Squirt

At the Squirt level for boys and girls, players should focus on the skill progressions listed below: 

Knowledge

By the end of the season, players should know:

Rules

off-sides

icing

Common Infractions

unsportsmanlike conduct

body checking

cross checking

checking from behind

holding

high sticking

tripping

Penalties

minor

major

Goal Setting

Coaches should:

Establish specific and measurable performance goals that are written, shared with players and parents, and revised on a regular basis to promote development.

Example: To develop passing and receiving. Be able to execute five good passes and receive five passes (forehand and backhand).

Divide performance goals into two categories:

practice

game

Individual Hockey Skills

Players must learn and master:

Skating

edge control

ready position

forward start

forward stride

control stop (two-foot snowplow, one-foot snowplow)

backward skating

backward stop

control turn

forward crossover

Puck Control

lateral dribble

forward-to-backward dribble

diagonal dribble

attacking the triangle

forehand shift

accelerating with the puck

Passing and Receiving

forehand

backhand

receive (stick)

eye contact

Shooting

wrist

backhand

Checking

poke check

hook check

lift the stick check

Goalkeeping

basic stance

parallel shuffle

lateral t-glide

forward and backward moves

stick save

body save

glove save

Team Play

Players must understand and learn:

Offense

positional offense

offense in the offensive zone

offense in the defensive zone

Defense

territorial defense

one-man forechecking

basic defensive zone coverage

Nutrition

Players should: 

  1. Understand the importance of proper hydration before, during and after all practices and games. 

  2. For evening practices and games, eat a normal breakfast and lunch; Before the game or practice, eat a light snack; After the game or practice, eat a meal.

  3. For early morning games and practices, eat lightly at breakfast. After practices or the game, eat a snack. 

  4. For tournaments, if you play more than one game on the same day or several games in successive days, emphasize foods that are high in carbohydrate (fruit, hot or cold cereal, pancakes, cold meats, soup, rice, pasta) while avoiding those foods with a high sugar content.

Fitness and Training

Players should learn: 

    warm-up exercises 
    cool down exercises 
    stretching exercises 
    flexibility exercises 
    agility exercises 
    balance activities and exercises 
    eye-hand coordination activities 
    fun games 
    relays 
    jump rope activities 

Injury Prevention

      Players should be introduced to: 
      Heads Up Hockey program 
      proper care of equipment 
      proper fitting of equipment 
      rink safety 
      safety precautions for practice 
      the importance of warm-up, stretching and cool-down 

Sports Psychology

Players should be taught to: 

  1. Understand the difference in being relaxed and tense. 

  2. Understand that making mistakes is common and part of sports. 

  3. Understand the benefits and the use of positive reinforcement. Realize that positive comments help reduce stress, enhance self image, enhance the team's image, and can increase the enjoyment of games and practices.

Character Development and Life Skills

Players must learn to: 

      demonstrate high levels of sportsmanship 
      to have respect for their teammates, coaches. opponents, officials and parents 
      demonstrate an ability to balance school and outside activities 
      be on time for games and practices 
      understand only they can "Just Say No" to drugs and other harmful substances