The Hockey Toolkit

Welcome back to The Hockey Toolkit! In Season 3, Episode 12, Trevor and Andrew get into a long, full length discussion with Bob Turow, a gentleman who has spent a lifetime in the game of hockey playing, coaching, administration, business and operational levels.In the 48th episode of the series, we welcome on Mr Turow, who only recently transitioned away (in the last 12 months- USPHL Names New Commissioner And Deputy Commissioner • USPHL - United States Premier Hockey League ) from his commissioner's role in the USPHL. Prior to that he enjoyed a lengthy career as a player in the Kitchener Rangers organization, a scout, a coach, and the founding owner/operator of the Prospects Hockey Tournament. Together with this tournament, Mr. Turow was able to establish the USHL's central scouting and helped to identify hundreds of players for NCAA Hockey and Professional advancement.Further along in the episode they discuss the new, ever changing Junior Hockey landscape.In this episode, they discuss:The rewards of a lifetime in hockey.The Prospects Hockey Tournament and scouting (among others) Joe ThorntonForward thinking in Junior Hockey and the changes by leagues that have had massive impacts on the landscapeWorking in the USPHL and Junior Hockey ExpansionAnd much more, including some stories from a life in the gameCheck out Bob's new project with the Dan K Show tracking commitments in Junior Hockey- NCAA and CHL Recruiting Battleground Tracker — The Dan K Show🧊 Don’t forget to check out Andrew Trimble’s book: The Hockey Planner: A Year-by-Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey – From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey Available now on Amazon 📖 Link🎙️ Follow the guys on Twitter for more coaching insight and episode updates.@AndrewTrimble7@TDC_Hockey@TheHockeyFocusAlso, sign up for Coach Trimble's Daily Hockey Newsletter:https://andrewtrimble.substack.com/

Welcome back to The Hockey Toolkit! In Season 3, Episode 11, Trevor and Andrew get into a long, full length discussion about the world of Hockey Officiating and what it takes to become a referee.In the 47th episode of the series, we welcome on the Binda's, two hugely influential figures in the world of officiating. The Binda's run the company Referees Crease (REFEREES CREASE - Home ), which provides, as their website states "Your one-stop solution for all things hockey officiating: Recruitment, Development, Advancement, Assignments, and Payroll." With over 50 years in the officiating game at all levels from youth to junior to NCAA to Pro, both Eugene Sr. and Eugene Jr. are two of the most important resources for officials in the United States.They discuss what it takes to become an official, some of the hurdles and challenges candidates face, and some absolutely amazing stories from their years in the game. It's chock full of info, laughs and insight.In this episode, they discuss:The ideal type of person who can climb the ranks as an official.Parents, Coaches and FansUSA Hockey and Coaching the OfficialsGetting their start in South BostonAnd much more, including some stories from the roadIf you or someone you know is looking to become an on-ice official check out their website or contact them directly- Contact Us - REFEREES CREASE . Here is info on USA Hockey's Officiating Program to get your start today- Annual Membership Education🧊 Don’t forget to check out Andrew Trimble’s book: The Hockey Planner: A Year-by-Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey – From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey Available now on Amazon 📖 Link🎙️ Follow the guys on Twitter for more coaching insight and episode updates.@AndrewTrimble7@TDC_Hockey@TheHockeyFocusAlso, sign up for Coach Trimble's Daily Hockey Newsletter:https://andrewtrimble.substack.com/

Season 3, Episode 10– Catching up with Trevor and AndrewWelcome back to The Hockey Toolkit! In Season 3, Episode 10, Trevor and Andrew recap much of what is going on in the hockey world at the local and national level.In the 46th episode of the series, Trevor and Andrew start by discussing the pros and cons of spring hockey and hockey tryouts occurring either in the spring or in the fall. They discuss burnout and the importance of playing sports other than hockey to improve your game. They then dive into the NHL playoffs which they wrote about in a recent Hockey Focus playoff preview, before jumping into recent Jr hockey news, expansion in leagues and much more. In this episode, they discuss:NHL Playoff Preview- NHL Playoff Preview from the Hockey Toolkit - The Hockey FocusUSPHL Expansion- The NCDC Expands Again - The Hockey FocusSeason Recaps with Trevor's teamAnd much more thoughtful insight into hockey development🧊 Don’t forget to check out Andrew Trimble’s book: The Hockey Planner: A Year-by-Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey – From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey Available now on Amazon 📖 Link🎙️ Follow the guys on Twitter for more coaching insight and episode updates.@AndrewTrimble7@TDC_Hockey@TheHockeyFocusAlso, sign up for Coach Trimble's Daily Hockey Newsletter:https://andrewtrimble.substack.com/

