Hockey Skills vs IQ | Are Young Hockey Players Missing the Point? 

I disagree... I got 2 kids and i stick them on the ice and let them do whatever they want but only after they complete skating drills then skill drills, if they complete those and still got energy and want to play i let them do what they want on the ice together and with friends. I never simulate real game scenarios or make them do scrimmage but they will naturally fool around and play some kind of competitive game around the skills and skating they are learning. They both don't seem lost in their team's games and can feel their way around the play though i never trained them nor does their coaches it's just their natural instinct you have or you don't but the skating and skills isn't natural and building those can then be where those instincts can be harnessed within the game but your understanding of what to do in the moment is purely instinctual and too fast to be broken down and applied as a system taught in practice, i've seen coaches try and they totally mess with their players natural game calibration it's eerie how some kids can just tap into the moment and know what to do in a game and some are clueless but if they can't they can't and nothing can be done about it. So build skating and skills and if they have any natural ability they will know what do to and figure out how to use the acquired skills when the game calls upon it, naturally! Also if i may, i also don't break down how they should shoot they both shoot differently and that was developed overtime and they both got pretty good accurate hard shots for their young ages so i don't think there's one way to do anything i think everyone will find the way that suits them and then become a master at their specific way, and in the NHL that holds true cause lots of all-time shooters not one of them shoots exact same way with the same technique- Messier had that funny flamingo shot- and what coach ever taught that in their right mind- it was natural for him and was something that came to him without thinking about over time and he learned how to get better in those slot situations with using his special trademark shot. But my point is that which made it his own cannot be taught and how he developed it was over time not based on coaching or training methods. I guess i'll sum it up- cause this was way longer- too long- then i intended for it to be: I think youth hockey as with all sports these days is way too overanalyzed and science-based these days... I see alot of other kids going through this super system training programs and they are no better than my kids and certainly don't look like they are enjoying themselves on the ice like my kids do! I think it's bunk and the best players play for the love and fuel their passion for the game and work on their skills and skating but mostly just play for fun with friends and family and then later on maybe they focus on training when their mid to late teens and looking to make more competitive leagues but when their young and growing i think this lack of method works better than any method i'd seen so far so i'll stick with that for my kids you do what you will with your own. Just make sure they enjoy whatever they are doing and not made to feel like they have to do it or anything they don't want to. That always backfires 100% of the time in my experience!