The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
So I've been playing league 8c (beginner league) adult hockey at the ice house for 2 season and I'm tired of being one of the worst players on my team. I start w little hockey experience. I can hold my own but I'm no where near as good as most of the players on my team (most have no business being in a beginner league).
I'm from north jersey and I was looking into adult hockey clinics. Does anyone have any thoughts on hockey north america (hna)? I know the ice house usually has beginner clinics in the fall too. Any help would be great.
So I've been playing league 8c (beginner league) adult hockey at the ice house for 2 season and I'm tired of being one of the worst players on my team. I start w little hockey experience. I can hold my own but I'm no where near as good as most of the players on my team (most have no business being in a beginner league).
I'm from north jersey and I was looking into adult hockey clinics. Does anyone have any thoughts on hockey north america (hna)? I know the ice house usually has beginner clinics in the fall too. Any help would be great.
I used to play at the Ice House all the time and still go there for open hockey in the fall/winter cause it's the closest rink to me. I just joined HNA this year and I'd highly recommend it even if you're looking at the beginner league. At times HNA is a pain in the rear but they're still miles above the Ice House. Also depending on what you want to spend and how far to travel the rink at the Palisades mall has a clinic on Tuesday nights at 10. 20 bucks gets you an hour of skills/drills and an hour scrimmage. Floyd Hall at Montclair U also has clinics, check their website at www.floydhallarena.com. The biggest thing is to just get out there and keep playing, keep practicing even if it's informal stuff like open hockey.
If you're looking to make the switch from house league to HNA though I'd say go for it 100%. I doubt I'd go back to house league unless HNA folded.
I started in the Cleveland HNA this past winter, and love it. Had 8 weeks of "Training Camp" from an NHL player who lives in town, then scrimmages for the remainder of the season.
It's a bit pricey, especially the first season because they make you buy your jersey's from their supplier, but the competition is good and professional. HNA has pretty strict codes of conduct, so going from the winter games with them to the local rink's summer beer leagues where fights constantly break out were a bit of a shock.
So I've been playing league 8c (beginner league) adult hockey at the ice house for 2 season and I'm tired of being one of the worst players on my team. I start w little hockey experience. I can hold my own but I'm no where near as good as most of the players on my team (most have no business being in a beginner league).
I'm from north jersey and I was looking into adult hockey clinics. Does anyone have any thoughts on hockey north america (hna)? I know the ice house usually has beginner clinics in the fall too. Any help would be great.
How far are you from Dunellen?
The Rock Ice Center has a "Tuesday Night Clinic", which runs year round. It gets to be a bit on the pricey side (~$400 for a 13-week session) but the amount of improvement from every player that goes is absolutely amazing. You can also pay per session to see if you like it. We have everyone from D-leaguers who can barely skate to fringe B-leaguers come out and it's a lot of fun for everyone. I know it sounds hard to believe, but we all get along and push each other to be better. It's a great group of regulars.
We do 30 minutes of drills, whether it's skating/shooting/etc. with 2-3 coaches instructing us, and then a 3 period 20 running minutes game with a coach on each bench instructing everyone and a referee of course.
My name is Steve, don't be afraid to ask around for me if you decide to come out. I've only missed one Tuesday night in the last 5-6 months.
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I started in the Cleveland HNA this past winter, and love it. Had 8 weeks of "Training Camp" from an NHL player who lives in town, then scrimmages for the remainder of the season.
It's a bit pricey, especially the first season because they make you buy your jersey's from their supplier, but the competition is good and professional. HNA has pretty strict codes of conduct, so going from the winter games with them to the local rink's summer beer leagues where fights constantly break out were a bit of a shock.
Definitely recommend it.
Really? I was under the assumption that the "uniform" rule was only for intermediates and up. Damn so do I need to buy matching helmets and socks? How much did everything cost you?
Really? I was under the assumption that the "uniform" rule was only for intermediates and up. Damn so do I need to buy matching helmets and socks? How much did everything cost you?
Might be different for each area but I think I paid nearly 150 for the jersey and socks. I don't remember off the top of my head because it was mandated where you get your jersey from, they just rolled the price in to the first year fees.
For our 2nd year we have to buy a 2nd jersey (white) but are planning on spending less than half because we're getting the jersey from another supplier.
It may be different if you're joining an existing team. Our group all went through the training class together and we had enough people to form a team. Naturally when EVERYBODY is new, the team is pretty bad, but it's a pretty unique bonding experience to go through everything together.
We may have been a special circumstance because of this, I don't know.
Helmets don't need to match. We have a couple with red helmets and one guy with gold.
I started as a beginner with HNA and my experience was really positive. I am in a different league right now because of location, but when I return to school in the Fall I definitely plan on joining it back up. Great program.
How are the first 8 weeks of actual lessons? I've been skating for a while, but I feel like I need to go back to square one and learn the fundamentals of skating (stopping, skating backwards, cross overs, tight turns)
Can't speak from a beginner's perspective, but I was one of the officials or their "championship" up in Toronto, and out of all the games I did, had not a single typical men's league problem, meaning, all of the guys were good guys, there was no BS, no ringers, there were some guys better than others, but that's just the natural order of things, some areas were better, ie, Chicago's Div 4, might be better than Cleveland's Div 4, etc, but they were still pretty close.
Real positive experience on the officials side, doing any HNA game, and that says something right there.
I used to play at the Ice House all the time and still go there for open hockey in the fall/winter cause it's the closest rink to me. I just joined HNA this year and I'd highly recommend it even if you're looking at the beginner league. At times HNA is a pain in the rear but they're still miles above the Ice House. Also depending on what you want to spend and how far to travel the rink at the Palisades mall has a clinic on Tuesday nights at 10. 20 bucks gets you an hour of skills/drills and an hour scrimmage. Floyd Hall at Montclair U also has clinics, check their website at www.floydhallarena.com. The biggest thing is to just get out there and keep playing, keep practicing even if it's informal stuff like open hockey.
If you're looking to make the switch from house league to HNA though I'd say go for it 100%. I doubt I'd go back to house league unless HNA folded.
I live close by so I go to the clinics at Floyd Hall a lot, they usually have one Thursday evenings (times vary, generally around 9:30) and Sunday mornings at 8:10. It's an hour, they start with skating, then some puck drills, other drills (2 on 1's, etc), and generally finish with a 10 minute scrimmage. There's usually a really wide mix of skill levels, you get a few people who can barely skate up to a few guys who probably play in C leagues.
I like it, the mix of skills is nice because then you play with some better guys who can push you. And the instructors are good about mixing up the drills so it's not the same stuff every week.
How are the first 8 weeks of actual lessons? I've been skating for a while, but I feel like I need to go back to square one and learn the fundamentals of skating (stopping, skating backwards, cross overs, tight turns)
For us there were quite a few skating drills, teaching, and helping people get better at many of the basic skills (stops, crossovers, backwards skating, pivots etc). There were also basic shooting lessons and puck carrying drills. We walked through plays, making sure everybody understood where they should be and why, and ended each practice with some 3 on 3 games.
my experience was about the same as skraut's. everyone i started with could skate (some better than others) and anyone falling behind such as those who didnt know how to stop got help from the other coach so as not to stop the practice. after basic skating technique we did puck carrying and passing, then moved on to shooting. at the end of each session we would scrimmage, luckily we had 1 goalie learning and another who just came for the practice. the mood is relaxed and everyone is there to have fun. didnt encounter any goons the whole time (thank goodness haha wouldve had to drop the gloves!)
