KRIVO SCHOOL OF HOCKEY ELITE
Trip home to Russia reenergizes youth coach Krivokrasov By Matt Mackinder
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ast month, Andrei Krivokrasov ventured back to his home country of Russia to visit his parents and to also serve as a guest coach and instructor for a 2008 birth year youth team. On his recent trip, he was able to compare and contrast youth hockey development in Russia, particularly in Krivokrasov’s hometown of Angarsk, with a focus on what development and training looks like for the youth hockey player in the Krivo School of Hockey Elite versus the youth hockey player in Russia. For Krivokrasov, the director of the program that bears his name, the trip home was a very positive experience. “All players in my hometown of Angarsk start their hockey season in the middle of July,” explained Krivokrasov. “The day usually consists of getting to practice an hour and half before the on- ice session. One hour is dedicated to dryland training prior to practice, 30 minutes on getting dressed after dryland, and an hour and half ice session. Mites are on the ice five days per week, older kids train six times per week. Older players spend almost half of the day at the rink, including the ice session in the morning, breakfast at the rink with the team, then dryland training for one hour, and then dedicate one hour to flexibility training, which I find very important for player’s body control.” As for the differences between Russia and the Krivo School, there are not many that Krivokrasov noticed. “The differences in development are not different at all
- 100 percent focus on skating and skills development,” Krivokrasov said. “My home town hockey school, Ermak Angarsk, has been producing solid talent and many players go on to play in KHL or in the NHL, so fundamentally building a solid player is based on the philosophy of skills development.”
Recently journeying home to Russia to visit family, Krivo School of Hockey Elite director Andrei Krivokrasov was asked to run a skills session with a local youth hockey team in his hometown of Angarsk.
The attitudes of the youth players in Russia and Colorado are also similar. “Youth players’ love for the game is the same and they all have hockey dreams in Russia like the players in the United States,” said Krivokrasov. “Players are disciplined and very eager to learn, same as what I learned when I played in Ermak. Discipline is a core for learning, growing
and retaining skills every day on and off the ice.” Krivokrasov noted that parental dedication in Russia also mirrors what he has seen in the U.S. “One thing is saw in Russia is that parents sit together in the stands way above the bench about 20 rows back and let the coaches do their job,” said Krivokrasov. “Even if they get excited and yell at their kid to work harder or do something better, the kid can’t hear and keeps focus on the ice. In my opinion, players at Krivo School of Hockey Elite developed in line with Russian players, but in my opinion only, in many instances our players are better. Way better skaters. “In comparing programs, I’m proud to say that we go above and beyond to do a superb job on how we develop our players. Our players are getting the best. It’s reassuring thing for our program and our coaching that we are on the right track of player growth. We are doing it right, but not content on where we are. One very big thing I learned that in Russia – many drills are dedicated to growing hockey IQ. I’m not going to elaborate how they do that, but it’s something I will be implementing more in our practice regimen, to give an edge to our players at Krivo School of Hockey Elite.” New Krivo coach Ivan Benevelsky is from the same Russian hockey system, so his coaching philosophy aligns well with Krivokrasov. “Ivan is very creative and that is something I look for in a coach,” said Krivokrasov. “He sees what I see and has the ability to modify on the fly, to make players achieve a desired skill or a team play.”
KrivoSchoolofHockey.com
Air Force grads now have immediate pro hockey options By Chris Bayee
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he dream of playing professional sports for service academy athletes, including Air Force hockey players, was breathed new life earlier this year when a U.S. Department of Defense policy changed. The shift allows the possibility of joining a pro sports team after graduation instead of waiting two years. It will ease one recruiting disadvantage all service academies have faced, but it won’t be a magic pill for the athletic programs, Falcons hockey coach Frank Serratore said. “Before, players who played a sport their entire life with the dream of playing at the highest level had to essentially abandon that dream if they went to a service academy,” Serratore said. “Now, they don’t. “It’s a great thing. We’re already recruiting the best and the brightest for academics and leadership potential. This enables us to recruit some of the best athletically as well.” Still, the winnowing process from college hockey to the NHL is dramatic. “A lot of athletes feel they have high-level pro potential,” Serratore said. “The reality is very few do. To me, a higher number of good college athletes isn’t to going to affect the bottom line that much because a very small percentage become high-level pros.” The possibilities are intriguing for the hockey program, which has had a handful of players with that type of pro potential. Defenseman Greg Flynn developed into an All-American and played a handful of games in the American Hockey League in 2009-10 while stationed near Boston. Goalie Andrew Volkening was a two-time all-Atlantic Hockey pick and a two-time all-NCAA Tournament team pick. And center Brian Gornick was selected by Anaheim in the 1999 NHL Draft and played nearly 90 AHL games. Athletic director Jim Knowlton told The Gazette in Colorado Springs in July that, though graduates can apply to serve on reserve status instead of active duty, the Air Force would make decisions on a case-by-case basis. An AFA athlete also would need a contract or binding commitment from a sports team, and the athlete’s obligation to fulfill his or her service requirement remains unchanged.
ASPEN JUNIOR HOCKEY Leafs partner up with Finland youth guru Valiaho for ’16-17 By Matt Mackinder
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spen Junior Hockey (AJH) has taken giant leaps leading into the 2016-17 season to quickly become a world-class leader in youth hockey player development and that has started in earnest with the program partnering with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association (FIHA), employing Finland’s manager of youth hockey operations Kalle Valiaho. Valiaho, who is one of the most influential coaches in international youth hockey, plans to take a six-month sabbatical from his position in Finland and immerse himself exclusively in Aspen for the season. He will work with AJH executive director Shaun Hathaway strengthening the age-appropriate curriculum and long-term athletic development plan offered by the Leafs. This unprecedented partnership between FIHA and AJH has also resonated on an extremely positive note with USA Hockey. “Being the Rocky Mountain District ADM regional manager, one of the best parts of the job is helping youth hockey programs become world-leading programs within their community,” said USA Hockey’s Joe Bonnett. “I have watched Shaun Hathaway and his staff work with conviction and excellence to improve Aspen Junior Hockey significantly over the past three years and become leaders of youth sport in their region. By adding a mentor coach and FIHA coach in Kalle Valiaho, AJH again has demonstrated a commitment to continual improvement and continues to raise the bar for their athletes.” FIHA organizes and operates youth hockey in Finland and had 72,176 registered players last season, compared to 542,583 registered U.S. players. Since 2009, Valiaho has worked as a regional coach, responsible for two of eight FIHA regions. He has been an International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) mentor coach since 2007 and his youth coaching experience includes time in Finland, Hungary and China. In 2006, Valiaho graduated from the prestigious Haaga University in Vierumaki, Finland, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports and Leisure Management. In December 2016, he is expected to complete his Master’s degree in Sport Studies.
AspenJuniorHockey.com CORubberHockey.com
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