01/07/2025
I wrote this about five years ago. Since we will discuss the American Development Model Wednesday night at 9pm Eastern, it is a good article to prompt discussion and potential questions.
Beyond the ADM
USA Hockey celebrates ten years of the American Development Model (ADM). Credit goes to the originator of the ADM, Ken Martel. Ken is the Technical Director for the ADM at USA Hockey. He and his team have made tremendous strides in advancing and improving how a youth hockey coach thinks, prepares, and executes practices and games while also understanding that long-term development is crucial for hockey to maintain its growth. Well done!
Grass Roots hockey is better because of the ADM!
However, there is more than the ADM pushing growth, skill advancement and NHL level players in the U.S. Let’s look at a list of events and developments that have propelled the growth and advancement of the American player in the last decade outside the scope of USA Hockey.
The KHL
The door opened for more Americans in the NHL with the creation of the KHL1 (Kontinental Hockey League) in 2008. The Russian based KHL had a meteoric impact on the demographic origins of the NHL player. A new professional league that paid reasonably well meant Russians and Europeans started staying closer to home and opening positions for American players.
Currently, the percentage of European and Russian players in the NHL hovers near all time lows. The top talent still comes to the NHL like Ovechkin, Malkin or Tarasenko. However, the next level player opts to stay home for the same pay and a larger role on his respective team.
The KHL opened the door for American talent in the NHL.
NHL Funding
While the KHL may have opened the door for American players to enter the NHL, it was the actions taken by the NHL that helped ensure a steady flow of “pro-ready” talent. The NHL chose to reallocate their time and resources from Europe and Russia to the United States via USA Hockey. The NHL partnered with USA Hockey, granting over $9,000,000 annually. This windfall came with specific instructions to support efforts in the USHL, the NAHL, College Hockey Inc., the ADM, and the National Development Program. Yes, the ADM is funded by the NHL.
YouTube and the Smartphone
Watch a great NHL or college goal go viral on Youtube and you are guaranteed that thousands of youth players will succeed to eventually master the move. Twenty years ago, Mike Legg scored that amazing lacrosse style goal from behind the net for the University of Michigan. That early video clip was the start of a new way of skill advancement for young hockey players.
Youtube and social media have also revolutionized the volunteer coaching world. The amount of drill sharing, advice and education that is available via todays smart phone allows the part time coach to run age appropriate and diverse practices that are a far cry better than what was available in the past.
The smartphone has become the accessible device used to deliver video content. Every player, parent, coach and fan has the ability to record, edit and distribute content instantly.
I wrote this about 5 years ago to review the first 10 years of the American Development Model (ADM). We will discuss this Wednesday night at 9pm Eastern. Let me know your thoughts
Private Instruction
Today’s top players utilize private skill development. The movement towards private lessons has been one of the biggest changes to our sport in the last 50 years. The private lesson business gets better every year. The Pegula family bought the NHL Buffalo Sabres, and immediately stressed the importance of skill development. One of their first moves was a hockey academy. The Sabres Academy offers private lessons, clinics, camps, and team training year-round. They have also staffed the academy with many well known NHL players and coaches.
The delivery of high quality private lessons is now the norm in most hockey towns and cities. Hundreds of full time professionals work in a growing industry and providing excellent instruction to youth players.
Advanced Performance Training
The advancement of sport-specific performance training has changed how athletes train. Companies like Athletic Republic designed entire performance protocols centered on a test, teach train methodology that allows hockey players to improve stride length, stride rate and physical recovery time. Dozens of facilities have incorporated Athletic Republic or similar performance centers into the fabric of the facility. The modern hockey rink has multiple training options on and off the ice.
Stronger and faster athletes make better players!
Academic and Athletic Integration
Student athletes now have the choice to integrate academic studies and hockey skill development under one roof. Throughout the United States and Canada, hundreds of players from kindergarten through 12th grade now attend school at the rink or at a facility near the rink. Student athletes divide their time between the classroom studies and hockey-related activities such as skill advancement sessions on and off ice, video review, small space games and numerous other activities designed to improve the hockey player. These academies are academically accredited and accepted by all colleges and universities. Programs in Minnesota like the Gentry Academy or Florida’s South Florida Academy are just two examples of opportunities that did not exist 10 years ago.
Skill Specific Equipment
Two decades ago, skating treadmills were a novelty. Now, there are hundreds of treadmill. Many are housed in ice rinks, college facilities and NHL training rinks. Consumers have skill improvement choices between private lessons, clinics or treadmills to improve stride mechanics. In most cases, treadmill time is convenient and allows players more training options throughout the week.
Another innovative advancement in equipment is Rapid Shot. This shooting lane tracks shot speed, accuracy, and reaction time. Players instantly receive quantitative feedback from monitors located in the lane that compares the best historical performance ranking worldwide with every shooter’s age group.
Rapidshot has fused skill training with the excitement of a video game.
Video Games
NHL 20 is the latest version of the extremely popular video game. Although sales are declining, the NHL20 platform has sold over 1 million games in the last 5 years. Many of the kids playing are actual hockey players. Sophisticated defensive zone coverages, multiple power play systems, and realistic puck movement have raised the average hockey I.Q. At age ten, my son was already experimenting with line combinations, forechecks, and defensive zone coverages. The rare times I challenged him to a game, I was severely demoralized. These are skills lightly taught at the ages of 10-12.
The game changes a young players approach to the game. Awareness of angles and open space become second nature for players and they bring their knowledge learned from gaming to the ice in every real life practice and game. Anyone who reads USA Hockey Magazine knows that USA Hockey is a proponent of utilizing gaming as a tool.
Off Season Specialist (Selects)
The name Legacy may not be a household name. However, hockey families are mostly familiar with Selects. Over the past 15 years, Selects has mastered assembling talent for spring and summer play. The program identifies talent as young as 10 years old and provides challenging events including national and international competition.
The World Junior Selects Tournament held in Philadelphia is considered a benchmark tournament for elite players worldwide and is a highly scouted event by the NHL and colleges. Many consider the World Junior Selects a major threshold event for elite players worldwide.
The impact of Selects is evident by reviewing data from the NHL. Over 400 NHL drafted players participated in Selects.
Over 100 current NHL players have participated in the Selects program!
The founder and Director of the Boys program, Joe Templin, states: “Our players are not only is excited about the challenges of international competition, they also appreciate a roster with some of the best players in North America. Our coaches encourage creativity, we don’t punish mistakes. The climate and culture is much different that a regular season team.”
Selects also has a prep school: Selects Academy (South Kent School). Now a player has the option of playing in a high academic environment within the Selects brand. Selects have established a prep program that is averaging 9 or more student athletes committing to NCAA Division I programs annually. In the last three years, Selects Academy has had an astronomical 8 NHL draft picks, including 1st round pick Joel Farabee. If that is not enough, the Selects Academy U18 midget team won the 2019 USA Hockey National Championships.
Selects has become a key factor in year-round player development and continues to find creative ways to advance the sport.
While USA Hockey should be applauded for the ADM and its impact on the game, it is only one part of player advancement.
