Glass & Out

For this week's Glass and Out podcast, we're excited to welcome Garrett Raboin, Head Coach of Augustana University. With the Viking Men’s Hockey Program joining NCAA Division I hockey next season, Raboin is currently in the process of building the program from the ground up. Everything is new and will have his fingerprints on it when the Vikings debut next season. New rink, new uniforms, new conference, new players - new everything! Raboin comes to Augustana from the University of Minnesota, where he was an assistant coach on Bob Motzko’s staff for four seasons. Prior to his time with the Gophers, he was an assistant coach at his Alma Mater, St. Cloud State University, also working under Motzko. As a player, Raboin was the captain of St. Cloud State during the final two seasons of his collegiate career, which speaks to his character and perseverance when you consider he was a walk onto the program. In this episode, we'll touch on his strategy for running a two player practice, the decision making process of s

This past weekend, our team at The Coaches Site had the opportunity to visit the Twin Cities and participate in the Minnesota Hockey Hockey Directors Conference. The event was an opportunity for Hockey Directors from across Minnesota to meet in advance of the season, learn about new ideas on both the player development and administration side of running a minor hockey association, along with picking each others brains. We had the pleasure of being joined by Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason to record a live edition of the podcast in front of those in attendance. Evason is entering his fifth season with the Wild and fourth as the organization's head coach. Last year, the Wild finished a mere six points back of the eventual Stanley Cup Champions Colorado Avalanche and there is a belief in the local hockey community that this team is poised to contend for a Stanley Cup. Evason, who is making his second appearance on Glass and Out, dives deep into his coaching staff's preparations for training camp

Welcome back everyone! The hockey season is finally here and we're happy to return for season 5 of the Glass and Out podcast. To kick things off, we welcome Dr. Jody Carrington. Dr. Carrington is a Clinical Psychologist who has spent most of her career working with children and families who have experienced trauma. Having grown up in Viking, Alberta, home of the Sutter brothers, she worked on the Mental Health Inpatient Units of the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary for 10 years. Through her experience she’s developed an affinity for helping teams and organizations solve their most complex, human centered problems. Today, a lot of her work is focused on the Big People, as she describes them, who are in a position to look after the little people, or kids. As she puts it, through the relationships that young children have with their caregivers, they begin to develop the “story” of themselves and others around them. They decide two things: if they are worthy of love and support and if they are capable and c

We're thrilled to announce that the Glass and Out podcast returns next week for season 5! We've got an exciting lineup of guests and lots of new features that we can't wait to share with you. In the meantime, we just released likely the most important video in The Coaches Site's history. NHL on ESPN play by play broadcaster Leah Hextall shares her raw, emotional and shocking, but sadly not surprising, experience after he first season calling in the NHL. Aaron Wilbur explains how the presentation came to be an why it's a must-watch for everyone in the hockey and sporting community.

We've arrived at our final Glass and Out episode of the hockey season. For the finale, we welcome newly hired New York Islanders assistant coach Brian Wiseman, who joined us for another in-person interview at last month's TCS Live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Wiseman just completed his third season as an assistant with Edmonton, in which the Oilers made it to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2006. He's an alumni of the University of Michigan as both a player and coach, where he spent eight seasons as an assistant coach. He now joins the Islanders, along with new head coach Lane Lambert and fellow assistant Doug Houda. Hear Wiseman detail what went into the Oilers' lengthy playoff run, how his relationship and appreciation for legendary coach Red Berenson has helped shape his career, and how his transition from a press box role to on the bench helped him see the game from a different perspective. We want to thank everyone for tuning in this season and making us a regular part of your weekly rou

We've got a couple of special episodes to close out season four of the Glass and Out podcast. We had the pleasure of being joined by longtime NHL coach Steve Spott for our first ever live episode of the podcast, which took place during TCS Live at the University of Michigan. Attended by close to 100 of our conference attendees at Conor O'Neill's Pub, recording this podcast was one of the many highlights from a truly incredible week in Ann Arbor. Spott has coached for close to 30 years and can be used as a great example of working your way up the coaching ladder, having made stops at just about every level of hockey. And while he was recently let go from his most recent gig in Vegas, there is no doubt he will find himself back in the NHL in no time. Listen as we dive into his journey from Seneca College to eight consecutive seasons in the NHL, how he's developed the technical aspects of his coaching and become known as a face-0ff specialist, and shares valuable advice that all aspiring coaches can take somet

