BEHIND THE BENCH: The First Week Is Not the Season

Dear Players and Parents,

The beginning of a hockey season has a way of making everything feel permanent. A player looks at his role, his opportunities, and how the coaching staff is using him, and suddenly everyone starts trying to figure out what it means for the next six months. Usually, it is too early to know. Coaches are still learning their players. Players are learning a new system, new teammates, new expectations, and sometimes an entirely different level of hockey. Roles are beginning to take shape, but beginning to take shape is not the same thing as being locked in.

For the player, that can be difficult when the role he receives is not the one he expected. Maybe last season you were trusted in every important situation and now you are being asked to prove yourself all over again. You are allowed to be disappointed. What matters next is what you do with that disappointment.

One of the most important things a player can learn is the difference between playing hockey and playing the way his current coaching staff wants hockey played. Every coach has certain things he values. One may put enormous importance on puck management. Another may demand a particular level of defensive responsibility. One may notice how quickly you get above the puck, how you track through the neutral zone, how long your shifts are, how you compete without the puck, or whether you consistently make the simple play instead of forcing something that is not there. Your first job is to figure those things out.

If you spend too much time worrying about your role, you can miss the information that tells you how to improve it. Watch. Listen. Pay attention when coaches correct you. Pay attention to what earns other players more responsibility. Look for patterns instead of reacting to individual moments. The real currency is trust. Coaches have to learn what they are going to get from you when they put you on the ice. Can they trust you late in a close game? Can they trust you in the defensive zone? Can they trust you to make the correct decision with the puck? Can they trust you to execute what was discussed in practice? Can they trust that one mistake is not going to turn into three because you became frustrated? That trust is built through repetition, and one bad night, one reduced role, or one healthy scratch cannot become your identity. Those things matter, but they do not automatically tell you what the coaching staff believes about your future. If a negative pattern develops and you do not understand why, you need information. The question should not simply be why you are not playing more. Ask what the staff needs to see from you to earn more opportunity. Now you have something you can work with.

Parents, when your son gets into the car angry because the night did not go the way he expected, be careful not to turn his disappointment into a crisis before anyone actually knows whether there is one. It is easy to start questioning the coach, comparing your son to teammates, or wondering whether the organization misled your family. Those may eventually become legitimate concerns, but one or two early decisions rarely provide enough information to answer them. Listen first. Find out what your son actually knows and separate it from what everyone is guessing.

There is a real difference between an uncomfortable beginning and a genuine problem. If a player is repeatedly scratched, his role continues shrinking, communication is poor, or something he was specifically promised before joining the team is materially different from what is happening, then the situation deserves a closer look. But give it enough time to become clear before you decide what it means. Patience is not the same as sitting quietly forever while a bad situation continues.

You cannot control every decision a coach makes, but you can control the kind of teammate who arrives at the rink tomorrow. You can control how you practice, how you respond to coaching, how prepared you are, and whether you become more dependable every day. Your first week does not define your season. Neither does your first mistake, your first bad game, or your first disappointment. What actually defines your season is what you repeatedly do afterward. Watch what your game looks like in practice, then in the second week, then in the third. Adjust what needs adjusting. Compete for everything you can earn. Become someone the coaching staff can rely on. Make it increasingly difficult for them not to give you more responsibility.

The beginning tells you where you started. The rest of the season will tell you what you did from there.

Stay focused,

Mike

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The 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship runs Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, featuring 10 national teams. Team USA opens against Germany, while Canada begins against Switzerland and defending champion Sweden faces Finland. Preliminary-round games lead to quarterfinals and relegation on Jan. 2, semifinals Jan. 4, and medal games Jan. 5 at Rogers Place. NHL Network will broadcast the World Juniors in the United States, with TSN and RDS carrying coverage in Canada.

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USA Hockey is introducing mandatory advancement for returning officials beginning with the 2026-27 season. Officials age 16 or older who completed Level 1 must advance to Level 2, preventing experienced referees from remaining at introductory levels. The change supports a broader modernization of officiating education, including updated seminars, online learning and progressive training. USA Hockey aims to create better-prepared officials, strengthen accountability and ensure education advances from basic fundamentals through complex rules, positioning and four-person officiating systems.

