Our Kids Play Hockey
Our Kids Play Hockey is a podcast that focuses on youth hockey, offering insights, stories, and interviews from the hockey community. It provides valuable advice for parents, coaches, and players, covering various aspects of the game, including skill development, sportsmanship, teamwork, and creating a positive experience for young athletes. The show frequently features guests who share their expertise and personal experiences in youth hockey, both on and off the ice.
The show features three hockey parents, who all work in the game at high levels:
- Christie Casciano-Burns - USA Hockey Columnist, Author, and WSYR Anchor
- Mike Bonelli - USA Hockey Coach and Organizational Consultant
- Lee M.J. Elias - Hockey Entrepreneur, Author, and Team Strategist
In addition to the main podcast, there are several spin-off series that dive into specific aspects of youth hockey:
1.Our Girls Play Hockey – This series highlights the growing presence of girls in hockey, addressing the unique challenges they face while celebrating their accomplishments and contributions to the sport.
2.The Ride to The Rink – A shorter, motivational series designed to be listened to on the way to the rink, offering quick, inspirational tips and advice to help players and parents get into the right mindset before a game or practice.
3.Our Kids Play Goalie – This series is dedicated to young goalies and the unique challenges they face. It provides advice for players, parents, and coaches on how to support and develop young goaltenders, focusing on the mental and physical demands of the position.
Together, these shows provide a comprehensive platform for parents, players, and coaches involved in youth hockey, offering insights for all aspects of the sport, from parenting, playing, or coaching to specialized positions like goaltending.
Episodes
553 episodes
Our Girls Play Hockey: The Hockey IQ Habits Every Young Player Can Build
🧠 What separates a talented hockey player from one a coach trusts in every situation?Skills may create highlight-reel moments, but hockey IQ influences nearly every second of the game—with or without the puck.In this episode of
The Ride to the Rink: NHL Scout Patrick Rissmiller on What Young Players Should Focus On
🏒 What does an NHL scout really want young hockey players to focus on?According to former NHL player and current NHL scout Patrick Rissmiller, the answer is not complicated: have fun, be coachable, become a great teammate, and enjoy bein...
What NHL Scouts Really Look For in Young Players with Former NHLer and NHL Scout Patrick Rissmiller
🏒 What does an NHL scout really notice—and are youth hockey families focusing on the wrong things?Former NHL player, development coach, and current Anaheim Ducks scout Patrick Rissmiller joins Lee, Christie, and Mike for a...
Our Girls Play Hockey: How Players Can Get More From Every Hockey Camp
🏒 Is your player attending hockey camp—or simply spending more time on the ice?Hockey camps can be an incredible opportunity for girls to improve their skills, meet new teammates, build confidence, and rediscover their love for th...
The Ride to the Rink: You Become Who You’re Around — A Youth Hockey Mindset Lesson with Doug Smith
🚗🏒 What kind of hockey player are you becoming — and what kind of person are you becoming along the way?On this episode of The Ride to the Rink, powered by NHL Sense Arena, Lee and Mike are joined by former NHL player Do...
Former NHLer Doug Smith on Hockey, Identity, and Rebuilding Your Life After the Game
🏒 What happens when the game you’ve built your identity around is suddenly taken away?This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli sit down with Doug Smith, former NHL forward, 1981 second-overall draft pic...
The Ride to The Rink: How Young Hockey Players Can Build Skills On and Off the Ice
🏒 Want to become a better hockey player? It’s not just about what you do during practice — it’s about the habits you build everywhere else, too.On this episode of The Ride to The Rink, Lee, Mike, and Christie are joined by ...
Beyond the Scoreboard: Andrew Trimble on Youth Hockey Development That Lasts
🏒 What really makes a hockey player better — more ice, a higher-level team, a longer commute, or the right culture?This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, and Christie Casciano-Burns sit down with Andrew Tri...
Our Girls Play Hockey: Hayley Scamurra’s New PWHL Chapter in Las Vegas (A Day in the Life Series)
🏒 What happens when you win a championship, celebrate the biggest season of your career—and then learn that your entire professional future may be changing?In the first Day in the Life episode of the new season, Olympic g...
The Ride to the Rink: How Mind Mapping Can Transform Your Hockey Mindset with Pete Fry
🧠 What if you could begin preparing for your best game before you even stepped onto the ice?In this episode of The Ride to the Rink, Lee is joined by goaltending and mindset expert Pete to introduce young athletes to min...
