A Coach’s Notebook

The Ultimate Stickhandling Challenge

By CoachC | August 14, 2025
The Ultimate Stickhandling Challenge

Stickhandling is one of those hockey skills that can separate a decent player from a truly great one. It’s not just about moving the puck from side to side, it’s about controlling the game, keeping defenders guessing, and making plays that create scoring chances…

Nutrition Myths (or What Hockey Players Really Need)

By CoachC | August 12, 2025
Nutrition Myths (or What Hockey Players Really Need)

A hockey player’s body is a finely tuned machine, and just like a high-performance car, it needs the right fuel to perform at its best. Understanding what’s real and what’s not about nutrition can mean the difference between playing at your peak or running out of gas when your team needs you most…

How to Motivate Without Over-Coaching

By CoachC | August 10, 2025
How to Motivate Without Over-Coaching

In hockey, the difference between a coach who inspires and a coach who frustrates often comes down to one thing — knowing when to speak and when to step back…

Best Budget Gear for Off-Ice Training at Home

By CoachC | August 8, 2025
Best Budget Gear for Off-Ice Training at Home

The following advice was requested via our Ask The Coach option…

Hockey is one of the fastest, most demanding sports in the world, but keeping your skills sharp doesn’t always require expensive equipment or ice time.

Floorball vs Roller Hockey vs Ice — Transferring Skills Between Surfaces

By CoachC | August 6, 2025
Floorball vs Roller Hockey vs Ice — Transferring Skills Between Surfaces

Hockey players who want to get better year-round often wonder if they need to be on the ice all the time. While ice time is obviously important, players can gain a huge edge by developing their skills across multiple surfaces — like floorball, roller hockey, and ice…

Building a Pre-Season Plan for Conditioning, Skills, and Rest

By CoachC | August 4, 2025
Building a Pre-Season Plan for Conditioning, Skills, and Rest

A well-designed pre-season plan should begin with some well-earned rest. If you’ve been grinding through a long season, jumping into high-intensity training right away is a mistake.

How to See the Ice Like a Pro

By CoachC | August 3, 2025
How to See the Ice Like a Pro

Whether you’re a forward looking to create plays, a defenseman reading a breakout, or a goalie anticipating the next pass, your ability to scan and read the ice can be your secret weapon…

Should Hockey Players Consider Using Creatine?

By CoachC | August 2, 2025
Should Hockey Players Consider Using Creatine?

Creatine might be just as valuable for your brain, your overall health, and your long-term energy levels, even if you’re not training intensely every day.

Coach Chic’s Hockey Podcast 65

By CoachC | August 1, 2025
Coach Chic’s Hockey Podcast 65

Don’t forget to grab all you can from this awesome site, and make this coming month one to truly remember…

The Best off-ice Workouts for Hockey Development

By CoachC | July 30, 2025
The Best off-ice Workouts for Hockey Development

When it comes to building better hockey players, what happens off the ice can be just as important as what happens on it. The best players don’t take the summer or off-season to relax completely — they use it as a chance to get stronger, faster, and more skilled without ever needing to lace up their skates…