Hello everyone!
I want to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the 2017-2018 season. My name is Greg French and I have been given the privilege of coaching the Oakridge Aeros Atom MD team. I am very excited to get started and I hope the players feel the same.
Tryouts will be starting on September 7th. I would encourage all parents to subscribe to the team calendar that way you will have the most up-to-date information concerning ice time.
I also realize that tryouts can be a very scary time for both players and parents. Click
here for an excellent article you can share with your child to help them prepare. Also remind them that this is a game and that as long as they do their best and have fun they will be fine. You can also share the key things I will be looking for during tryouts. I will evaluate skating, puck handling, shooting and passing. I am also looking for players who battle for the puck, who are leaders (both on and off the ice), who are excellent teammates, and who are coachable. A team can have all the skill in the world but without leadership, a "team first" attitude, and a willingness to listen and learn, you can't win championships.
Let me also take this opportunity to share a little about my coaching philosophy. First and foremost, I am about player development. We will spend a great deal of time in practice focusing on player and team skill development. I also believe that in order to develop players they need to be put into different situations, and therefore I will be giving players equal playing time to experience those different game situations. The only exception will be the last five minutes of a tight game. We are in a competitive division and although I don't believe in a win at all cost attitude, there may be times when I decide to shorten the bench. I also have a "get back to work" philosophy. The idea behind this approach is after a goal for or against the players quickly get back to the face off circle and get ready to play. I don't see the value in long celebrations or taking too much time to be upset over a goal against. Games go quick and we need to take advantage whether we have just scored or whether we were scored against. We need to "get back to work". I also believe that you practice as you play. Therefore, I will expect my players to show up to practice on time and ready to work. I run fast-paced and hard working practices because we can't expect to play well if we don't practice well. Lastly, I will touch on discipline. I mentioned before that I am looking for players with a team first attitude. Anyone who behaves in a way that negatively affects the team (ie. not passing the puck, not getting off the ice when asked, being disrespectful, taking unnecessary penalties, etc.) will have a consequence. On the first occurrence they will receive a warning, on the second sit a shift, the third they will sit two shifts. Should the behaviour continue they could sit a period or receive a game suspension and even be asked to leave the team. The purpose of sharing this information is not to scare anyone it is just to ensure that people understand my expectations. Also keep in mind that I always make sure the child understands why they are being disciplined to give them an opportunity to correct the behaviour. I do my best to share that information with parents, with the child present, following a game so that everyone understands.
I also want to take this opportunity to share some information about cost for MD hockey. There are additional fees above the registration cost you pay to the Association. The Association essentially covers ice time for league games and one practice per week. The additional team fees help to cover tournaments, extra practice ice time, player and goalie development sessions, practice jerseys and other team costs which will be shared during the team budget meeting. Currently the excess fee is around $775/player.
Let me now close with a quote and some final words. "To play the game is good, to win is better, but to love the game is best of all". I have played this game for 40 years and loved the ups and downs for every one of those years. I hope to share that love of the game with these players and help them to feel the same.
See everyone on September 7th,
Coach Greg