Individual Skills Hockey Podcast

Pete Samargia is BACK for his second appearance on the podcast! Since last year, Pete has become the goalie coach for the Minnesota Frost in the PWHL. We talk about that experience so far and also comparing the timing of goalie's skill development compared to skaters through the youth hockey journey. 

We welcome back Ben Monahan to the podcast this week! Ben works at The Base Sports Performance in New Hope, MN, has experience coaching youth and high school hockey, and also works as an advisor for hockey players around the Twin Cities metro. We discuss how to handle being the first ones cut from a top team as a first year, whether or not to play HS hockey as a freshman, and when and how parent complaints should be brought to coaches and administrators. Hope you enjoy this unscripted episode!

After our holiday break, we are lucky to be joined by Aaron Wilbur, the founder of The Coaches Site. The Coaches Site has revolutionized how coaches at all levels connect, learn, and grow. Aaron shares his journey from coaching in the BCHL, to starting a coaching conference that eventually led to the creation of The Coaches Site. This is an awesome episode for any coaches looking for resources on how to improve in their craft. 

Role reversal for this week's episode! Mikey Spencer (Wayzata HS JV Head Coach) joins us and assumes the podcast host role for this week and interviews regular host, Miles Death. Miles grew up in Plymouth, MN playing youth and high school hockey for Wayzata. He is currently a Varsity Assistant Coach at Wayzata HS and the Director of Hockey Operations for Wayzata Youth Hockey Association.

The podcast is BACK with Season 2! We bring on John O'Sullivan this week from Changing the Game Project. John was a collegiate and professional soccer player, before becoming a collegiate soccer coach at the University of Vermont. 12 years ago, he founded Changing the Game Project, aimed at educating youth sports coaches and parents to create a more positive environment for our young aspiring athletes. There is something for everybody in this episode, hope you enjoy it!

What would you change about HS hockey? That is the question we ask Pat O'Leary (Wayzata), Dave Brown (Rogers), and Sean Bloomfield (Chanhassen) on this week's podcast. This is a great, honest conversation about the need to evolve our great sport in Minnesota. We agree MN HS hockey is the best, but can it adapt and grow?

The podcast joins Ben Monahan and Pat O'Leary to discuss when and if we should be teaching systems in youth hockey. 

The 2023-2024 Wayzata Mite Coach of the Year is Chris Harrington. Chris has coached mites for five years now at Wayzata, and also serves on the Mite Player Development Committee. Chris embodies everything we want in our mite coaches. He understands making it fun is the top priority, brings positive energy that signals to the kids that their coaches cares about them, and brings a wealth of hockey knowledge from his successful playing career. Chris was a standout at Apollo High School in St. Cloud. He then went on for four very successful years at the University of Minnesota. After that, he played seven years professionally in Toronto, Germany, and Japan. This is a great episode talking mite hockey development, hope you enjoy it and thanks for listening!

What is the ideal game format for U8-U14 players for their development as hockey players? An IIHF study tries to answer this question and we analyze and discuss it on this episode. To add to the conversation, we invited Johan Kling on the podcast this week. Johan grew up in Sweden has a unique perspective on comparing the Swedish development model to what we do in the states. Link to the study we discuss:https://blob.iihf.com/iihf-media/iihfmvc/media/downloads/sport%20files/development-guide/player-development-guide/sag-study-fihaandsiha_growingthegame_2020_6_17.pdf

Steve Johnson is in his third year coaching at his alma mater, Minnetonka HS. Steve graduated from Minnetonka in 2012, and wasn't a highly sought after HS player. He played one year in Aberdeen in the NAHL, and one year in Omaha in the USHL. Having success in junior hockey, he earned a scholarship at The University of Minnesota. Steve is back in Minnetonka after a pro hockey career and currently works as a pilot for Sun Country Airlines. He also has decided to jump into coaching, serving as an assistant coach for the Minnetonka Skippers. This is a great conversation and I really enjoyed it. 

Kurt Davis is in his 13th season playing professionally in Europe. He's played in Sweden, Germany, Austria, and Norway. Before turning pro, Kurt was a standout at Minnesota St. - Mankato, and a Wayzata Trojan before that. Kurt talks about his strong group at Wayzata that helped build the tradition of success there, and what it means to love the game. 

Cory Laylin is the Assistant Coach for the University of St. Thomas Men's Hockey team. Cory has coached at the D1, D3, Professional, High School, and Youth hockey levels. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the podcast this week. We discuss youth hockey development, the college recruiting process, and much more. Thank you to Cory for being willing to speak with us this week!

