing with passion and persistence (i.e. grit) is the secret to outstanding achievement.

Learning from some of the best goalies over the last 30 years, Coach Lance breaks down four critical tactics for how you can keep the goalie guessing and score more goals.

Most players want the big prize, but are unwilling to put the time in to obtain it.  It takes years of grinding it out at practices, as well as off-ice stick handling and shooting, hockey camps and clinics. Earning the right to have an opportunity for a big moment requires patience and persistence. This week we revisit a classic fishing story told by Coach Lance with the perfect parallel to hockey training.

When players think of hockey shooting drills, most would think of ripping forehand wrist shots, snap shots or slap shots. Very few think to practice backhand shots on a regular...

Puck control is an extremely important yet often overlooked skill for rising young stars to develop. That said, one’s ability to master this skill is a major differentiator for whether players can continue to move on to play at higher levels. But what does it really mean to have great puck control?

Now that your winter hockey season is in the record books, it’s time to start mapping out your off-season training schedule. So where do you start?

There’s no better feeling for a hockey player than when you split the defense and head off to the races on a breakaway.  Players on the bench stand up, and...

When it comes to the game of hockey, there are a few distinguishing factors that the top players have acquired over the years that makes them leaders and not followers.