Reflections on the NAHA Tournament - and College Coaches in Attendance

Talking to the college coaches at the NAHA Labor Day tournament, I think all the coaches agreed that the two Steelers teams ended up being in the two toughest draws in the tournament, but both teams acquitted themselves well, showed that they could compete with the top teams in North America, and at the end of the day, the tournament is about players showcasing themselves, and playing against the top competition in North America, as opposed to Wins and Losses.

While this year marks the first year a Steelers team did not advance to the quarterfinals since the Steelers first attended the tournament in 2004, with the strong interest that Grade 12 players on both teams generated, and strong interest in the younger players on both teams from the college coaches, I consider the tournament a huge success for both teams.

When I scout players during the course of the year, sometimes it is very difficult to project how a player is going to when playing at a higher level of play. I look for certain skills and attributes which, in the past, have led to players being successful when playing at a higher level of play, but you really never know until players are thrown into a high level competition as to how they are going to perform.

As such, I was particularly impressed with some of the younger players on the Steelers teams, who had never experienced this caliber of play before, and were "thrown to the fire", having to play such tough teams, and in particular the defence core of the Steelers black team.

When thrown into this environment, players can either rise to the challenge, or be overwhelmed, so it was great to see the younger players elevate their play to match the caliber of play they were facing.

It was also great to see some of the older players step in and take a leadership role on the Steelers teams.

I am strong believer that playing at the highest level of playing, taking yourselves outside the comfort zone of the level you may have been accustomed to playing at in the past, is the best way to develop hockey players. Playing at the highest caliber of play forces you to make decisions that much quicker, and taxes you physically and mentally. It may be overwhelming at first, but once you get used to playing at the higher level of play, you will be a better hockey player for it.

I counted a total of 88 college coaches in attendance at the NAHA tournament, representing every Division 1 college, and the majority of Division 3 colleges. There likely were more college coaches than that, as I am sure I may have missed a couple college coaches. The tournament organizers should be posting a complete list on their web site shortly.

At this time, I would like to thank the parents on both teams who helped out with the driving: Don Boyd, Tim Gilligan, Bob Mason, Brad Sidjak, Garth Butcher, Darren Hauca and Andrea Krause. Your assistance helps keeps the costs of these tournaments down and greatly helps out the coaching staff.

I would also especially like to thank Colleen Thomson and Bob Mason who basically are the team leaders of their respective teams once we land in Vermont, and co-ordinate everything. This frees up my time and allows me to spend much more time at the rink to liase with the college coaches.

I would also like to wish all the players all the best with their hockey seasons this year, as they return to their own individual club teams for the season.