Blog

The New Year Crunch: Is January Hockey’s Most Important Month?

Steph Dukesherer January 2, 2026

Happy New Year — and welcome to January, the most chaotic, exhilarating, emotionally charged stretch of the hockey calendar. For most of the world, January represents calm after the holiday rush. A reset. A fresh start. A chance to breathe. But in youth hockey? January is where everything ramps up. Teams are fighting for playoff positions. Coaches are pushing to sharpen details. Parents are juggling schedules, travel, bills, and stress. Players are trying to navigate school, expectations, pressure, and fatigue. And for athletes aging out? This is the moment when the noise of the junior world becomes deafening—showcases, camps, calls, rumors, promises, “opportunities,” pressure, and panic. Some are still wearing their holiday pajamas. Others are already thinking about where they’ll be playing next fall. Many are somewhere in between—stuck in the mental tug-of-war between finishing this season strong and wondering what’s next? And it’s not just the players. January exposes

Individual Player Meetings are the Gift that Keeps on Giving

htt December 15, 2025

By Marty Rubin Oh, the dog days of hockey are here. The cold sets in, the routine solidifies, and every week feels like another rink, another car ride. At this point in the season, the distance between coaches and parents can grow—often without reason. The holidays, however, create a natural chance to reconnect and include parents in their child’s long-term development in a meaningful, productive way. Mid-season individual check-ins offer more than a simple show of care. They give coaches a chance to understand each player more deeply, with parents as partners and witnesses. These conversations reveal helpful insights for the second half of the season: learning styles, life changes, home dynamics, and what the player is looking forward to as they finish the year. It’s also an ideal moment to reinforce ongoing coach–player conversations in front of parents—self-belief (you have more in you, I know it!), core values (this

The Realest Post I’ll Probably Ever Write

Topher Scott December 8, 2025

I feel very fortunate and blessed to have built the following we’ve built at the Hockey Think Tank. I feel like part of the reason I’ve been able to connect with so many of you is I try my best to speak from the heart. I have always worn my heart on my sleeve – it’s how I played as a player, how I coached as a coach, and how I’ve tried to live my life outside of the arena. I am not living to my fullest when I’m not. When I’m plagued by the fear of judgment or the fear of failure – as many of us can be – we tend to hide our true selves. We’re scared of what people might think about our scars and bring a shell of ourselves to the world to please the masses rather than living freely and fully for the people

Why Community Hockey Matters

htt December 3, 2025

By Kate Dukat, Boston-area hockey mom… My son’s love for hockey began when he figured out he could play a sport while also wearing a costume. From that moment on, my son was “all in” – learning to skate, pass the puck, stick handle and score. As many other Massachusetts families who have travel hockey programs in their town do, we registered our son for the Natick Comets travel hockey club when Learn to Play had reached its conclusion. Our town in Natick, MA has a long and storied history with growing the game of hockey. William “Bill” Chase was instrumental in bringing the game of hockey to Natick and getting the community rallied around getting the ice rink built for the kids. The Natick Comets travel hockey club followed with the explosion of hockey in Massachusetts and the love of the game. Over time, the hockey model has changed

Leading Through Adversity

Steph Dukesherer November 10, 2025

How Coaches Can Motivate Their Team During Tough Times Every team, at some point in the season, will face adversity. Maybe it’s a losing streak, injuries, internal conflicts, or simply the grind of a long season wearing players down. These challenging moments are inevitable, but they also present some of the greatest opportunities for growth. As a coach, how you lead your team through adversity can shape not only the season but also the long-term resilience of your players—both on and off the ice. 1. Control the Controllables One of the most important lessons in hockey, and in life, is learning to focus on what you can control. When times get tough, remind your players that they can’t always dictate outcomes, but they can control their effort, attitude, and response to challenges. Instilling this mindset helps players stay composed and motivated rather than feeling overwhelmed by external pressures. Example: If

Why Minnesota Hockey Continues to Lead the Way

Topher Scott October 29, 2025

Last month, I was invited to sit in for a meeting that really opened my eyes even more to why Minnesota continues to lead the way for hockey in the United States. The Minnesota High School Hockey Coaches Association gathered key stakeholders in a room to discuss the game and how collectively they could make it better. In the room were representatives from the Minnesota Wild, college hockey, the USHL, Minnesota Hockey, high school hockey, youth hockey, and a few like myself with an outsider’s perspective on the game. It was amazing to see smart and passionate hockey people working cohesively to make the game better for the kids. I’ve written about this extensively before, but Minnesota is leading the US not only in the number of kids playing the game, but it crushes other states when it comes to developing elite players as well. They have by far the

Big Changes in College Hockey

Matt Thomas October 21, 2025

Recapping the wildest offseason in college hockey history

The Business of Youth Hockey: Who’s Getting Left Behind?

Steph Dukesherer June 2, 2025

There’s a hard truth that many in the hockey world are feeling but few are willing to say out loud: youth hockey has become a business – and business is booming. But at what cost? Families are paying tens of thousands of dollars a year for what used to be a community-based sport. Kids are traveling coast to coast before they’ve hit puberty. Multi-sport athletes are being forced to choose earlier and earlier. And slowly but surely, we’re pricing kids – and their families – out of a life-shaping experience. Let’s be honest: hockey can be one of the best teachers of life. It builds resilience, teamwork, work ethic, and emotional regulation. But somewhere along the way, we started acting like it’s a business degree instead of a childhood experience. So…how did we get here? Parents and the FOMO Economy Let’s start with the mirror. Many parents are acting out

The US Born Players’ Path to the NHL

Topher Scott May 13, 2025

There were 288 American players that played at least on game in the NHL during the 2023-2024 season. We broke down all the different paths to the top league in the world.