Apr 11, 2018 | Nik Spilka | 1185 views
Tryouts/Introduction
Welcome to Atom BB/B Tryouts. My name is Nik Spilka, and I will be the coach for the Atom B/BB team for the 2018-2019 season. I have coached in the Devilettes organization for the past 2 years, this being my 3rd. Prior to this I played hockey at the AA/AAA level in Niagara Falls and had many great mentors and coaches. I hope to apply not only their lessons but more modern coaching philosophies and techniques to have a fantastic season.
In order to ensure a fair selection process, I will be using external evaluators. The chosen evaluators have vast experiences in hockey including: former competitive boys hockey coaches, University hockey players and an International Ice hockey referee. The on ice help includes experienced coaches from the Devilettes organization who will help ensure the tryouts are both challenging and fun!
We will make a decision on the level we will play at (B or BB) based on an early season tournament. I would like the girls to play at a level that will be both competitive and challenging. I expect the girls to bring their very best to every practice and game. I will be encouraging them to practice their shooting and puck handling off ice at home. Our development will focus both on individual skills and team play. As individuals, we will work on puckhandling, shooting and my favourite, skating. I will encourage them to lengthen their strides for power/efficiency and make good use of their edges. As a team we will work on positional play as well as situational play (breakouts, forecheck, power play, short handed play). I look forward to having a fantastic season and watching the girls grow and learn as they enjoy the faster paced, high energy play of competitive hockey.