Hockey Canada or USA Hockey?

Author: Billy Keane

April 23, 2010

As world leaders in hockey development, the question of which country, either Canada or the USA, has the best hockey development system in the world.  As the hockey season ends, Hockey Canada will convene with all of it’s provincial branches to review and recap broad-based development topics in preparation for new initiatives for 2010 season and beyond.  The topic of “Who has the better model, and why” will likely be discussed amongst many hockey development strategists north of the 49th parallel.

Studying the Swedish Ice Hockey federation of development, or the Russian Hockey development systems were top topics only a few years ago.  But now we have the USA Hockey model moving up the ranks like gang-busters as one of the worlds leaders.  Hockey Canada has taken notice of the significant successes USA Hockey has achieved over the years starting with the World Cup victory in Montreal in1996.  American legends Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk, Brett Hull, John Leclair and company give us all a rude awakening with their victory right here in Canada.  These USA Hall of Famers built a framework of success for the next generation of USA Hockey’s successes.

If we study what the USA Hockey model, comparing to Hockey Canada’s, the biggest difference that strikes me is the U-18 USA Hockey National Program.  This program identifies the top U-18 players in the US and brings them all together to live, train and development as young men and young hockey players.  These young players will live a residence in Ann Arbor, Michigan year round as a training team, and will play exhibition games against US colleges throughout the year.   In preparation for the selection process, USA Hockey will host and participate in showcase national and international events at the U-16, and U-17 levels to assist in the assessment process of picking their best U-18’s to go to Ann Arbor.

This model is significantly different than our model of development, where we rely on our Major Junior Teams to develop our top young players.  Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence begins identifying our top young players at the U-13 levels, and starts moving towards the showcase events which include national and international events at the U-14, U-16, U-18, culminating at the World Juniors as U-20’s.

Canada has been completely dominant at the U-20 World Junior level for the past 2 decades – no one can question that.  So, the Hockey Canada model of development cannot be questioned as it relates to successes at the World U20 events.  Examples of the successes from this POE U-20 program could be discussed for hours and hours.  World Junior Hockey Canada legends like Eric Lindros, Jarome Iginla, Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews, just to name a few, stunned the junior hockey world with their memorable tournaments, and made the hockey world stand up and again take notice of the success of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.

However, USA Hockey has accomplished some very significant achievements this year that places them squarely on the radar for Hockey Canada.  Winning the World Junior championship this year, being one goal away from a Gold Medal at the Olympics, and having a very successful IIHF U-18 International Tournament event (favored to win in the Gold Medal final April 23 against the Swede’s).

So, the only difference between USA Hockey’s hockey development model, and Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence is the fact that Hockey Canada does not have a U-18 National Team.   I think this is a great idea.  So couldn’t we host the same thing?  This Hockey Canada U-18 team could be housed in the recently vacated Olympic training site Vancouver, train and play there as well, and begin preparing as a group to move into the next levels of international competition.

The Gold Medal USA World Junior Head Coach Dean Blaise openly gave Hockey Canada credit for the Americans successes at the World Juniors this year.  Coach Blaise stated in post game interviews, in essense, that Hockey Canada deserved as much credit for Team USA’s championship, due to Hockey Canada’s hockey development model of planning, preparation and development strategies that the Americans finally adopted in the last decade.

Coach Blaise was right on the mark with his assessement. USA Hockey has grown very positively in the last decade, and I think their model of development has been successful.  Truly, I hate to give the Americans any credit, I really do.  But I think it’s time Hockey Canada looks at a U-18 National Training Center to take our programs to new levels of success.

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