The High Performance Hockey Podcast

Developing the Collegiate Hockey Player with Will Morlock

Feb 24, 2025

39:48

It’s one thing to bring out the full potential of your athletes, but another thing to develop that potential for future success. Our guest today is Will Morlock, Director of Hockey Performance from Michigan State University, where his primary role has been training the hockey program since he joined the Athletic Performance staff in 2022. We go in-depth about developing collegiate hockey players, and what it takes to maximize athletic development in an applied sports science setting. Will walks us through his people-first approach to coaching — how he builds team culture, amplifies adaptations through specialized training methods, develops microcycles during the in season, and more.

HIGHLIGHTS

00:00 Which methods do I use within the Gain, Go, Grow model?

04:05 How do you utilize applied sports science with your collegiate players?

06:40 What to prioritize when building culture in a college setting.

09:40 How do you approach management versus development in high performance hockey?

13:25 The most important force plate measurements to look for.

16:40 How to make informed decisions using numbers.

18:15 The coaching philosophy that maximizes athletic development.

24:50 When and how to fit technology into your schedule.

29:00 Which methods do you use to amplify adaptations?

31:35 What are your tried-and-true methods?

34:05 Unpacking the current pendulum swing in high performance hockey.