Category Archives: Columns
AHU Coach’s Corner: Just a reminder to all coaches for the season
October 14th, 2016Happy start of the season, fellow amateur coaches! I suspect you have thought about how you plan to organize your season. There are master plans, goals to accomplish each month, starting with the first two weeks and then monthly after that. This progression gets lots of attention, so I want to address something else –…
The Whyte Stuff: Examining the puzzle pieces of a successful hockey player
October 14th, 2016Over the years of playing, and then coaching, I have been asked the same question over and over again – What does it take to play in the NHL? I have always laughed and blurted out the answer – Luck! In all honesty, for my particular situation, that’s not too far off. However, my other…
Taking Liberties With… Dylan Strome
September 13th, 2016DYLAN STROME Position: Forward, Erie Otters (OHL) Acquired: Coyotes’ first-round pick (third overall) in 2015 NHL Draft Hometown: Mississauga, Ont. Age: 19 Arizona Rubber: What’s your favorite hockey memory growing up? Dylan Strome: Not sure how old I was, maybe five or six. That’s when the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators two years…
Shop Talk: Learning how to choose the right off-ice hockey net
August 11th, 2016These days, you get different points of view from those who think athletes should diversify and play other sports in the offseason and those who think you should train year-round for your specific sport. I’m not going open that can of worms. But what I do want to talk about is off-ice hockey nets. I…
AHU Coach’s Corner: When great hockey coaches speak, it’s wise to listen
August 11th, 2016The late Tim Taylor was a legend when it came to coaching. Taylor was the head coach of the 1994 U.S. Men’s Olympic hockey team and several U.S. teams at the annual IIHF World Championship events. He was also the head coach at NCAA Division I Yale University for 28 years. He defined offensive creativity…
Mission Statement: How Mission Arizona prepped me for college hockey, life
August 10th, 2016I was coming into my first collegiate hockey game against Weber State, a team that was ranked No. 2 in the West Region the previous season. As anyone would be, I was nervous, but overly excited for the opportunity to play college hockey for Arizona State University. The captains and seniors got the team ready…
The Whyte Stuff: Respect comes with doling out credit where credit is due
August 9th, 2016Years ago, a father walked into my office at Oceanside to explain to me his son would play elsewhere because he didn’t make the top team at DYHA. As I was telling him I understood, he blurted out, “I know one day, Sean, your dream will come true. You will have a player from your…
Taking Liberties With… Anthony Duclair
July 6th, 2016ANTHONY DUCLAIR Position: Left Wing, Arizona Coyotes Acquired: From New York Rangers on March 1, 2015, with John Moore, second-round draft choice in 2015 and first-round draft choice in 2016 in exchange for Keith Yandle, Chris Summers and a fourth-round draft choice in 2016 Hometown: Pointe-Claire, Quebec Last Amateur Team: Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) Age: 20…
Mission Statement: How divorce is impacting youth hockey players and teams
June 16th, 2016I want to talk about, to me, the biggest “epidemic” that is affecting our kids these days that somehow doesn’t get talked about enough – the divorce rate and the overall affect it has on kids, and how it relates to them as hockey players and team sports in general. Over the last 15 years,…
AHU Coach’s Corner: Getting rest a critical component to the offseason
June 15th, 2016Landon Donovan, one of the most recognizable faces in men’s soccer, is also an avid Pilates practitioner. What does Pilates have to do with soccer? Donovan says, “I love Pilates because we do very specific training in soccer for the same six or seven muscles, but we neglect so many other muscles. So when I…