In episode #182 of The Glass and Out podcast, we're joined by Luke Strand, Head Coach of the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers, to discuss the process involved in bringing a fourth Championship to Sioux City, and his 20 season coaching journey, which has seen him spend time in the NCAA, USHL, AHL, as well as working in the NHL as a scout. He got his start as an Assistant Coach with St. Nobert College, a Division 3 school based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 2003, he moved across town to join the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. After a two-year stop with the AHL's Houston Aeros, Strand jumped back to the USHL, for his first stint with Sioux City. In 2011, he made his way to the West Coast, to join Troy Ward, who had just been named the Head Coach of the Abbotsford Heat, then the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames. The next few seasons would see him return to the USHL in Sioux City and Madison, join the University of Wisconsin Badgers coaching staff and take on a scouting role with the Calgary Flames. In 2017, Luke re

For episode #181 of the Glass and Out podcast, we're joined by Kori Cheverie, a trailblazer for women's hockey and someone who had quite an eventful 2021-2022 season.   First, she was an Assistant Coach with Team Canada’s National Women’s Team that captured Gold at the Olympics in Beijing. That was then followed with a trip to Germany for the U18 Men’s World Championships, where she became the first female to work on the coaching staff of a Canadian men’s National Team. Cheverie began coaching in youth programs at Ryerson University, while playing for the Toronto Fury of the CWHL. She decided to jump into the coaching ring full t-me and when she didn’t see any opportunities with the Ryerson women’s program, she turned to the men’s program. She was named Assistant Coach of Ryerson's men's program in advance of the 2016-2017 season and in the process became the first female to be full-time Assistant Coach of a men’s team in Canadian University Hockey. In 2019, she first got involved with Hockey Canada’s prog

In episode #180 of the Glass and Out podcast, Chris Lazary Head Coach of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, stops by. Lazary was named Saginaw Head Coach on November 18, 2018, after serving as an Associate Coach for over two seasons. He led the Spirit to back-to-back West Division Championships (2018-19, 2019-20) for the first time in team history, and in the process, his team put up a ton of goals.   As you’ll hear, Lazary is clearly passionate about providing his players a framework to play with the puck on their sticks, and creating space to get creative and make plays. Get your notepads out! He got his start in junior as an Assistant Coach with the St. Michaels Buzzers in the Ontario Junior Hockey League during the 2010-11 season, following several years of coaching minor hockey in the Toronto area. After two seasons with the Buzzers, Lazary moved on to be an Assistant Coach at his hometown York University. He made the jump to the OHL in 2014 with the Sarnia Sting as an Assistant Coach, where he spent two season

In episode #179 of the Glass and Out podcast, we're joined by Dr. Ethan Kross, who is one of the world’s leading experts on controlling the conscious mind. An award-winning professor and bestselling author in the University of Michigan’s top ranked Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business, he studies how the conversations people have with themselves impact their health, performance, decisions and relationships. Dr. Kross is the author of the National Bestseller Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why it Matters and How to Harness It, which was chosen as one of the best new books of the year by the Washington Post, CNN and USA Today. He will be going into further detail on the topic of his book at next month's TCS Live. If you haven't already bought your ticket, you can still register. You definitely don't want to miss it. Kross' research has been published in Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, among other peer-reviewed journals. He h