The podcast brings in Judd Stauss this week to discuss youth hockey development. Judd is the Development Coordinator at East Grand Forks Youth Hockey and brings a ton of experience to the table. Judd is from EGF and played college hockey at Denver University. EGF does some really unique things in their youth hockey organization when compared to the rest of the state of Minnesota. This is an awesome episode for new ideas to youth hockey development!

Pat O'Leary and Ben Monahan join this episode of PLAYING FAST to discuss whether or not it is ever acceptable to shorten the bench in youth hockey. We discuss certain scenarios it might be a useful tool, such as disciplinary reasons.

Lambert Brown is the head football coach at Wayzata High School. He also works as an Achievement Specialist within the HS, working with kids each and every day. Lambert is an expert in diversity & equity in sport, and improving the player experience for our athletes. If you are a coach of any sport, this episode is for you. Being equipped with tools to handle situations that come up will make coaching more enjoyable for you. I hope you enjoy this great episode!

Jake Parenteau joins for this week's episode. Jake grew up in Chisago Lakes, and worked his way through three years of junior hockey to earn a spot playing for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. Jake is now the Director of Operations at The Base Sports Performance in New Hope, MN. 

Head coach of the Wayzata High School boys hockey team Pat O'Leary joins the podcast this week! Pat graduated from Armstrong High School in 1998 and went on to play four years at the University of Minnesota, winning a national championship in 2002. Pat is also owner of Individual Skills Clinics, the sponsor of the podcast!

On this episode of PLAYING FAST, Pat O'Leary and Ben Monahan join to discuss the proper age we should start working on special teams in youth hockey. We also discuss the best way to work on special teams in a youth hockey setting!

Our second episode of PLAYING FAST we discuss how many games each level of youth hockey should play for optimal development. Ben Monahan joins to provide discussion and input!

Dani Cameranesi joins the podcast this week! Dani won two national titles at the University of Minnesota in 2015 & 2016, and then went on to win an Olympic gold medal in 2018. She has been an amazing leader for the development of professional women's hockey. Don't miss this episode if you are an aspiring young female hockey player, or a hockey fan in general!

The IS Hockey Podcast is so lucky to sit down with Danny Heath this week! Danny is the owner of Project Hockey, a guided practice at home training platform. He also grew up in Glendale, AZ and was lucky enough to have elite coaches throughout his youth hockey days. He earned a scholarship to Minnesota St. - Mankato and currently resides in Lakeville, MN

Jordan Leopold joins to discuss younger hockey days playing in the Armstrong Hockey Association, making some difficult decisions throughout his hockey career, and getting back into coaching high school hockey. Jordan is a NCAA national champion, Hobey Baker winner, and multi-year ex-NHL professional. Don't miss this episode!

The founder of Individual Skills Clinics joins the podcast this week to discuss the history of I Skills, all about the scouting process, and raising two elite athletes: a figure skater, and a hockey player. 

Hans Skulstad, a licensed therapist, joins to discuss how working on your mental game is like hiring a different type of skills coach.Hans brings his wealth of experience and expertise, specifically tailored to the unique challenges faced by hockey players, coaches, and parents throughout their hockey journey.In this episode, we uncover the psychological hurdles that often go unnoticed in the fast-paced world of hockey. From overcoming performance anxiety to navigating the pressures of competition, Hans Skulstad provides valuable insights and practical strategies to elevate mental resilience on and off the rink.

PLAYING FAST is a new series within The Individual Skills Hockey Podcast that takes 10 minutes to discuss a singular topic. On this episode, we bring back Ben Monahan to discuss the proper age to start body checking in hockey. 

Wayzata Girls HS Head Coach Brad Podiak sits down with us to chat about his background and upbringing in the Wayzata Community, his new role as the head coach of Wayzata Girls HS, comparing girls and boys hockey, and the overall state of girls and women's hockey in Minnesota. 

Dave Brown is the head boys hockey coach at Rogers High School. He is also the owner of The Base Sports Performance and Minnesota Lakers AAA. He joins to discuss three main topics: how The Base approaches player development, the balance between trying to win and long term development, and how his perspective on parenting hockey players has changed since he's become a hockey parent. 

Barry Karn of Karn Skating Dynamics sits down with us to discuss skating technique, the importance of vision, and other topics as well! This is a don't miss episode!

We sit down with Pete Samargia of Attitude Goaltending to discuss all things goalie development. Pete played HS goalie for Eveleth-Gilbert, and went on to play for the University of Minnesota and Augsburg College. He now serves as the goalie coach for Wayzata HS, Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL, St. Cloud Norsemen in the NAHL, and Northstar Christian Academy. Pete owns and operates Attitude Goaltending, a goalie training company in the metro area. 

Ben Monahan joins to discuss all things hockey sense! We discuss strategies to foster an environment where players are developing their hockey sense, factors that contribute to a propensity to learn sense more quickly, and much more!