For as much as Guy Gadowsky loves practicing, he doesn’t want his team on the ice any longer than it has to be.
Gadowsky, Head Coach of the Penn State University men’s hockey team, gave a look behind the scenes at how the Nittany Lions staff plans their practices in this video exclusive to members of The Coaches Site. The name of the game is being as efficient and effective as possible.
Long before Gadowsky’s team hits the ice, it’s about coming together as a staff to ensure their time will be wisely used to improve the team all week. In this 16-minute video, viewers are treated to a real-time meeting between the Head Coach and his staff, which takes place each Monday morning at 10 am – sharp.
Who is involved? The Associate Head Coach, Director of Hockey Operations, Assistant Coach, Director of Analytics, Assistant Director of Operations, Athletic Trainer, Strength & Conditioning Coach and Associate Director of Performance Science.
I know what you’re thinking – most hockey programs don’t have the incredibly large staff Penn State does. Still, there are a lot of takeaways about how Gadowsky uses practice time, and collaboration helps them make the most of it.
“It’s about getting all the information you can about personnel, breaking down analytics from the weekend before, reviewing your objectives and then putting together the practice plan.
“We have a great staff and we all collaborate to ensure that whatever our goals are from what we learned through analytics, we try to accomplish in practice. We want our practices tight & efficient. We don’t want to be on the ice longer than we have to be.”
The day ends with a post-practice evaluation with the coaching staff reviewing how drills ran and if they can be improved.
Spoiler alert: Gadowsky is all about collaboration and constant improvement. Considering his track record of NCAA success, it would be wise to follow his example. Gadowsky is fresh off leading Penn State in his 23rd collegiate season at the helm of a Division I program, and his 11th with the Nittany Lions. In the 2023 NCAA Championship tournament, Penn State reached the elite eight, losing to the Michigan in the Quarter-Final.
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Guy Gadowsky
Guy Gadowsky guides the Nittany Lions in his 23rd collegiate season at the helm of an NCAA Division I program and his 11th at Penn State in 2022-23. This past year, Gadowsky led the Nittany Lions back to the Big Ten semifinals for the seventh-straight season and the eighth time overall in the nine-year history of the conference.
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