At Micro Ice, we have professional coaches that care about the Long-Term Athletic Development of our players. We teach the game to players the right way. We focus on skating, skill development, and being great teammates. We do not focus on tactics, systems, dumping the puck or winning at the expense of development.
Hockey coaches often talk about the traits they look for in players - attention to details, coachability, accountability, hustle, and being a good teammate. While other programs and teams expect players to show up with these traits, we think it’s a fundamental responsibility of our program to teach kids these traits and help them learn what it means to be attentive, coachable, accountable, etc., and how to do it.
That’s why Micro Ice is different than other programs. Our goal isn’t to win games or leagues, or rise in national hockey rankings. Please don’t misunderstand – we want to win and like to win, but that is not the primary objective. Instead our goal is long term development of hockey players. We don’t just practice; rather, we teach kids why practice is important and how they can get the most out of practice. It’s not only coaching players to stick handle and shoot but also what it means to be coachable. It’s not only developing players’ skating but also helping them to develop hustle and urgency. It’s not only teaching them the rules of the game but also becoming responsible and accountable for their actions.
At Micro Ice, our smaller teams and smaller ice surface create high repetition and puck touches. We emphasize game like situations with maximum pace. Players learn by doing under the attentive watch of our staff of professional coaches comprised of former D1 players, D1, prep and junior coaches, and an Olympic medalist – quality teachers with ample teaching moments. Our approach gives our players the tools and traits they will need to be productive and successful at the high school level and beyond.
We think the best schools teach kids not only the curriculum but also how to be good, productive, and responsible students. We think the best hockey programs teach kids not only how to play hockey but also how to be good hockey players and teammates. That’s our goal at Micro Ice. And interestingly, as we’ve done so, we’ve won a lot of games and leagues and tournaments. Funny how that works out.
Interested? Want to learn more? Please complete our Prospective Player Form or email us at tryouts@microicehockey.com.
– Practice three times per week.
– Limit the number of players on a team.
– Focus on the right things.
– Teach systems
– Care about winning
– Limit ice time
Micro Ice’s Mite Development Program is the best around! The players will be a part of a team for the first time and grow together as teammates and friends! We practice two times per week where we work on the fundamentals: skating, passing, shooting, and stickhandling. We also have olympic silver medalist, Peter Carruthers, helping coach in some of the practices.
The team will play 10-15 games vs other local programs throughout the season. With over 50+ practices plus monthly 3v3 games amongst our mite development teams, we feel it’s the best way to develop as a young player!
Our Mite Teams plays 25+ games in the Valley Hockey League’s Cross Ice League.
Mite major practices three times per week: twice with Program Director David Breen and once with Peter Carruthers.
Mite minor practices twice per week: once with Program Director David Breen and once with Peter Carruthers.
Our developmental focus at the Mite level is to foster engagement and fun through active, small area games. We grow players’ shooting, stickhandling, passing and emphasize position-less puck pursuit and puck support along with having a season-long skating coach.
Our team size is limited, so your child gets more repetition, more ice time, and develops better than anywhere else (10-11 players max).
Our Squirt Teams plays 35+ games in the Valley Hockey League.
Team practices three times per week: twice with Program Director David Breen and once with Peter Carruthers.
Our developmental focus at the Squirt level is to strengthen players’ individual hockey skills and hockey IQ while growing their team play skills, playmaking awareness/capability along with having a season-long skating coach. Practices are fast paced to maximize speed and athletic development.
Our team size is limited, so your child gets more repetition, more ice time, and develops better than anywhere else (13 skaters max).
Goalies receive one private lesson per week with Mike Buckley’s GDS in addition to team practices.
Our Peewee Teams plays 35+ games in the Valley Hockey League.
Team practices three times per week: twice with Program Director David Breen and once with Peter Carruthers.
Our developmental focus at the Peewee level is to advance all hockey skills while teaching enhanced game and position responsibilities. These skills include defensive angling, stick positioning, heads-up puck control, longer passing, slap shots and handling body contact along with having a season-long skating coach.
Our team size is limited, so your child gets more repetition, more ice time, and develops better than anywhere else (13 skaters max).
Goalies receive one private lesson per week with Mike Buckley’s GDS in addition to team practices.
Our Bantam Teams plays 35+ games in the Valley Hockey League.
Team practices three times per week: twice with Program Director David Breen and once with Peter Carruthers.
Our developmental focus at the Bantam level is to grow players skills and game maturity that prepares them to play at the high school level and beyond. We work on more team-related concepts and systems including different forecheck systems, defensive-zone coverages, power-plays, ect. The Bantams like the rest of our teams continue to sharpen their skating skills with a season-long skating coach. In addition, because checking is allowed at this level, we teach the skills related to good body contact and body checking.
Our team size is limited, so your child gets more repetition, more ice time, and develops better than anywhere else (13 skaters max).
Goalies receive one private lesson per week with Mike Buckley’s GDS in addition to team practices.
