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WHAT WE DO
Our process and methods
THE PROCESS OF THE CALIFORNIA HEAT FOCUSES AROUND PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AND EXPERIENCE AS THEY PROGRESS THEIR HOCKEY JOURNEY.
SELECTION
Player Selection is the first step to the California Heat process. Our Staff:
- Targets players and families that are a great fit for our program & community.
- Identifies the players goals and ensures our program is a great fit for the player.
- Places players in the appropriate level to meet their goals at a rapid rate and prepare them for the next level.
Our tryouts are held each year in the month of June for both Tier and A/BB/B teams. Our staff put players through a series of drills, games, and scrimmages while the coaches evaluate each player. What sets us apart is that our coaching staff sits down with each player to discuss their evaluation. Our coaching staff provides feedback to help the player better understand where they stand amongst their birth year. We want players leaving our tryout with a clear picture on how to continue their hockey journey in an upward trajectory. Our coaching staff will then place the player at the appropriate level.
DEVELOP
OUR FOCUS:
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
HOCKEY IQ
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
At the California Heat we take pride in not just developing great players but also developing great people. Our players are encouraged to service their community with annual toy drives, mentorship programs and various charities. We are a values first program that promotes leadership, respect, integrity, and honesty.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
The California Heat creates an energetic environment that promotes the very best player development. Our players receive some of the best instruction on skating, skills, strength, or any other elements of hockey.
Coaching
The California Heat provides some of the best coaches in Southern California. We staff former professional, Junior and AAA players who have helped many players reach their goals of playing at USHL, WHL, AAA, Varsity Prep, Junior, Division 1 & USA National Development programs. Our coaches have been through the experience and are well-versed in the adversity high level hockey players will face. They are constantly striving to improve the development of our players collectively.
Practice Time
The California Heat provides the ideal optimal practice-to-game ratio. Each team is scheduled three hours of on ice practice per week throughout the regular season. Our staff also provide separate skills training called “Coaches Times” four times per week. The ice availability the California Heat provide is critical for our players development process.
Strength and Conditioning
The California Heat is in collaboration with Dark Horse CrossFit. A well-equipped gym only a few minutes away from our home rink. Owner of Dark Horse and our strength and conditioning coach Mike Devaney works directly with our Tier players and collaborates with each coach in the program to create an optimal program for each team in our club.
HOCKEY IQ:
The California Heat has built a brand new video review room we call the “Education Room”. While we have three ice slots dedicated to practice for each team and four dedicated coaches time slots for skills, we provide one video session each week to test our players' decision-making and study game-like scenarios and systems. We focus on plays and systems such as breakouts, zone entries, faceoffs, and other various strategic components. We encourage our players to learn from mistakes, and gain confidence in the way they read the game.
PROMOTE
Many of our players choose to play for the California Heat because they want to advance. Whether it’s from B to A, A to AA, or Aa to AAA, our players set goals and work each and every day to achieve them.
8U
Our Mites program introduces players and their families to the structure of travel hockey to set up a successful transition from House to Travel.
10U
Our Squirt programming introduces players to good practice habits and teaches the mindset required to be a high-level hockey player.
12U
12U is about introducing players to high level habits, this phase is designed to instill good habits on and off the ice to form a foundation of a high-level player. At the 12U level we prepare our players for contact with body contact and hitting drills.
14U
We instill the compete level it takes to not only play at the highest level, but to perform in it. We instill a practice like you play mentality. This creates a highly competitive and skilled environment.
BY TEAM:
Our structure includes two levels of programming: Tier 2 AA, and A/B.
Tier 2 level
Our coaches are constantly developing and accessing each player’s game throughout the season. We identify players who may benefit from a move from Tier 2 to Tier 1 AAA. We have encouraged and promoted many of our players to the AAA level with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings
We recognize that our players have goals to advance from AA to AA within their age group. Our staff is dedicated to ensure that each player is placed in an ideal training and competitive environment that best suits their development needs
A/B level
Our coaches are focused heavily on our A/B player’s development throughout the season to help promote them to the next level. We focus on the short-term in order to help our players achieve those long-term goals.