Season 3, Episode 9 – The Hockey Toolkit Guest: Brian Gillam of Brian Gillam HockeyWelcome back to The Hockey Toolkit! In Season 3, Episode 9, Trevor and Andrew are joined by a special guest—Brian Gillam, a true veteran in the world of hockey development.With over 40 years of experience, Brian brings an incredible wealth of knowledge. He currently serves as the Coach Development Coordinator for Hockey Eastern Ontario, is a certified Hockey Canada Skills Coach, and is recognized as a High Performance Coach. In this deep-dive conversation, the trio explores Brian's progressive and practical coaching strategies that are helping shape the future of player development in minor hockey.In this episode, they discuss:The Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) & Ecological DynamicsTeaching Skating: Technical breakdowns vs. a "pond hockey" style of learningCoaching the CoachesAnd much more thoughtful insight into modern hockey developmentBrian also shares a curated list of influential books that have shaped his coaching philosophy:📚 How We Learn to Move – Rob Gray📚 Learning to Optimize Movement – Rob Gray 📚 Learning to be an Ecological Coach – Rob Gray 📚 Dynamics of Skill Acquisition: An Ecological Dynamics Approach – Chris Button, Keith Davids, Duarte Araujo, Jia Yi Chow 📚 The Constraints-Led Approach – Ian Renshaw, Keith Davids, Will Roberts & Daniel Newcombe 📚 Non-Linear Pedagogy in Skill Acquisition – Jia Yi Chow, Keith Davids, Chris Button, Ian Renshaw 📚 Transforming Basketball – Alex Sarama 📚 The Coach’s Guide to Teaching – Doug Lemov🧊 Don’t forget to check out Andrew Trimble’s book: The Hockey Planner: A Year-by-Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey – From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey Available now on Amazon 📖 Link🎙️ Follow the guys on Twitter for more coaching insight and episode updates.@AndrewTrimble7@TDC_Hockey@TheHockeyFocusAlso, sign up for Coach Trimble's Daily Hockey Newsletter:https://andrewtrimble.substack.com/

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 8 of The Hockey Toolkit! In this episode, the Toolkit welcomes Jack Johansen, the Captain for the Fitchburg State University Falcons, the 2024-25 MASCAC Champions.Trevor and Andrew begin by catching up on recent hockey events in the NHL and their own youth hockey coaching. In the interview, Jack discusses what he has seen as a Captain on championship squads at both the Junior and Collegiate levels. What did this process look like in building championship teams? What are key ingredients? What has he seen as a leader for these types of squads. Other topics the guys discuss are:What made the 4 Nations Faceoff SuccessfulTrevors Illinois state final run with his teamNHL Trade deadline and playoff pushBest leaders they've seen in all sportsand much more...Pick up your copy today- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743388: Amazon.com: BooksFollow the guys on Twitter-@AndrewTrimble7@TDC_Hockey@TheHockeyFocusAlso, sign up for Coach Trimble's Daily Hockey Newsletter:https://andrewtrimble.substack.com/

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 7 of The Hockey Toolkit! In this episode, the Toolkit welcomes Neil Ravin, the Commissioner of the EHL and EHLP!In an extended interview, Neil guides us through the Eastern Hockey League's recent announcement that they are re-classifying as a Tier II Junior Hockey League. What did this process look like for the league and what does it mean for the players? Has there been a backlash or fallout as a result of this announcement? Neil shares his thoughts on the current Junior Landscape and what the future of Junior hockey may look like for the EHL and in North America. Other topics the guys discuss are:What has made the EHL successfulHis thoughts on the teams that left the EHL in 2024How player experience shapes the decision making of the leagueand much more...Pick up your copy today- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743388: Amazon.com: BooksFollow the guys on Twitter-@AndrewTrimble7@TDC_Hockey@TheHockeyFocusAlso, sign up for Coach Trimble's Daily Hockey Newsletter:https://andrewtrimble.substack.com/

