Episode 40: The Long Game (with Bob Mancini - USA Hockey Assistant Executive Director of Hockey Development)
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Show Notes
Why real development takes patience, perspective, and a lot less panic.
Scott and Jamie sit down with Bob Mancini - one of USA Hockey’s most influential minds and a key architect of the American Development Model (ADM) - to talk about what it really means to develop players the right way.
Mancini breaks down how small-area games, delayed checking, and skill-first systems aren’t just buzzwords, they’re the building blocks of a generation that can think the game, not just play it. He also gets candid about the cultural challenges holding youth hockey back: parent pressure, fear of falling behind, and mistaking busyness for development.
In this episode:
- The science (and sanity) behind the ADM
- Why delayed checking created smarter, safer players
- How “more” hockey often leads to less growth
- What parents misunderstand about the path and what scouts actually see
It’s the reminder every parent, coach, and player needs mid-season: progress isn’t instant, but it lasts a lifetime if you do it right.
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