October 22, 2009
Lessons on leadership and teamwork have resulted in early success for the Sioux Falls Stampede this season. (USHL Images)
Heading into training camp prior to the 2009-10 season, Sioux Falls Stampede head coach Kevin Hartzell was looking for something a little different from his team. The difference was not going to have anything to do with X's and O's, but rather something that was learned before the players even hit the ice.
Hartzell recalled a special person he had met just a few months earlier, whom he believed could deliver what he was looking for. That person was a Navy SEAL, Senior Chief Louis Nebel, who originally met Stampede strength and conditioning coach Kevin Ziegler at the 2009 USHL All-Star Game in Sioux Falls. Ziegler asked Nebel to come speak to the Stampede players during the All-Star break. His message to the players then – and his presence, "the way he carried himself," said Ziegler, convinced the Stampede coaching staff that he should return.
"Part of our concept was to teach leadership and teamwork outside of hockey," said Hartzell. "One thing we discovered through our research was that the best way to develop a team was to get them away from hockey and that everyday familiar environment."
The plan devised with Senior Chief Nebel put the Stampede players through a weekend training event that included challenges and contests. Nebel gave the team a list of materials that were needed; the Stampede coaches scouted locations throughout Sioux Falls where events would take place.
It was a new experience for the many fresh faces on the team, but even the returning players did not know what to expect. "We did some really interesting things like learning how to tie knots under water," said returning forward Matt Farris. "When I came to training camp, I didn't expect to be tying knots in a swimming pool, but we enjoyed it and learned a lot about teamwork and communication."
Players acknowledged the mental aspect of the training was the most challenging, although some of the physical demands helped reinforce the message. "If we did not perform an exercise perfectly, we had to do 20 pushups in unison," said defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. "We must have done 1,500 pushups in three days."
Those lessons were the main objectives for a group of players that had only been together a few days and knew very little about one another.
"It was one of our first weekends in town and the guys didn't really know each other yet," said Ruhwedel. "After being divided into groups and going through the training exercises, we got to know each really well. It was a great bonding experience."
Coach Hartzell explained how groupings were chosen, including putting players that had never played junior hockey before on the same team. "We thought if we put these younger players with some of the older players, that they might 'clam up' and not contribute. So, we put them all on one team and sure enough, they won the highest percentage of challenges. Even if a player wasn't a designated leader for a particular challenge, they were open to contributing and spoke up. It was fascinating to watch this whole thing take place."
That feeling was echoed by the players. "We could see everyone stepping up to become a leader in their own way in order to help out the team," said Farris. "A lot of hockey teams have captains that the players follow, but as Senior Chief Nebel taught us about the SEALs, everyone on a team is a leader."
Hartzell, the veteran coach of more than 500 USHL games, admitted he learned just as much from the training in how to better communicate with his club and nurture leadership. "I found I can expect things from the team that maybe I didn't in the past," said Hartzell. "I give the players more responsibility without worrying about it. I may ask something of a couple players, even if they aren't the captains, and I know that it is going to get done. They are so much more of a take-charge group now."
Hartzell says he can already see the effect on his Club – and perhaps in the USHL standings, as the Stampede sit atop the West Division with a 4-0-2 record. The Club is paying attention to detail, a product of the training from Senior Chief Nebel, and that attention is paying the Club back
"I think our players have learned lifelong lessons and we coaches have learned lifelong lessons," said Hartzell. "It has made us all better."
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 31st season of elite junior hockey in 2009-10. With over 140 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools and 13 NHL Entry Draft picks currently on League rosters, the USHL is the nation's foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com.
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