Hello, I am very excited to be named coach for the 2021-22
U15MD Team. Below is some information on
the season and a bit about me.
Should you have any questions about this upcoming year, please
click
here to contact me.
I encourage ALL U15 Oakridge Hockey players to attend our tryouts in September.Season Outlook
Practices and Games Instead of two 1 hour practices each week, we will run one 1.5 hour practice weekly. The reason for this is to give your child an extra day to focus on other activities and the transition to high school. The extra 30 minutes in each practice will allow us to continue to progress on drills and work on more of the competitive and strategic aspects of the game while developing skill. More competitive in practice small games and only having one practice a week will help the players remain engaged throughout the season. There may be times when an extra practice is added but our intention is to have 1 practice night per week.
During game play, each athlete will enjoy the same equal ice and be able to play in all situations.
Coaching by Committee Rather than a traditional head coach, assistant coach system, my plan is to have the coaches all engaged with equal input in practices and games. This will keep the perspectives fresh and engaging for the athletes.
Hockey is important, but not everything At this age hockey competes with other sports, interests, and hobbies. My main goal is to have your child experience all of these, but still play hockey. By being more flexible and appreciative of their time, I hope it avoids the feeling of having to choose one activity over another. We want every player to want to play hockey this year!!!!
Players input is important Once selections are made, we will have the players set both team and individual goals. They are the reason we are here, and they should have input into what they hope to get out of the season. Focusing on their needs will keep them engaged. Setting in-season goals (not based on scores and standings) will help them track their progress throughout the season.
Tournaments I will be focused on a budget conscious season, while still allowing the players a chance to see other teams in up to 3 tournaments (not including Alliance), provided tournaments still go as planned this year. There will be two local tournaments (Oct. 15-17 and Jan. 28-30) and one away tournament in Niagara on the Lake (Nov. 5-7) that we plan to participate in.
The Loop If we truly are returning to a “normal” season the loop would be Alliance East & West games for the 1st half of the year. We would play each Alliance East team once (usually Waterloo has 2 teams) with either one home or away game against each east team . The 2nd half of the year would be Alliance West teams only (London & Sarnia). We don’t have confirmation of this yet & there’s still a possibility of OMHA interlock with AE teams if they remove contact at the older ages, but this is based on a “normal” Bantam season.
Tryouts Whether you've played hockey at MD or higher or haven't tried out for MD before, I encourage ALL U15 players in Oakridge to come to the tryouts. Selections will be made with the assistance of an independent panel of experienced coaches.
About the Coach: Steve Milne
Steve Milne is a D1 certified coach who has coached in both the Oakridge Aeros and London Devilettes organization for over 10 years. Steve has been an assistant coach on the 2007 MD team for the past three years and was a head coach for the Devilettes from Novice to PeeWee at the A and AA levels. Steve brings to the coaching staff strong leadership, communication skills and technical knowledge. He prides himself on player development and teaching the game of hockey to his players.