🏒 Are we building great hockey teams… or just chasing superstars way too early?
In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined once again by hockey development consultant and writer Matt Dumouchelle for a deep, thoughtful, and at times uncomfortable conversation sparked by the World Junior Hockey Championship.
After watching Canada eliminated by Czechia for the third straight year, Matt shared a post that stopped a lot of people in their tracks — and it raised a question every hockey parent, coach, and administrator needs to hear:
👉 What if smaller hockey nations aren’t developing better players — but better teams?
With fewer resources, fewer rinks, and far fewer registered players, countries like Czechia, Finland, Sweden, and Latvia continue to punch above their weight on the world stage. Meanwhile, North America pours massive resources into identifying and developing a very small percentage of players at increasingly younger ages.
This episode dives into:
- The difference between team development vs. early superstar identification
- Why many European models are forced to develop every kid longer
- The hidden cost of early selection, constant movement, and “elite” labels
- Why hunger, cohesion, and shared identity still matter in modern hockey
- How youth coaches and organizations can shift focus without abandoning competitiveness
- What parents should actually expect at each age level — and why benchmarks matter
💡 This is not a Canada vs. Europe debate. It’s a conversation about how we grow the game, keep kids playing, and help more players reach their potential — on and off the ice.
If you care about development, culture, and the future of youth hockey, this one’s a must-listen.
🎙️ Listen. Reflect. Share the conversation.
📖 Want a written version you can reference anytime? Check out our companion blog: Are We Developing Hockey Players Too Early? Lessons from World Juniors & European Models
#OurKidsPlayHockey #YouthHockey #HockeyDevelopment #WorldJuniors #TeamOverTalent #PlayerDevelopment #HockeyParents #CoachingYouthHockey #GrowTheGame
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