Welcome to the New Jersey Devils Youth Newsletter!

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Briana Day
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1 Welcome to the New Jersey Devils Youth Newsletter! FROM THE EDITOR This newsletter has been a long time coming; it just needed a little push. Welcome to our first issue! We have to give credit to a few people that helped get this started. First and foremost, a friendly face everyone who s been to Codey at least once knows, Darren Besida. Without him, none of this would be possiblenot to mention the Sunday morning boys don t get bagels! In addition, we need to give all the credit in the world to John and Kelly DiNoricia. Without them, the program would not exist the way it does today, and we wouldn t be a part of something so special. With all of that being said, we hope you find this newsletter informative, educational and fun. This newsletter is going to fill everyone in on a little bit of what s been happening through the fall and first half of the season for some groups, what some of our teams were able to accomplish in the first half, what games are coming to home ice in the coming weeks, player and coach profiles and a whole lot more! Dive in and enjoy! Coach Ben Holiday Discussion - From the Editor - ADM & Mite Update - What s Happening? - Around the League - Devils, Peewee Quebec - NJ Youth - Player Profile - Coaches Profile - Alumni Update - Pictures - Positive Coaching Alliance Upcoming Home Games 1/6 & 1/7 (South Mountain 2) 12/30 Midget u16 vs. Devils Sled Team 2:00 PM 1/6 PW AA vs. Pro Ducks 9:15 AM PW Minor vs. Royals 11:00 AM Squirt Red vs. Colonials 3:00 PM 1/7 Squirt Minor vs. Avalanche 7:45 AM Squirt White vs. Montclair Blues 9:15 AM Peewee A vs. Rockets 9:30 AM (rink 1) PW Major vs Mercer Chiefs 10:45 AM Bantam Minor vs. Jr. Titans 12:30 PM Bantam Major vs. CT Chiefs 2:15 PM Midget American vs. Colonials 4:00 PM

Cross-Ice Paying Off for Mite Fun! Mite practices are in full flight! In addition to Saturdays, our mites are hitting the ice, developing skills, skating hard, and having a blast!

2 Cross-Ice Paying Off for Mite Fun! Mite practices are in full flight! In addition to Saturdays, our mites are hitting the ice, developing skills, skating hard, and having a blast! These guys and girls are off to a fantastic start to their season playing games. USA Hockey and the American Development Model have encouraged small spaces for games and station-based practices and the New Jersey Devils Youth has been doing it for years. From our station- based practices to our cross-ice games and half-ice games on the weekends, we re all aboard the mini ice for our mites! If they re small, their rinks should be as well; we need to make way for those BIG dreams! For more information on our mite program please visit the website USA Hockey & the ADM Excerpt from Joe Bonnet s discussion on 10u players (USAHockey.com 11/30/2017) Be patient The good news is that many of the concepts fit nicely into the ADM philosophy of station-based practices. Then you just need some patience, Bonnett said. It s about philosophy and concept. Keep it moving and keep working on it. The skills are introduced at 8U and 10U, refined at 12U, and then hopefully by 14U, they can be incorporated into a faster-moving style of play. The idea is that the puck-handling skill becomes increasingly automated, so as the player advances to higher levels, more of their brain capacity and vision can be dedicated to analyzing the rink and processing, tactically, how to play the game. 10U and 12U is the golden age of still development, so the lessons probably don t change much there, Bonnett said. But as players enter puberty and their bodies change and brains develop, as a 14U player, the kids can start playing more explosively and they ve become more comfortable with the puck when power and speed become a bigger factor.

