The Hockey Think Tank Podcast

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on one of Jeff's former teammates who had an unbelievable journey to the NHL...going from an undersized and undrafted player to ultimately reaching his dreams of playing in the show. We talk:-Routine and preparation-Playing the role of an agitator as a smaller player-The grind of making it to the NHL.-MUCH MORE!!This was such an inspiring episode with a lot of nuggets for all kids that have dreams of playing at the highest levels of hockey.Thank you to all of our sponsors - GELSTX, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com, and our podcast platform family BlueWire.And thank you to all of our amazing listeners!!!! We love you and can't thank you enough for all the support you've given us on our crazy podcast journey!!

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we tackle one of the most underrated development habit in hockey:Wall PlayIf you look at a heat map of where the puck is at during a game...much of the game you would see it is close to the boards. That's why it's so important to focus on building skills in our players along the boards. On this podcast Topher, Ryan Ward, and Rob Rassey discuss all things Wall Play...including:-The art of picking up a rim-Using the boards on retrievals for defensemen-Using the boards on the cycle in the offensive zone-Much More!!This was a fun roundtable episode that we hope you can take some things to use with your players and teams! Thank you to our sponsors GELSTX, TrainHeroic, ICEHOCKEYSYSTEMS.COM, and thank you to all of our loyal listeners!!

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on the founder of Changing the Game Project, John O'Sullivan. This is a must listen for every coach and parent in sports as John has dedicated his life and business to providing coach and parent education. On this episode, we talk:-Transformational Leadership-How to be hard on players in a way that's demanding, not demeaning-The are of building relationships as a coach-The coach/parent relationship in youth sports-SO MUCH MOREThis episode is a game-changer (pun intended) and our listeners are going to get SO MUCH great information from John's experience and perspective.Thank you to John and Changing the Game Project (changingthegameproject.com) for all that they do. Thank you to our sponsors GELSTX, ICEHOCKEYSYSTEMS.COM, TRAINHEROIC. And thank you so much to all of our listeners and supporters who continue to ride with us on this podcast journey!

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, Topher sits down with former Harvard University coach and Detroit Red Wings scout Rob Rassey to talk about the POWER PLAY. This was an exciting conversation full of talk on strategy, habits, tactics, and much much more on what makes a successful power play. They talk:-Mentality vs. Tactics-Skill sets for different roles on the PP-Data/Analytics of every PP goal scored in an NHL Year-So. Much. MoreThank you to our sponsors for continuing to support our podcast in GELSTX, TrainHeroic, and icehockeysystems.com. And thank you to all of our amazing listeners!!!

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on Zach Jordan. Zach growing up NEVER played AAA hockey but is going to his first NHL Main Camp just 7 short years after being cut from AAA Midget hockey. What an inspiring story!Zach works with Jeff off the ice on his strength and conditioning and has worked extremely hard to play Division One hockey at University of Nebraska-Omaha and just signed a deal in Columbus' organization with their AHL team in Cleveland. After never playing AAA growing up, it shows his perseverance and resiliency to make it to the big leagues.Thank you to Zach for coming on to our podcast to share your amazing journey! Thank you also to GELSTX (gelstx.com), TrainHeroic, and IceHockeySystems.com for supporting our podcast. And a big thank you to all of our amazing listeners!

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we are starting a new series that will air every couple weeks called the Windy City Storm Hockey Roundtable! In this series, Topher brings on a few people that he works with to really dive into a specific hockey topic. For the inaugural episode, Topher has on Rob Rassey and Ryan Ward!Rob played his college hockey at Northeastern. He then pursued coaching and had stops at Youngstown (USHL) and Harvard (NCAA). The last two years he has been a scout with the Detroit Red Wings and now Rob is the director of TPH-Chicago hockey academy. Ryan has coached at multiple levels and his stops include the Soo Greyhounds (OHL), New York Islanders (NHL), Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), Selects Academy (Prep) and he is now the Director of Player Development for the Tri City Storm (USHL) and Hockey Director for the Windy City Storm.On this episode, Topher, Ryan, and Rob talk about TRACKING. The go through:-Why it's important-How it can help create team identity-Getting offensive players to buy into it-The X's and O's of why it works-Much More!We want to provide our listeners so new, fun, and innovative hockey knowledge...so here we go!We want to thank our sponsors GELSTX, TrainHeroic, and IceHockeySystems.com! And as always, we want to thank our amazing listeners who continue to support our podcast!

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, Jeff and Topher come to you LIVE from Jeff's apartment! It was amazing to get in the same room to riff on what they believe are the most important attributes and actions of leaders in the hockey world. They talk:-The importance of making it HARD-Consistency is the key-What kind of coach would you want to play for?-MUCH, MUCH MORE!Thank you to all of our supporters who continue to tune in every week...you guys are going to LOVE this live episode. Thanks you to our sponsors GelStx, IceHockeySystems.com, and TrainHeroic. We love you all!

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we bring on one of our most popular guests in hockey development coach Brian Keane! Keaner is a development coach to some of the top players in the world including Patrick Kane, and works as a consultant with the Chicago Blackhawks. This was an amazing episode in talking hockey, where we go through:-How to develop better decision makers-The curiosity of the best players in the world and why that's one of their top attributes-Stimulating player development through failure and problem solving-MUCH MORE!!Thank you to our sponsors GELSTX, TrainHeroic, IceHockeySystems.com and our podcast platform Blue Wire Pods. And thank you to all of our amazing listeners who tune in each week!

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we MAILBAG it and take some hockey listener questions! We had a ton of fun with this one, including questions on:-How much hockey should kids do in the summer?-How would you approach a coach as a kid regarding an issue you may have?-As a coach how do you handle a parent asking you about ice time?-Many More!!Thank you to our sponsors GELSTX, TrainHeroic, icehockeysystems.com, and to our podcast parent company BlueWire Pods. And thank you to our amazing listeners who continue to support our show!

On this episode of the Hockey Think Tank podcast, we talk to six Cornell Women's hockey alumni playing for Team Canada in this year's World Championships...Rebecca Johnston, Brianne Jenner, Jillian Saulnier, Kristin O'Neill, Jaime Bourbonnais, and Micah Zandee Hart!! Topher got to interview all six women as part of raising awareness for a charity hockey game at Cornell benefitting Racker, a school for kids with special needs in the area. What an inspiring conversation where we talked:-The thrill of playing for Team Canada-Importance of leaving the game better than where they found it-Building camaraderie in an international tournament setting-Advice for young girls with aspirations of playing for their country-MUCH MORE!!Thank you to these amazing women! Thank you also to our title sponsor GELSTX, icehockeysystems.com, TrainHeroic, and BlueWire Pods. You're going to love this episode!!