Our Kids Play Goalie: Pete Fry on Building an Unshakable Goalie Mindset
🥅 What separates a talented goalie from one who consistently performs under pressure? According to renowned mental performance coach Pete Fry, the answer often begins with the picture that goaltender holds in their mind.Pete Fry—k...
Our Girls Play Hockey: Hayley Scamurra on Building the Will to Win
🏒 How do young athletes develop the desire to win — without losing their love for the game?In this episode of Our Girls Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Olympic gold medalist and PWHL Walter Cup champion Hayley Scamurra...
The Ride to the Rink: Zechariah Thomas of Swift Hockey on Why Your Hockey Stick Doesn’t Make You Better — You Do
🏒 Does the newest, flashiest hockey stick really make you a better player? Or is the real difference-maker already in your hands?On this episode of The Ride To The Rink, Lee is joined by Zechariah Thomas, founder of Swif...
Zechariah Thomas on Building Swift Hockey and Making the Game More Affordable
🏒 What if hockey’s greatest lessons have nothing to do with goals, assists, or scholarships?In this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli sit down with Zechariah Thomas, founder of Swift Hock...
Our Girls Play Hockey - Hayley Scamurra’s Championship Parade, Gold Medal Year, and the End of a Historic Season
🏆 What happens after you win the Walter Cup, celebrate in front of a packed Montreal crowd, meet the Buffalo Bills, and cap off one of the most historic years in women’s hockey?In this special season finale of Our Girls Play Ho...
The Ride to the Rink: Mike Knuble on Why Kids Need to Get Outside and Just Play Hockey
🏒 Want to get better at hockey? Sometimes the best thing you can do is step away from the rink and go outside.On this episode of The Ride to the Rink, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli are joined by longtime NHL forward Mike Kn...
Former NHLer Mike Knuble Returns: How Parents and Coaches Can Help Kids Compete Without Losing the Love of Hockey
🏒 What really separates young hockey players as they get older — talent, pressure, coaching, character, or the ability to keep loving the game through it all?This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli wel...
Our Girls Play Hockey – The Road to a Walter Cup Championship Part 2 (Hayley Scamurra’s Day in the Life)
🏆 What does it really feel like to win the Walter Cup — not from the stands, not from the broadcast booth, but from the ice?In Part 2 of our championship edition Day in the Life with Hayley Scamurra, Hayley takes us inside the ...
The Work Behind Youth Hockey Coaching - Fun, Fundamentals, and Accountability with Coach Tre Berg
🏒 What does it really take to coach youth hockey the right way?This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, and Christie Casciano-Burns sit down with Coach Tre Berg, a youth hockey coach, hockey dad, p...
Team GG at Wish Cup: Inside the Wish Cup, Creator Culture, and Growing the Game
🏒 What happens when hockey creators, roller hockey, youth hockey values, and a great cause all collide in Nashville? You get Team GG at the Wish Cup — and a conversation every hockey family should hear.In this special edition of <...
Our Girls Play Hockey - The Road to a Walter Cup Championship Part 1(Hayley Scamurra Day in the Life)
🏆 What does it really take to win when the pressure is at its highest?On this very special Championship Edition of Our Girls Play Hockey, we sit down with Olympic gold medalist and Walter Cup champion Hayley Sca...
The Ride to The Rink: How Young Hockey Players Can Train Smarter This Offseason with Andrew Alberts
🏒 What should young hockey players actually do in the offseason?In this episode of The Ride To The Rink, Lee is joined by former NHL defenseman Andrew “Albie” Alberts for a motivating conversation every young player ...
Former NHLer Andrew Alberts Explains the Best Offseason Plan for Youth Hockey Players
🏒 Should your young hockey player train all summer… or put the bag away and just be a kid?On this episode of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias welcomes back Andrew “Albie” Alberts — nine-year NHL veteran, Boston College standout, and Hock...
Angie Lion on Emotional Intelligence, Team Culture, and Raising Resilient Hockey Players
🧠 What if the most important hockey skill your child learns this season has nothing to do with skating, shooting, or scoring?This week on Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee Elias, Mike Bonelli, and Christie Casciano-Burns welcome
The Ride to The Rink: How to Handle Hockey Nerves, Pressure, and Pregame Anxiety
🏒 Ever feel nervous before a game, unsure of yourself in the locker room, or like your emotions are getting in the way of how you want to play? You’re not alone — and you’re not broken.On this episode of The Ride To The Rink