3 Devils Youth Hockey State of the Union Squirts u10 Inside the squirt level, groups have found success at tournaments and regular season play. Squirt Major (07) took home 1 st place from the Niagara Purple Eagles Tournament and Squirt Minor (08) took home 1 st place in the Philadelphia Fall Classic. Congrats to all the boys hanging hardware! Not to be out done, Squirt White and Squirt Red battle hard to play in championship games at tournaments in Philadelphia (white) and D.C. (red) but fell just short and finished in second place. You ll get em next time guys! Peewees u12 At the Peewee level: AA, A and B teams are all in first place in their divisions, with the A team still undefeated! The Peewee Minor (06) is looking to keep up the home cookin around the holidays as their home record is helping them find success this season. At the Peewee Major (05) level, they have faced some great competition at tournaments that has prepared them for a tough upcoming Atlantic League schedule. Bantam u14 Bantam AA finished in 1 st place in the Columbus Day tournament in Philadelphia and is sitting atop the NJYHL standings. Bantam Futures group, coached by Jamie Stack, shared the spotlight with the Squirt Major at the Niagara Purple Eagles Tournament also coming in 1 st place! Both Bantam A groups are experiencing a fun and exciting season in the NJYHL, they re learning a lot under coaches Matt Gualtieri and Garry Cox. At Bantam Minor, Coach Chris Atkinson is taking his group towards the sunny skies of Tampa Bay, Florida just after Christmas to face some high-level competition in preparation of the second half of the season. Good luck, and safe travels to that group! Finally, the Bantam Majors, getting into the majority of their Atlantic League schedule are sniffing around the top of the standings and are playing great hockey under Coach Jimmy Elia. It is going to be a fun and exciting early part of 2018! Midget U16 & u18 Between split season AA teams at u16 and u18, the American team soaring out to a Atlantic League record, and the National team starting out and now in the mix for a playoff spot, there is a lot going on around our 01 and 02 birth year players. The AA group finished up with a record in their split season in the NJ Youth League. We want to wish the entire group the best of luck as they head into their high school hockey seasons; we ll see you all in March for pre-tryout clinics! The u18 group finished up the season with a record under Coach Paul O Hern. Coach Paul has been with our Midget group for a while and his passion shows year after year. We wish that roster the best of luck in the future and are proud to have been a part of their youth hockey experience. At the u16 level, the American team is now 21-3 overall (12/6/17) and playing great! The National team is right in the thick of it battling a very busy Atlantic League schedule. With a lot of meaningful games coming up for this group, it will be interesting to watch them battle for a playoff spot over the next couple of weeks. Good luck! NJ Youth League In the New Jersey Youth Hockey League wherever you look a Devil team is contention for a playoff spot. The same can be said about our groups in the Atlantic Youth League The four Midget (01/02) and Bantam (03/04) teams are in the bulks of league games are looking to find a way to play more hockey this spring! Peewee groups (05/06) are in the middle of the pack and are hoping to make a strong push as we enter the second half of the season. Devils/Phantoms Peewee Quebec Representing the Devils Youth this year at Peewee Quebec under our very own Chris Atkinson (Bantam Minor Coach and 2001 Peewee Quebec tournament champion) will be: T. Klochkov, R. Kirilihychev, A. Brown, L. Robbins, D. Flaim, G. Kline, M. Lavitman, D. Cambell (aka Soupy!), and L. Benitez. Devil players will also be representing the club with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms team: T. Mullgraves, W. Underwood, and J. Sanders. The teams, selected throughout the summer in the Atlantic District Player Development Program, have been practicing on weekends around players youth schedules and are preparing to head to Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on February 7. A few practices to go and a minicamp in late January and they ll be off. Good luck to the boys and Coach Chris! Alumni Update Kyle Palmeri (New Jersey Devils), Kevin Shattenkirk (New York Rangers), Joakim Ryan (San Jose Sharks), and Jacob Paganelli (Princeton) are just some Devils Youth alumnus having great years at the next level!

Both boys are exceptional students at Summit High School where they also compete at the Varsity Ice Hockey level.

4 Player Profile Tom & Nakita Pryymack Both Tommy and Nakita have only played for one club for their entire youth hockey careers; the New Jersey Devils Youth. Tommy and Nakita both are currently having breakout years at the tier 1 level for the first time in their young careers. Both boys are exceptional students at Summit High School where they also compete at the Varsity Ice Hockey level. The boys, both born on October 15, 2001, are extremely dedicated hockey players and enjoy working out in their free time. They devote the same amount of energy to school work as to their hockey careers. An interesting fact about the Pryymack brothers: obviously identical twins, but Nakita is just a bit older than Tom, born just a few moments earlier. The Pryymack family is second generation immigrants and hail from the Ukraine. Tommy and Nakita in their first year as Devils Youth Hockey players! Photo credit: Dad Pryymack Coach s Profile Gary Cox Gary has been with the Devils Youth Hockey Club for over 15 years. During that tenure he s been a part of numerous gold and silver medals at tournaments throughout the Northeast. Gary has coached at every level within the organization from Mites to Midgets. He is considered one of our most successful and well-liked personalities behind the bench. Gary is certified with a Masters Level 5 USA Hockey Coach. Gary s two sons and daughter have all played and grown up through the Devils Youth Hockey Club. Coach Cox with two former Devils Youth players!

