On this week’s episode, Topher is flying solo and recording in person with the leaders of the boys program at Bishop Kearney Selects, from their podcast studio on campus in Rochester, NY! (Vechs says without him on the pod, it was a “slightly less hot” episode.) Topher is joined by Chris Collins (Sr. Director of Boys Hockey Program Development), Ben McManama (Director of Player Personnel), and David Arduin (Director of Boys Hockey| Head Coach, 18U) for a terrific conversation about the...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs wants to talk about…SCHOOL! Jeff wants to know Toph’s top three subjects in school and how they shaped who he has become. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about tipping pucks and this is absolutely in Vechs’ wheelhouse! Toph tees it up and Jeff runs with it! Unreal insight for forwards and defensemen… TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, Topher and Jeff welcome Matt Dumouchelle to the podcast! Matt is a contributor to The Coaches Site and wrote the series Hockey Factories, which takes a deep dive into how some of hockey’s top development programs in the world train and develop elite talent.  In this episode we talk about: — Commonalities among the world’s most successful development programs — Things that hockey directors and coach can take begin to implement into their own programs right away — The...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs wants to talk about the Morgan Reilly - Ridley Greig incident and get Toph’s insight on what happened, as well as the effect it may have on the next game of the Maple Leafs-Senators rivalry. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about GAPS and the importance of gapping up; Vechs loves it because he tackles the topic from the standpoint of manipulating the gap. Awesome conversation! TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, Topher and Jeff welcome athletic development coach, Jeremy Frisch. He’s one of the best follows on social media, and this was an unreal conversation for any parent looking to help their kids become a better athlete. His approach to training kids is truly organic and embraces long term athletic development principles. In this episode we talk about: — Movement, Strength & Conditioning — Building a foundation for kids so they love being in the gym, moving, and...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs and Toph get asked this question A LOT: How can someone make a job for themselves out of hockey? They love the game, and want to make a career out of being involved - how should they attack that goal? TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about PRACTICE HABITS and Vechs is here for it! Great stuff, and a terrific reminder for any player looking to get better. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, Topher and Jeff are celebrating 300 episodes of the podcast! Like Toph says at the start of each episode - "a little bit of education, a little bit of inspiration," and an unbelievable experience for us each and every week for over five years! Vechs also has a HUGE announcement at the beginning and we couldn’t be more excited for him! In this episode we talk about some of the amazing guests we have had the opportunity to have on the podcast over the years, how they’ve...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, the guys talk about Team Building and give some team building exercises ideas for different ages to help with culture and camaraderie in fun and competitive ways. Teams that are close away from the ice are often the most successful on the ice because they’re invested in each other and want to be their best for the team. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about losing streaks and how teams that are struggling in the win column can work to turn it around, and how players can stay focused on the process to keep developing. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, Topher and Jeff welcome Jeff Lobman from Vanguard Hockey International. Jeff is from the Long Island/Staten Island area and is doing some terrific things to give back to the area where he grew up playing youth hockey. In this episode we talk about: — How hockey legitimately saved his life — Player Development — The unique experience Vanguard Hockey offers to players giving them access to some terrific coaches from all over the world (including our own JAYHOO) AND SO...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, the guys talk about what happens in the locker room during intermissions, and what players do between periods. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Topher wants to talk about one of the greatest parts of the game - CHIRPS! The guys talk about the best hockey chirps they’ve given, received, or heard on the ice. We try to keep it PG-13, ish. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, Topher and Jeff welcome Blake Geoffrion & Sam Jefferies. Sam wrote the book, “Legacy On Ice,” about Blake’s life as a fourth-generation NHLer and hockey royalty. In 2010 Blake became the first University of Wisconsin hockey player to win the Hobey Baker Award, and in 2012, his promising NHL career was cut short by a devastating injury that almost cost him his life. Blake’s ability to storytell is UNMATCHED, and you will not be disappointed!  In this episode we talk...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs wants to talk about the advancements in hockey technology with respect to player development. One of our new podcast sponsors, Helios Hockey, offers an affordable option (don’t forget to use our discount code: THINKTANK) - and the guys talk about how technology in general (and access to it) has changed so much since their playing days. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Toph wants to talk about the importance of creating buy-in and how coaches can go about creating it early to set the team up for success by setting expectations, standards, and accountability structure early. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, Topher and Jeff welcome acclaimed author, motivational speaker, and world series champion as a mental performance coach with the St. Louis Cardinals, Dr. Jason Selk. Regarded as one of the top performance coaches in the United States, he’s worked with professional and olympic athletes as well Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 executives and organizations, training individuals and teams to develop the mental toughness necessary for high-level success. In this episode we talk...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs brings an awesome topic - should there be limits for youth coaches with respect to the number of years they’re coaching the same team and the same players? Some terrific conversation about the upside of having limits for coaches in youth programs and the potential impact on player development. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices....

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Topher wants to talk about the skating stride! Not only stride mechanics, but Toph wants to hear from Vechs about what players can be doing in the gym and off ice to improve their skating stride. TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we finally reveal the project we've been working on for months... We've built an ONLINE COMMUNITY to connect like-minded and passionate hockey people in our great game. When Topher first started the Hockey Think Tank as a passion project, his dream was to create this type of positive, enthusiastic community...and that dream is finally a reality! Whether you are a coach, parent, or player, this community is here to help enhance your journey in the game of hockey. As you listen to...

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Vechs has an intriguing question for Topher: If you, overnight, became the head of USA Hockey, what are the first three things you'd implement?  TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s SHORT SHIFTS episode, Topher's topic is one that brings out ALL the opinions - FAVORITE HOCKEY MOVIES of all time! The guys weigh in on their favorites and why - including some of their favorite lines and characters! TEN MINUTES ON THE CLOCK STARTING NOW! We appreciate every listen, download, comment, rating and share on your social sites! The Hockey Think Tank Podcast is a proud member of The Hockey Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s episode is a long time coming! It’s a 10 QUESTIONS episode, and the guys take turns asking each other some hockey and non-hockey related questions - some serious, some hilarious (like fighting duck-sized horses), and some that were supposed to be serious that turned hilarious.  Some topics they touch on: — Pregame routines & roadtrip roommates — Best hockey movies — Greatest fears — What their tombstones would say AND SO MUCH MORE! Thank you to our sponsors GelStx,...