Jr. Comets Video Session Provides Teaching Points

Dec 20, 2016

In today’s game, video is used extensively in the higher levels of hockey to help teach all different facets of the game from different perspectives. Video can be broken down for many different reasons; from individual player shifts to teaching specific team systems. Last week, the Jr. Comets 2004 AAA team utilized the AHL’s Utica Comets video room to breakdown recent game footage. The game footage was projected onto a smart board and coaches were able to breakdown the video to drive home teaching points. The coaching staff mainly focused on the breakout and forecheck and carried the teaching points on to the ice for practice to help reiterate what was learned in the video session.

Robert Esche, the head coach of the 2004 AAA team and former NHL goaltender, explained, “Video sessions have become an integral part of the game and something that has trickled down from the elite levels to youth organizations. It’s invaluable to have these kids take a step back and gain a new perspective on their strengths and weaknesses.”

Mimicking the coach’s point of view, the players were able to watch themselves and learn from what they did right or wrong. Aidan Nutty, a forward on the team, thoroughly enjoyed the video session and felt he learned a lot.

“My favorite part of the video session was the different view of the game. While I’m out on the ice, it’s hard to see everything that is going on. The video session makes that possible, plus the room is like a movie theater. We worked on positional stuff and I learned where I need to be when we’re forechecking.”