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 6 of The Hockey Toolkit! In this episode, the Toolkit welcomes Toby O'Brien, a lifer in the game of hockey!In an extended interview, Toby guides us through his journey in hockey from being an original member of the EJHL to scouting in the NHL and now into the EHL. He describes in great detail some of the milestones on the journey and what has made him successful. Over a decade as a scout in the NHL, Toby sheds some light some amazing stories of identifying and finding great players who've turned out to be hidden gems in the NHL. They finish with a discussion on the current state of Junior Hockey with all of its changes. It's a thought-provoking and passionate discussion! Other topics the guys discuss are:What prompted the EJHL and what made it successfulScouting Parker Ford, Linus Ullmark and Thomas NosekWork in the ECHL, AHL and NHLand much more...Pick up your copy today- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743388: Amazon.com: BooksFollow the guys on Twitter-@AndrewTrimble7@TDC_Hockey@TheHockeyFocusAlso, sign up for Coach Trimble's Daily Hockey Newsletter:https://andrewtrimble.substack.com/

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 5 of The Hockey Toolkit! In this episode, Trevor and Andrew discuss recent events in the Youth and Junior Hockey world and the state of Hockey in 2024!The guys then dive into their interview with Dan Kmiechick and Lucas Jones, the Hosts of the Dan K Show, which covers Junior Hockey across the country. Dan and Lucas, covering Junior Hockey for nearly a decade, provide thoughtful and meaningful insight into what they've seen firsthand through their cover of Junior Hockey, particularly the USPHL. They discuss the current state of Junior Hockey with all of its changes and what the ideal future may look like. It's a thought-provoking and passionate discussion! Other topics the guys discuss are:Successes of U10 teamsCoaches complementing each otherThe CHL/ NCAA ruling and how it affects everythingand much more...The guys finish the episode off with a long discussion about who is poised to benefit the most from many of the recent changes to the Junior Hockey landscape.Pick up your copy today- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743388: Amazon.com: BooksFollow the guys on Twitter-@AndrewTrimble7@TDC_Hockey@TheHockeyFocusAlso, sign up for Coach Trimble's Daily Hockey Newsletter:https://andrewtrimble.substack.com/

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 4 of The Hockey Toolkit! In this episode, Trevor and Andrew do a deep dive into the Hockey journey of Herberts Zeibots.In their first long form interview since the Hockey Advisor series last winter, Trevor and Andrew discuss with Herberts the differences he has seen coaching in his native country of Latvia vs what he has seen as a coach in the United States. Herberts talks about his youth career in Latvia, his journey to play Junior Hockey in the US, then his return to Eastern Europe to attend College and Play Professionally in Latvia and Estonia. Other topics the guys discuss are:What Youth Practices look like in Europe vs the USAre kids and parents different from country to country?Funny US Billet StoryThe Latvian Hero Awardand much more...The guys finish the episode off with a preview of some upcoming episodes.Pick up your copy today- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743388: Amazon.com: BooksFollow the guys on Twitter-@AndrewTrimble7@TDC_Hockey@TheHockeyFocusAlso, sign up for Coach Trimble's Daily Hockey Newsletter:https://andrewtrimble.substack.com/

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 3 of The Hockey Toolkit! In this episode, Trevor and Andrew discuss recent happenings in the Youth and Junior Hockey world!The guys then dive into their interview with Adam Houli, the GM/Head Coach/ Co-Owner for the New Jersey 87s. Houli and the crew get into a long discussion about USA Hockey's Atlantic District and hockey in New Jersey, including the Pros and Cons and recent changes in the mid-Atlantic landscape. He also discusses with Trevor and Andrew what amateur Hockey looks like and things he'd like to see change for the betterment of the player experience. Other topics the guys discuss are:Gym Class "I'm a Hockey Director" and some of the hockey-related videos swirling around the Twitter UniversePlayer Releasesand much more...The guys finish the episode off with a long discussion about modern players and playing for good coaches who can teach you life skills.Pick up your copy today- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743388: Amazon.com: BooksFollow the guys on Twitter-@AndrewTrimble7@TDC_Hockey@TheHockeyFocusAlso, sign up for Coach Trimble's Daily Hockey Newsletter:https://andrewtrimble.substack.com/