Park boys hockey season started captain’s practices Sept. 15th. The practices take place on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and aim to help the players build skills as a team and inform the coaches about what to help the team improve on before the winter season starts.
Assistant coach Timothy Donahue said the practices are going great. He said all the boys who attend work hard during these practices, and the players are grateful for pre-season assistance.
“It’s been going fantastic. I love it, the guys are so great, and they work so hard,” Donahue said. “They appreciate that I come out and help, they always say thank you, and I’m having a lot of fun.”
Sophomore Nicky Moran said everyone has been super inviting to him, including the newcomers to the team. He said the drills get everyone in a team-based mental state before the upcoming season.
“The guys make sure we’re welcome, and everyone includes us in the locker room and practices,” Moran said. “We do a lot of flow drills that help everyone get in the right team mindset.”
Sophomore Braden Nuedecker said captain’s practices help the team before the season. He said they help everyone get to know each other better and create a good team dynamic.
“It helps with meeting everyone during the pre-season and gives us a great bonding experience, it helps the team build chemistry before the season starts,” Nuedecker said.
Donahue said a good number of players show up to captain’s practices. He said it is a good way for players to get to know their teammates before the season.
“For practices (we have) probably 30 players, somewhere around there, and it is a great way to meet and connect with new people and get people right for the season,” Donahue said.
Moran said the captain’s practices help the team get in shape for the season. He said Park has a bright future ahead.
“It helps the team prepare and get conditioned right for the season, and we’re gonna be pretty good this year,” Moran said.
Nuedecker said the drills worked on during practice benefit all players on the ice. He said he enjoys the drills used in the practices.
“It helps the team, we do two-on-one drills and it helps the defense and it also helps the forwards with the backdoor passes,” Nuedecker said. “The drills are fun because I like to score and toe drag.”
Park boys hockey has their first game against Chaska at 7 p.m. Nov. 22 at the St. Louis Park Recreation Center.
