The coaching and management staff of the Troy Capitals strive to provide a safe and fun learning environment for our players.   Our goal is to not only teach our players the game of hockey, but to also put them into opportunities for leadership.   

So where are our Bantams on the road to hockey and athletic development?

We have developed beyond the Squirts and Pee Wee ages aka The "golden age" of development.  These past 4 years, they improved at a greater pace than any other time in their lives.   However, they will continue to enhance these skills as their muscles begin to mature and develop.   This time is essential, for their overall health as adults.   The good habits they learn, at this age when it comes to making choices on what they eat and how they spend free time  ( video games vs. working out or going for a run), will be in full display into their 20s and 30s.    

I personally believe this age is so vital that they learn that idle hands are the devils workshop.   During these early teen years, they are more easily influenced by their peers than any other time.    This idle time gives opportunity for peer pressure by children (at school and in the neighborhood) who are heading down the wrong road in life.    We need to be diligent in driving the importance of setting goals and working towards them.

We (your coaches) continue to take careful consideration to put these players through difficult situations and practices to get the most out of this time.   We understand that being uncomfortable, within your environment, is how you excel.    Although our primary concern is not winning, we know that it is hard to win if we are not having fun or without the hard work and dedication of each player.    

We also understand that our players are exiting the "all is fair and everyone wins" mentality, and into the "performance matters."  The importance of your grades evolve into higher SAT scores, to better college opportunities and finally their ability to hit professional objectives as adults.     

Therefore, our players will need to begin to own their own development.  They will need to make the decision as to their level of dedication and hard work towards the sport.   Their decisions will dictate how and when they are utilized during game situations.   I understand that this may come off that we will be playing our more developed players over our lesser developed.  That is not what we are indicating.   However, attendance, dedication and coachability will dictate their playing opportunity.  Therefore, that means that each player is steering their own ship when it comes to how much playing time they receive and when and what line they play on. 

It is our goal is to help this generation of children understand that nothing is handed to you in life.  You have to earn what you enjoy through hard work, dedication and fair play.

 We encourage any feedback in an effort to help us fine tune this process.

Thank you for allowing us to coach your children.

Head Coach Jim Weaver

Assistant Coach Adam Rixner

Managers Craig and Laurie VanRaemdonck

Power Skating Jessica Swinton

Goalie Coach Dylan Lesner & Cam Clauser

Scorekeepers/DJs Jon and Jen Robertson

Photographer and social media  Matt Sackrison

Phone

248-997-0034

Email

TroyCapitals@gmail.com