Minnesota Hockey announced today the schedule of its spring skill development clinics.  This series of skill sessions are designed to supplement the player development initiatives provided by our community based associations and ensure Minnesota continues to be a leader in the development of all players.

Starting in April and running through May, Minnesota Hockey will offer skill sessions focused on body contact, defensive skills and scoring skills. Each of the practices will led by professional coaches who will design sessions that emphasize long term athlete development and maximize the number of high quality repetitions each player receives.

Below is a description of each type of clinic being offered, as well as a list of current dates and locations. New clinic dates and locations may be added in the future. To register for any of the clinics listed below, click here.

Goalie Skill Sessions

Minnesota Hockey's goalie skill sessions feature a progression of skills starting with basics such as stance, positioning and goalie-specific skating before advancing to high level concepts including save selection, rebound control, breakaways and more. Each practice will be led by Minnesota Hockey's goalie development coordinator, Steve Carroll, and will feature some of the top goalie coaches in Minnesota. 

Each session will include 90-minutes of on-ice instruction. Goalies at the Squirt/10U, Peewee/12U and Bantam/15U levels are eligible to participate. Up to 24 goalies will be accepted for each session and will be separated into age-appropriate groups during each session to provide appropriate instruction.

Body Contact and Checking Clinics

Minnesota Hockey will continue to offer its popular body contact and checking clinics, as well as adding an advanced body contact session. All Peewee and Bantam player will remain eligible for the standard body contact and checking clinics, but players must have completed at least one year of Bantam hockey to participate in an advanced clinic.

Both types of clinics will utilize station based practices that facilitate the development of body contact and checking skills by maximizing repetitions with proper technique.  Minnesota Hockey will provide certified ADM instructors to teach important concepts such as angling, positioning, contact confidence, proper stick checks, safety and awareness.

“There are several key components that comprise proper body contact: body position, angling, timing, gap control, stick-on-stick,” said Guy Gosselin, USA Hockey ADM Regional Manager. “These are things that players must continue to practice at all levels. Just like any other skill, players must continually work on their motor skills and technique to refine their body-checking abilities.”

Defense Clinics

Minnesota Hockey’s Player Development team will lead practices designed to enhance the defensive skills of Bantam/15U and high school defensemen. The clinic will place an emphasis on skating skills for defensemen along with offensive and defensive tactics necessary to be a successful. 

Scoring Clinics

The scoring clinics are designed for Bantam/15U age players and will focus on refining shooting techniques of common shot types while developing the ability to change the angle, shoot through defenders and utilize a quick release. In addition, players will also develop goal scoring skills and tactics against Bantam-age goaltenders.