Left to Right: Bantam A at the Liberty Cup where they took

tournament in Oaks, PA where they took home first place as

Coach Jamie Stack and his Bantam Futures group take home

Purple Eagles tournament in Niagara Falls, NY. Congrats!

5 Left to Right: Bantam A at the Liberty Cup where they took home first place, and Bantam AA at the Columbus Day tournament in Oaks, PA where they took home first place as well! Way to go! Coach Jamie Stack and his Bantam Futures group take home first place at the Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles tournament in Niagara Falls, NY. Congrats! Not pictured: the Squirt Major team that also took home first place in Niagara Falls! Pictured Left: Squirt A winners of the Liberty Cup in Philadelphia, PA Pictured Right: Squirt Red team also taking home 1 st place at the Congressional Cup in Washington D.C.

Right: Players representing the 2003/2004 Peewee Quebec teams in the

Each year, the team current team will play against the prior years team

Left: The 2004 birth year players with at the Devils game last year

6 Right: Players representing the 2003/2004 Peewee Quebec teams in the annual Atlantic District Quebec Scrimmage. Each year, the team current team will play against the prior years team before departure for the tournament! Left: The 2004 birth year players with at the Devils game last year before departing for Quebec Tournament! Below: Before he was Coach Chris Atkinson, he was player Chris, and a Peewee Quebec Tournament Champion, 2001)

7 Reward Effort Until Effort Is Its Own Reward By David Jacobson Among the most important life lessons youth and high school athletes can take from sports is the value of effort. Throughout their lives in sports, in school, in family and friendship and career success will require tremendous effort. Eventually your players may come to view effort as its own reward. They may enjoy the sheer exhaustion of sprints or the reassurance that seemingly endless rote repetition of skills has prepared their minds and muscles to perform at gametime. However, most youth (and adults!) balk at this type of work. Until they learn to experience effort as its own reward, you will need to coax and cajole players into making the necessary commitment during practice. Here are a few approaches: Introduce Competition Nothing relieves the mental or physical fatigue of drills and conditioning like a competitive challenge. If players are simply ordered to run sprints, for example, they may just go through the motions. Once players feel there is something at stake, they will expend extra effort. Competition need not pit player against player. For example, if you time sprints, whoever improves the most on their personal best can be the winner. This approach has the added benefit of making conditioning fun, rather than it being seen as punishment. Targeted Symbolic Rewards. Establish an award for the player who expends the greatest effort. The award should not have monetary value, nor should it excuse the player from further conditioning or drills. For example, the proverbial hard hat or lunch pail type of effort might earn the player an actual hard hat or lunch pail as a symbolic trophy at the end of practice. Keep Emotional Tanks Overflowing Remember, we re talking here about players enduring drudgery. Getting players to go all out in drills and conditioning calls for even more positive reinforcement than the normally recommended five specific, truthful praises for each piece of constructive criticism. Even though your players may just be running, they will appreciate hearing, Wow, look at Bill! He s picking up the pace today! Focus on keeping enthusiasm in your voice. If you sound as excited about effort in a sprint as you do about a great shot, your players are more likely to feel that same excitement for the task at hand. Provide Continual Inspiration Players must understand the equation S=E/T (success equals effort over time). Keep them mindful that drills and conditioning are building blocks that yield mostly long-term results. To keep your players inspired, have a ready supply of examples of hard work paying off. Inspiration may be drawn from pro sports or other high-profile endeavors, but it can be even more effective to discuss a local example or one close in age to your players. That may make your players long-term goals seem more achievable so that they are sold on the idea that with extra effort, they can succeed, too. Along the way, emphasize that effort is its own reward. Players may not believe or understand this at first, but when they start to see results from their efforts, they will catch on and improve as athletes and as people.

8 Happy Holidays from the New Jersey Devils Youth Hockey Club! Happy Holidays from the New Jersey Devils Youth Hockey Club!!!!

Montclair Hockey Club

Montclair Hockey Club, Inc. Post Office Box 43302 Upper Montclair, NJ 07043 Travel Team Tryouts! Montclair Hockey Club Travel Team Tryouts! 2018/2019 SEE INSIDE FOR DETAILS Register online at www.montclairhockey.com