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The 2025-26 CHL champions celebrated their titles during Opening Weekend, with the Kitchener Rangers, Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Everett Silvertips raising championship banners. Kitchener honored its third Memorial Cup and fifth OHL championship after defeating Everett in the 2026 Memorial Cup final. Chicoutimi celebrated its first QMJHL title in 32 years, while Everett raised its first-ever WHL championship banner after beating Prince Albert in the league final. Each ceremony highlighted major milestones for the three championship franchises.

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The USHL Fall Classic brings every league team together in Chicago, giving top hockey prospects valuable exposure to scouts from all 32 NHL teams and dozens of NCAA Division I programs. Hosted at the Blackhawks’ expanded USG Arena, the event combines high-level competition with a professional atmosphere. Players embrace the pressure of performing under constant evaluation, viewing the experience as preparation for college hockey and the NHL while highlighting the USHL’s strong development culture and proven pathway to higher levels.

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The Western Hockey League introduced three rule changes for the 2026-27 WHL regular season to improve pace, accuracy and the fan experience. Teams can now use a Coach Challenge to review possible offside goals, while referees must video-review Major and Match penalties, excluding fighting majors. A new “No Return” rule also prevents teams from deliberately retreating from the attacking zone during three-on-three overtime. Violations stop play and result in a defensive-zone faceoff without allowing player substitutions.

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Brock England, Dima Zhilkin, Alexis Joseph and Carter Meyer are the first players named to Team CHL for the 2026 CHL/USA Prospects Challenge presented by Primaris. The two-game series, featuring top 2027 NHL Draft prospects against the U.S. National Under-18 Team, will be played Dec. 1 in Chicoutimi and Dec. 2 in Quebec City. The event has become a major NHL scouting showcase, with 42 of 44 previous Team CHL participants later selected in the NHL Draft.

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The OHL Battle of the Border returns Oct. 16-18 at Windsor’s WFCU Centre for the first time since 2019. Twelve leading U16/15O AAA hockey programs from Ontario and the United States will compete in 27 games, showcasing prospects eligible for the 2027 OHL Priority Selection. Round-robin play features exclusively cross-border matchups, with division winners advancing to Sunday semifinals and a guaranteed Ontario-versus-U.S. championship game. Players will also attend OHL information seminars and tour the Windsor Spitfires facility.

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The BCHL Department of Player Safety will oversee WIJHL discipline and player safety, reviewing on-ice incidents, determining suspensions and educating disciplined players. BCHL Vice President of Hockey Operations Brad Lazarowich will also support referee and linesman development, scheduling and officiating consistency across both leagues. Former NHL official Lazarowich brings nearly 2,000 games of experience to the role. Mike Matthies will lead WIJHL player safety, assisted by Lazarowich and Sean Robertson, with professionalism, integrity and education emphasized throughout the program.

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The 2026 NAHL Showcase brings all 36 league teams, the NTDP U17 squad and NAPHL programs to Blaine, Minnesota, for four days of elite junior hockey and scouting. More than 140 teams will compete as hundreds of NCAA coaches and professional scouts evaluate prospects. The NAHL continues to serve as a major NCAA hockey development pathway, producing 410 college commitments in 2025-26. The showcase gives players valuable exposure while providing recruiters unmatched access to high-level talent under one roof.

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The Eastern Hockey League enters 2026-27 with 16 teams reorganized into Northeast and Mid-Atlantic conferences, replacing the previous four-division structure. Seven teams from each conference will reach the playoffs, with the top two seeds earning first-round byes. Defending champion Seahawks Hockey Club, New Hampshire Avalanche, HC Rhode Island and Philadelphia Hockey Club headline the contenders, while several standout players return. The EHL will also debut EHLTV, a dedicated streaming platform covering regular-season games and major league events.

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Players and families, we want to hear from you. If there are any questions, concerns, or if you just want to have a conversation, please feel free to contact us directly. We want to hear from you. Good Luck and Great Hockey!

 

Thank you,

Team VHC

 

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