For episode #178, we revisit one of our favourite conversations from last year's College Hockey Inc. Virtual Coaching Clinic. Seattle Kraken Head Coach Dave Hakstol sat down with us in advance of their inaugural training camp to discuss what goes into building a franchise/team from scratch and his coaching journey up to that point. Despite not living up to the lofty heights of the Vegas Golden Knights incredible expansion season, Hakstol and the Kraken appear to be in good shape to build off their first year with plenty of cap space and a surplus of draft picks. Hakstol got his coaching career started in 1996 with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers, a role he held for four seasons before returning to his alma mater, the University of North Dakota. He was named Head Coach in 2004, leading the team to the NCAA Frozen Four on seven occasions and was also honoured with the conference Coach of the Year Awards in 2009 and 2015. Hakstol made the jump to the NHL in 2015 with the Philadelphia Flyers, becoming the first

We're joined by Nadine Muzerall, Head Coach of the National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes, for episode #177 of the Glass and Out podcast. While most would associate OSU with their legendary football program, Muzerall has been building a tradition of her own with the women's hockey program since she arrived on campus in 2016. In her six seasons, the Buckeyes have gone from a sub-500 team to a perennial college powerhouse, qualifying for NCAA tournament on four occasions and capturing the 2022 NCAA Frozen Four Championship as the top seed in women's college hockey. Muzerall has also been recognized as the WCHA Coach of the Year twice. The Mississauga, Ontario, product played her college hockey at the University of Minnesota, where she was named an All-American in 1998 and 2000, while also earning Team MVP honours during those seasons. Muzerall had the honour of becoming the first women hockey player to be inducted into the University’s Hall of Fame. She joined her former Head Coach Brad Frost as an Assistant Coa

We welcome a familiar face for episode #176 of the Glass and Out podcast. University of Vermont Head Coach Todd Woodcroft is a good friend of The Coaches Site and has presented at numerous events. He'll also be joining us at TCS Live at the University of Michigan this coming June. If you haven't already bought tickets, now is the time. Woodcroft just wrapped his second season as coach of the Catamounts, a position he was hired for at the on-set of the pandemic. Despite some obvious challenges, he has begun to put his mark on the program by adding several NHL prospects and looking outside of North America for talent, as there are players from nine different countries on the roster. Prior to his arrival in Vermont, Woodcroft spent four seasons as an Assistant Coach on the Winnipeg Jets coaching staff, one of several roles and stops in the NHL during the course of his career. His first stint was as video coach with the Minnesota Wild during their inaugural season and he went on to work as a scout for the Wild, W

In episode #175 of the Glass and Out podcast, we speak with Tomas Pacina, who up until the day before we recorded this conversation, had been the Head Coach of the Czechia National Women’s program for two seasons. Pacina has had an incredibly unique and diverse career that has touched just about every level of hockey. He moved to Calgary, Alberta, in the mid 90s and began coaching midget hockey, while working at a local hockey academy. This led to the opportunity become a Skills Coach for Canada’s National Men's Team, which at the time was under the guidance of current Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney. From there, he joined the New York Rangers as a Skills Coach, becoming one of the first of his position to be hired by an NHL team. He remained with the Rangers until 2004, and later worked with the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens in a similar capacity. From 2011 until 2020, Pacina was a skills coach for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, working under the leadership of Mike Johnston for majority of his t

For episode #174 of the Glass and Out podcast, we revisit one of our favourite conversations from last year's Virtual Hockey Summit. As many hockey seasons begin to wrap up, the time for coaches to start looking and networking for their next jobs is upon us. Gil Scott is the President & CEO of Gil Scott Sports Management and is the agent for top NHL coaches like Barry Trotz and Bruce Boudreau. He spoke with TCS Founder Aaron Wilbur on what it takes to prepare for an interview and be at your best when there’s a lot on the line. Scott founded Gil Scott Sports Management in 1979 and has negotiated over 500 contracts of coaches and players. In addition to his clientele of coaches, he currently represents 65 active NFL and CFL players. He is a graduate of Michigan State University, was the first Canadian to be certified by the NFLPA and served as a sports consultant for the Royal Banks Sports Professionals Program from 1997-2009. There is no instruction manual when it comes to finding your next coaching job o

