ADM Kids

Margins in sports are shrinking. Athletes are bigger, faster and stronger. Technology can pinpoint strengths and weaknesses. Tactical edges don’t last long.

It makes seeking out edges to elevate your game more difficult and more important than ever.

And thanks to Scott Paluch, a USA Hockey Player Development Manager, we have five strategies for how to do just that if you’re a player at the 14U/16U level.

1. Pay attention to training and nutrition: Some of us remember being able to eat pretty much anything as teenagers without consequences to our waistlines. But the right nutrition is essential to promoting muscle growth and energy.

“Training and nutrition are huge, huge pieces and I think more and more athletes are being exposed to them in ways that we didn't get 25 or 30 years ago,” Paluch says. “I certainly think that's a benefit when it comes to where youth sports is going.”

Programs should be drivers of proper strength training for 14U and 16U players, Paluch says.

2. Don’t overload – or overlook recovery: That said, a key component that might go overlooked sometimes is the need to give bodies a rest. Tired players can’t maximize their abilities, and even the most resilient young players need a break.

“The recovery piece sometimes gets lost, but I think that’s a really big factor for young athletes,” Paluch says. “Especially when we're all looking to try to get to a little more normalcy in the amount of competitions that we play throughout a season and a weekend.”

Multiple games in a day are becoming less common as coaches agree that one is enough, Paluch says. 

“They’re putting their bodies through a lot,” Paluch says, noting that nutrition, training and recovery are all linked. “We’re asking our players to train properly, but they have to recover to train properly. I think that’s a strong piece of the puzzle for athletes trying to find that edge.”

3. Watch the film to get better: Hockey is a lightning quick game that requires elite physical tools. But the mental part of the game is getting even more essential as time and space become even more limited.

To that end, Paluch advises 14U and 16U players to watch video to see both their strengths and their areas of improvement.

“The ability to work with coaches on the video replay aspect of our training is huge,” he says. “You need to be able to watch hockey and understand the awareness piece, the hockey sense piece and to try to gain an edge by looking at what the best players are doing. How does my game compare to them in terms of decision-making and awareness? How can I increase my speed and my efficiency in a hockey game?”

4. It’s all about the little details: Being intentional about improvement is essential. It’s one thing to fire a lot of pucks in the offseason. It’s another thing to build understanding of the finer points of the game.

Some of those details that Paluch says will give players an edge: working on ice awareness, the art of deception (particularly when shooting the puck) and look-off passing.

“The reality is the game is changing constantly,” he says.

5. Become a better leader and teammate: Maturity doesn’t just happen because players get older.

“I think sometimes when we're talking about 13-year-olds going into 14U, we just assume they're getting older so they're going to know these things,” Paluch says. “I think we need to create an environment that shows them this is what good teammates are doing constantly. This is what happens on and off the ice. I think players being able to hear and see those things are really important.”

So what does it mean to be a good leader and teammate at that age?

“Number one, it’s somebody that people will want to be around and want to listen to. I think people who show empathy and are willing to work to help others, those are really important qualities,” Paluch says. “It’s about doing the right things both on and off the ice. We mentioned all the ways that players can make themselves better. I think somebody who's constantly doing those things is someone who can become a leader and a good teammate as well.”