Glass and Out

For this week's episode of the Glass and Out podcast, we've decided to flip the script. Sitting in the guest chair will be none other than Glass and Out host, and The Coaches Site founder, Aaron Wilbur. Taking over hosting duties will be Matt Dumouchelle, a new writer for The Coaches Site and Assistant GM for the GOJHL's Leamington Flyers. Now into its 10th year as a company, the 'why' of The Coaches Site has always been a simple one: to provide the game's top coaches a platform to share their ideas, and ultimately help coaches provide a better development experience for their players. In this week's podcast, find out about the origins of The Coaches Site, Wilbur's own personal coaching journey, and what he sees for the future of the hockey coaching industry.

Welcome back for season 5 of the Glass and Out Podcast! We have an amazing guest to kick things off, as we welcome Tom Ward, Head Coach of the Shattuck-St. Mary's Boys Prep Team. Shattuck is the prep school hockey powerhouse based out of Faribault, Minnesota, that has produced the likes of Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Toews, Zach Parise, Jack Johnson, Drew Stafford, and many more. But while the list of elite talent and number of championships is impressive, what really stands out about the program is a culture grounded in hard work, sweat and a philosophy that every player, regardless of their pedigree or resume, has to earn their spot. In this week's podcast, we find out about Ward's coaching journey, that includes a stop in the NHL, the importance of developing the person before the player, and his role in creating one of the top prep programs in all of hockey.

We're back with a very special bonus episode of the Glass and Out Podcast! Now that the NHL playoffs are officially over and the Cup has been handed out, we get to the fun stretch of the off-season. That which includes the Entry Draft, Free Agency, and of course the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft, where the NHL's 32nd franchise will officially announce their inaugural roster. To celebrate, we thought we'd jump into Ron Francis' GM chair and conduct our own mock expansion draft. And to help us out, we invited the COO of InStat North America, Mark Yates, to discuss what goes into creating a successful team. Yates' position with InStat connects him with coaches and managers of all levels in hockey, so he has a bit of a birds eye view in terms of what makes the top organizations tick. In addition, Yates spent six seasons as a junior hockey scout with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads, the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads and the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks. We hope you enjoy this bonus episode of the Glass and Out Podcast, as we explore what a possible Seattle Kraken roster could look like and take a deep dive into what makes a successful team.

And just like that, we've arrived at our last Glass and Out episode for the season. We want to thank everyone for tuning in and we hope you were able to take at least a few things away from our lineup of amazing guests. To close things out, we welcome recent recipient of the NHL's Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award, Kevin Hodgson, a friend of The Coaches Site and one of the truly good people in hockey. Hodgson is the Executive Director of HEROS hockey (Hockey Education Reaching Out Society), which empowers at-risk youth and introduces them to the game of hockey, and its offshoot organization SuperHEROS, which provides boys and girls living with physical and cognitive challenges an inclusive and safe hockey environment, Under the guidance of Hodgson, Founder and President Norm Fylnn, and 300 volunteers, the organization has grown to 28 programs in 12 cities across Canada. One in three participants are girls, and almost half the participants are new Canadians; about 10,000 kids have participated in the program since 2000. Based out of Calgary, Hodgson has a background in social work and in addition to operating HEROS, he is also a consulting trainer at the Centre for Suicide Prevention. In the season finale, find out what winning this year's Willie O’Ree Award meant to him, how hockey has the power to change lives, and what can be done to create a more inclusive game.

In this week's Glass and Out episode, we welcome one of the top, young coaches in hockey. At just 35-years old, Matt McIlvane has quickly worked his way up the coaching ladder. Some of the accomplishments in his young career include becoming the head coach of EC Red Bull Salzburg, an Olympic Silver medal, and three DEL league titles. While you may not be too familiar with the name now, it likely won't be long before you we see him behind an NHL bench. Following a playing career in the minors, McIlvane began his coaching career at just 26-years old with the Danville Dashers of the now defunct Federal Hockey League. The following season, he would join Drake Berehowsky's staff in Orlando of the ECHL for one season. His first opportunity with EC Red Bull would come when his former coach, Don Jackson, invited him to Salzburg. After one season, both coaches would move to Red Bull’s sister franchise in Munich of the DEL, where they built a dynasty that would capture 3 consecutive league titles.. Then in 2019, at the age of 33, McIlvane would move back to Salzburg to become the head coach of EC Red Bull. This past season, the club tasted playoff success, advancing to the semi-finals. In addition to his club duties, he was a member of Germany’s coaching staff during their cinderella run at the 2018 Winter Olympics, where they captured a Silver medal. He was also recently a part of Germany’s entry at the 2021 World Hockey Championships, where Germany advanced to the final four. Find out about his motivation behind an early entry into coaching, the importance of having good mentors, and what he's learned about creating a championship culture in this week's podcast!

On this week's edition of the Glass and Out Podcast, we're joined by Boston Bruins skating and skills coach Kim Brandvold. At just 39-years old and only two seasons of experience in the NHL, Brandvold has already become one of the most well-respected skills coaches in hockey, with a bright future still ahead of him. Following a playing career that saw him represent Norway's U20 men's national team and play four seasons for the Umass-Lowell River Hawks, the Oslo native decided to get into coaching. Under the mentorship of coaching legend Paul Vincent, Brandvold gained experience at his Massachusetts Hockey Development Camps. He would then join Central Catholic High School as an associate head coach, and would later take over the program in 2016. He also got involved with Boston’s minor hockey scene, running development clinics, and helping out local teams. It's during this time that Brandvold began to refine his craft and acquire the details needed to work with younger players, that would eventually lead to him working his way to the NHL. Find out how starting at the grassroots level helped prepare him for a career in the pros, his insights into how he develops world class skaters, and how he’s learned to gain the trust of some of the game’s elite talent.

