Coaches Corner
Hi everyone,
Well, the seeding round is now complete! Our final record for seeding is 2 wins 3 loses and 1 tie. We were 2/3 done the seeding round and in last place in our division, then we won two hard fought victories in a row and jumped from 13th all the way up to the 6th. But if you have been at our games, you know that our record and these standings don't paint the whole picture. Our team could easily be 5-1!!! We played that well!!!
We have lots of practices coming up leading in to regular season play where the games really start to matter, so please fill out your availability on team linkt as soon as you know your player's status.
During the seeding round break we will continue to work on fundamental skills, our systems and positioning, as well as team bonding. This break from games going into the regular season will be critical.
December 1st - Players only & Game Day schedule;
As of December 1st, there will be a players and coaches only policy in the dressing room on game days. Practices will remain 1/2 hour before practice starts for parents to hand the room over to the players and coaches. Also, When the regular season starts, our game day schedule will start 1 hour before puck drop instead of the regular 45 minutes. This will allow for some dry land stretching as well as some added game prep as every game counts in the standings going forward.
Knight of the Knight Belt, Defender of the Realm Shield and Compete cup;
These are player awards that are earned, not given and they are selected by the coaching staff. Compete cup is a team award for competing hard at practice (black vs white). The player on the winning team that works the hardest that practice takes the cup home on behalf of their team. The hockey stick shield named the Defender of the realm, is a game day award selected by the coaches for the player who best defends, back checks, blocks shots, makes saves or does any of the hard difficult plays that might not show up on the stat sheets. The knight of the Knight is also coach selected, for the over all MVP of the game. This doesn't always go to goal scorers or the players with the most points. It Is awarded to the player who has the overall most positive impact on the game in all facets - Offence, defence and special teams.
Special Coaches;
This last month we have had skating coaches, shooting coaches and goalie coaches to our practices, as well as one of our two push it sessions. We will continue to look for opportunities to improve in specific areas and skill sets. These coaches who isolate on specific areas of the game will help us further develop our players in those areas.
Affiliates;
We have started to bring out or affiliates to practice and hope to get them accustomed to or systems and our pace of play, as well as bond with our players. We as a coaching staff feel this is an integral part of our season. Nathan has already come out and played for us and made an immediate impact. He will also be joining us at he Canal Flats tournament, so please give him and his family a warm welcome to U11 R3D!
TEAM - As the season goes along, we are still trying to instil our core values of Respect, Hard work, and Fun. We haven't always been perfect in these areas this year, but we continue to strive to be a TEAM that respects each other, works hard for one another, and puts the team's success over individual success. Most of all, we have also re-shifted our focus to make sure we HAVE FUN and LOVE the game!
I look forward to seeing us taking a MASSIVE leap during these upcoming seeding round practices and look forward to seeing you all at the rink!
If you have any questions, please message me or Dwayne on Team LinkT.
Thank you and GO KNIGHTS!
Coach Chris - U11 R3D
