The High Performance Hockey Podcast

From Grassroots to Gold: How Countries Are Growing the Game and Building Better Players with Sunaya Sapurji

Mar 11, 2024

39:02

In this episode I have an incredible conversation with Sunaya Sapurji about youth hockey development models around the world. Sunaya is a senior editor at The Athletic who has covered hockey for many years and written insightful pieces comparing different countries' approaches. We discussed the similarities and differences between programs in North America and Europe. Some of the main takeaways from our discussion included the challenges of cost and participation rates, as well as the importance of coaching education to ensure development frameworks are properly implemented.

01:15 Hockey development models in the US and Canada.

08:45 Hockey development and retention strategies for youth growing up in the sport.

11:15 What challenges is the sport of ice hockey facing with cost across the globe?

18:30 Hockey development in Scandinavia.

26:45 What are the differences between the club model in places like Denmark vs the free market you see in the US?

32:30 Hockey coaching, player development, and retention today.

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