In this week's edition of Glass and Out, we welcome one the most experienced coaches in today's game. With over 40 years of coaching experience, Perry Pearn's remarkable resume spans the globe and includes just about every level of hockey . He began his coaching career with a 16-year run at the Norther Alberta Institute of Technology. Under his direction, the school became one of the top University programs in Canada. NAIT would collect five CCAA Championships, have an overall record of 457-177-24, and complete an undefeated season in 1984-85. Pearn, himself, captured seven Alberta College Coach of the Year Awards. After his time at NAIT, Pearn would spend one season in the Swiss Leagues  and the next in Medicine Hat in the Western Hockey League. Next would be the start of a 20-year run in the NHL as an assistant coach with Winnipeg, Ottawa, the Rangers, Montreal, and Vancouver. Internationally, he has led Canada on three occasions at the World Junior Championships, capturing gold as head coach in 1993. He also recently spent one season as the head coach of Canada’s National Women's team. This past season, Pearn worked under Bill Peters as an assistant with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL. Put all that together and you have one of the most well-respected coaches in hockey, who has put in the time to constantly learn and grow as a person and coach. Find out what he learned about creating a successful program during his time at NAIT, how his coaching journey has shaped him as a person, and why team building is critical to team success.

We've got another big episode for you this week, as we welcome Alex Kovalev. The former NHL star just wrapped up his first season as the head coach of the Kunlun Red Star, the Beijing-based entry into the KHL. He spent the previous two seasons as the club's assistant coach. In addition to the many challenges caused by COVID-19, including relocating the team to Mystishchi, Russia due to travel restrictions in China, Kunlun presents the unique challenge in that the roster is largely in place to support the development of players with Chinese heritage to compete for China in the 2022 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Beijing. In other words, not exactly the ideal situation to begin a coaching career. After a playing career that saw him capture a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal, and record 1,029 points in just over 1,300 games as arguably one of the most skilled players of his generation, Kovalev's venture into coaching could be seen as a somewhat surprising move. But with his passion for the game and wealth of hockey knowledge, Kunlun offered a great opportunity to cut his teeth in the coaching game. And with aspirations of returning to the NHL, it's clear that this is just the beginning. Find out his thoughts on why coaches should empower their players to use their imagination and make plays, how his early development helped shape the player he would become, and what he learned during his first season as a head coach.

While this week's guest to the Glass and Out Podcast may not have the most obvious ties to the game of hockey, you could argue that he has had one of the most significant influences on the shift that has seen coaches prioritize creating a positive and inclusive team culture. James Kerr is a high performance consultant to some of the world’s top organizations, but is most often recognized as the author of the bestselling book Legacy. The book details the culture and behaviour that has resulted in the New Zealand All Blacks, his country's national rugby team, becoming arguably the most successful professional sports team of all time. Ask a professional or aspiring coach what book they would recommend when it comes to culture and leadership and you'll often hear Legacy referenced. It has become a bit of a handbook for many high level hockey coaches. It's a must-read for for any coach looking to become a better leader. The book provides clearly defined objectives that coaches of all levels can implement if they are willing to put the time in and open to empowering others to lead. As a consultant, Kerr specializes in defining, designing, and delivering change for leaders of world-class teams and organizations. His corporate clients include HSBC, UBS, Boeing, and Shell, to name a few. On the sporting side, he’s worked with UEFA (the Union of European Football Association), the Australian Kangaroos, Adidas, and most recently, Leicester City Football Club. Leicester recently captured the FA Cup, an incredible feat for a small market team in the English Premier League. In this week's episode, find out about Kerr's building blocks for creating a high performing culture, why humility is a common trait amongst great leaders, and why story telling is an integral coaching tool.

In this week's podcast, we welcome two of the most distinguished and well-respected men in hockey. They're also two current members of one of the more unique coaching staffs in hockey with the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. First, you have vice president, general manager and head coach Mike Johnston, who has almost 40 years of coaching experience at just about every level of hockey. Johnston has coached 10 seasons in the NHL, including two years as head coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Johnston took over the Winterhawks part way through the 2008-09 season and has turned it into one of the model franchises in junior hockey, producing for NHL talent such as Seth Jones, Ryan Johansen, Nino Niederreiter, and Cody Glass. Next, you have assistant coach Don Hay, who just finished his third season with Portland. Hay is of course the WHL’s all-time winningest coach, setting the record with 743 victories, and has won three Memorial Cup championships (two with the Kamloops Blazers and one with the Vancouver Giants). Considered a legend in the coaching fraternity, he's played a role in developing countless NHL players who have gone on to become household names for hockey fans over the course of his career. Hay and Johnston first worked together at the 1995 World Junior Championships. With their roles reversed (Hay as head coach, Johnston as an assistant), they led Canada to a gold medal. The two have remained friends and a coaching resource to one another during their careers, resulting in a reunion with the Winterhawks. To have two coaches of their stature on the same bench is certainly a rare occurrence and no doubt provides an incredible environment for players to learn and grow in Portland. Find out how they have blended their individual coaching philosophies, their process for designing practices, and the importance of staying humble in this week's podcast.