“When you go to our state festival and watch 4-on-4 hockey at 10U, it’s like watching a real hockey game,” SnoKings Hockey Director Doug Kirton said. “You’re seeing kids in small areas make plays, getting used to having less time and space, one-time rebound shots. It’s almost like watching a mini pro game.”
Rausch believes the shorter space of cross-ice games teaches players the importance of skill development and keen on-ice intelligence, which is especially important if they wish to play hockey at the highest level.
“It forces them to make constant decisions and handle the puck in traffic,” he explained. “You watch the way the modern game is played … the game is not a 200-foot game anymore. Everything is literally a small-area game. If I’m watching an NHL game right now, I see 11 grown men in a sixth of the ice. If you can’t make plays in tight areas as a 10-year-old, you’re not going to be able to make plays in tight areas as an 18-year-old.”
While USA Hockey is committed to creating successful programs, development of each individual player is also a high priority. So how does a coach go about transitioning from full-ice to cross-ice at the 10U level and still compete?
“That’s the million-dollar question,” Sawchuk said. “Obviously, we want to develop the best players. At the end of the day, whoever has the most talent is probably going to win the game most of the time. Coaches may think, ‘If I don’t win at the 10U level, I might not get hired back at 12U.’ [But] winning at all costs before skill level will come back to haunt you.”
Other programs in several states have adopted cross-ice games, including Missouri, Oregon and Montana. Kirton has a simple but convincing message to other programs who may be considering the practice for its 10U players.
“The proof is in the pudding,” he said. “You do it, the kids like it, they’re used to it. If it’s making them better players, it will prove itself in the test of time.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