In episode #173 of the Glass and Out podcast, we're joined by Bob Mancini, Assistant Executive Director of USA Hockey, who oversees hockey development. Mancini has done it all in hockey, coaching and overseeing programs as an administrator at just about every level. In the process, he has accumulated a diverse set of experiences that make him uniquely suited for his current role. Following his collegiate playing career at Colorado College, he embarked on a collegiate coaching career that included time with Lake Superior State University, Ferris State University, and Michigan Tech University. He was then a part of the inaugural US National Development Team Program coaching staff in 1996, where he coached at the U17, U18, and U20 levels for four seasons. His only stop in the NHL (so far) came with the Edmonton Oilers on two different occasions, as a scout and development coach. He also spent three years as the Head Coach and General Manager of the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. In addition to his

For episode #172, we welcome a familiar face to the Glass and Out podcast. Dr. Cassidy Preston is a High-Performance Coach and the Founder of Consistent Elite Performance. He is also the co-host of the Beyond the X's and O's podcast, and has been a regular contributor at The Coaches Site and presenter at our past virtual events. On top of all that, he will be presenting at TCS Live, our in-person hockey coaches conference taking place at the University of Michigan from June 15-17th.  Dr. Preston grew up in North Bay, Ontario, where he played hockey; he was selected in the 4th round of the OHL draft and played five seasons of junior hockey. Following a brief professional career, he attended and played hockey at York University and later the University of Toronto, where he obtained a PHD in Sport and Performance Psychology. In addition, he also spent time coaching hockey at the grassroots levels in the Toronto area. With his education and the experience gained from his different positions in the game, he decid

In episode #171 of the Glass and Out Podcast, we're joined by Brad Ralph, Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations for the Florida Everblades of the East Coast Hockey League. Ralph is currently in his sixth season with the Everblades, quietly helping them develop into one of the top programs in the ECHL. During his tenure, Florida has captured four South Division titles and advanced to two conference championships. In the 2017-2018 season, he helped the club set a record for most wins (53) and points (112) in a season. The Blades also advanced to the Kelly Cup final and he was awarded the Jack Brophy Award as ECHL Coach of the Year. His 45 career wins in the Kelly Cup playoffs currently ranks him fifth all time in the ECHL. Ralph got his coaching career start at just 30-years-old in Augusta, Georgia, with the Augusta RiverHawks of the Southern Professional Leagues. After being handed the keys to an expansion franchise with no coaching experience on his resume, he led the team to the league final and was r

In anticipation of our upcoming Global Skills Showcase, we welcome Danny Heath, renowned skills coach and Founder of Project Hockey, for episode #170 of the Glass and Out Podcast.   In addition to Project Hockey, Heath is also the Skills Coach for the Minnesota State Mavericks, who just finished the college season as the #1 team in the country.   Heath grew up in the Phoenix area and credits the arrival of the Coyotes for igniting his love for the game. As a player, he spent time in the USHL with the Tri-City Storm and Des Moines Buccaneers, before landing a scholarship at Minnesota State.   After four seasons with the Mavericks, he retired from playing and decided to take on creating Project Hockey. Coming from the non-traditional hockey market of Arizona, he recognized motivated, passionate kids didn't have the resources or access to development programs in their part of the world. With Project Hockey, the app enables kids to train at home and get access to quality coaching, all at an affordable pr

For episode #169 of the Glass and Out podcast, we're joined by power skating instructor Cathy Andrade. She is also one of the 10 coaches selected to present at our upcoming Global Skills Showcase! Through hard work, striving to master her craft and word of mouth, she's built a reputation as one of the top skating coaches in hockey. Andrade grew up in Calgary, Alberta, where she competed competitively as a figure skater before obtaining CFSA certification, which is comprised of Gold Figure, Gold Free-Style and Gold Dance. In the early 90s, she set up shop in San Jose, California, and by the turn of the century, was training hockey players exclusively. Today, she trains a lot of the top players to come out of Northern California, as well as many of the top players who move to the Bay Area to play professionally, including current San Jose Shark Kevin Labanc and former Shark Joe Pavelski. Find out her philosophy on creating better skaters and athletes, how she's gained the trust of some of the top players in ho