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. Each episode of Our Girls Play Hockey is also hosted by Sheri Hudspeth who is the Director, Youth Hockey Programs and Fan Development for the Vegas Golden Knights.
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.
Our Kids Play Hockey
Leading The University of Michigan Women's Ice Hockey Team To New Heights with Head Coach Jenna Trubiano
In this week's episode of "Our Kids Play Hockey," hosts Lee Elias, Christy Casciano-Burns, and Mike Bonelli welcome Jenna Trubiano, head coach of the University of Michigan Women’s ACHA Division I hockey team. Jenna shares her inspiring journey from a late-start youth player to leading one of the most promising women's club hockey programs in the country.
Key Topics Covered:
- Jenna's Hockey Journey: Discover how Jenna went from learning to skate at age nine to becoming the head coach at her alma mater, the University of Michigan.
- Challenges and Triumphs: Jenna discusses the unique challenges of leading a club hockey program and the incredible accomplishments of her team, both on and off the ice.
- Academic Excellence: Learn about the balance and importance of academics within the Michigan program and how Jenna emphasizes education alongside hockey.
- Building a Culture: Insight into the culture of commitment, community outreach, and collaboration that Jenna has instilled in her team.
- The Future of Women's Hockey: Jenna's thoughts on the growing opportunities in women's hockey, the impact of the PWHL, and the demand for a Division I NCAA women’s program in Michigan.
- Advice for Aspiring Players: Practical tips for young athletes on how to stand out in the recruitment process and the importance of taking ownership of their journey.
This episode with Jenna Trubiano highlights the dedication, passion, and hard work required to build a successful women's club hockey program. Jenna's story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of creating opportunities for female athletes. Whether you're a player, parent, or coach, Jenna's insights offer valuable lessons on leadership, community involvement, and the future of women's hockey.
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Hello hockey friends and families around the world, and welcome to another edition of Our Kids Play Hockey, powered by NHL Sensorina. I'm Lee Elias, with Mike Benelli and Christy Casciano-Burns, and our guest today is a great one. We have the head coach of the University of Michigan Women's Division I hockey team, jenna Trubiano, joining us today. Michigan native Coach Trubiano was a previous player and captain of the Wolverines from 2013 to 2017, before being named an assistant coach after graduating. She took over the head coaching duties in 2021. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Coach Trubiano to the show today. Jenna, welcome to Our Kids Play Hockey.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. I'm super excited.
Speaker 1:We are super excited to have you and, as we do in most episodes, we have to start with the origin story. You had an extremely Michigan hockey journey as a youth athlete, having played for the Bell Tire team and Little Caesars organizations before joining University of Michigan as a freshman for it. I don't know if there's a more Detroit or Michigan-based path in hockey, but tell us about how the game found you and that journey overall.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a great question. So I didn't come from a hockey family. I actually started pretty late. I started skating when I was 9 or 10.
Speaker 1:And yeah, pretty uncommon and impossible.
Speaker 2:No, just go ahead. Yeah, it was, uh, like I didn't really realize it until I was and learned to skate and I was watching the red wings and I told my dad I want to play hockey and he's like, well, you got to learn how to skate and he didn't play hockey and my mom and my older brother didn't play hockey. So we went to Mount Clemens Ice Arena and I picked it up pretty quickly and I fell in love with it and tried out for the Mount Clemens Wolves and made the team. My name was the last one on the list and that's when I realized, you know, I wanted to continue playing hockey and I worked my way up, played for Veltire, like you mentioned, and my first year of 16s I tried out for Little Caesars and had a really great tryout and I was offered a spot and I accepted the offer and that's when I realized that, okay, I can play hockey in college. Like I came to that realization. It was top, I think, three program at the time in the nation. They had just won a national championship at that level. And yeah, it was.
Speaker 2:That was really it and kind of going through the recruiting process and I'm sure it'll come up, but there's no division one women's ice hockey programs in the state of Michigan.
Speaker 2:Wayne State did have a program until 2011, which was the end of my sophomore year of high school, and they actually played at the rink that we played at Detroit, but they folded, you know, right in front of our face and at that level a lot of the kids and the students and the women are looking to play Division One hockey or Division III hockey.
Speaker 2:And for me, academics was always number one and I, you know, I wasn't committed to Wisconsin, I wasn't committed to Minnesota, I didn't really. I looked at Ohio State, but that's another story and for me, like I really didn't want to sacrifice my academics just to play hockey and ironically, I grew up a Michigan State fan, so I'd never been to Ann Arbor and I applied to Michigan. I got in and by that time, senior year, I knew exactly what I wanted in a school and then I found out there was a women's ice hockey program. So it was very much a reverse path for me to get to Michigan. But kind of, as you talked about my background, like I think everything happened that was supposed to happen. So that's just a little bit about my background and I'm obviously still in Ann Arbor.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I gotta hit the pause button rewind. Did you say no Division One programs for women? Did I hear that?
Speaker 2:right. Yes, that is correct.
Speaker 3:How is that even possible this day and age? How is that possible?
Speaker 2:I. You know I wasn't around when some decisions were made, but there are seven men's Division One ice hockey programs in the state of Michigan at the NCAA level and currently zero for women. And Michigan has the largest discrepancy Um all the other major markets, such as Minnesota, massachusetts, new York, are all about. You know even.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I gotta tell you you the D1 programs do recruit heavily in Michigan. When my daughter played, there were a couple of young women from Michigan on the team. Obviously they're leaving your state because you don't have that program. So you would think somebody would wake up and see that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, big thing for me is education and advocating, so I'm happy to be on here.
Speaker 4:Continue to talk well, let's advocate, right, guys? I think it's it's not jenna's fault, obviously, that there's no division, one women's hockey, but I mean being, I think, one of the ways to step towards that. Looking at your you guys instagram posts and having, uh, how many is it? Uh, academic, all Americans, I mean it must be a culture then, right, cause you're, you're, you know, christie just brought up the recruitment process and going to a school Now on the men's side, is traditional at those big schools Michigan, boston college, boston university Like you know, you're getting recruited because it's really become a minor league for pros, right?
Speaker 4:So a lot, a lot of guys will say, oh, you come to Michigan, spend a year or two, go sign a pro contract. Now you're playing pro On the women's side, although it's growing right with the PWHL and there's opportunities to play pro hockey at the next level. But academically, like to your point, michigan is such a strong institution academically and what you've done with your own student athletes there, with all these academic All-Americans. Maybe can you talk a little bit about that culture then that you've built without needing the Division I piece hanging there. You know, the fact is, obviously these young ladies are committed to being great hockey players, but also understanding how important that Michigan diploma is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's, I think, very similar to the mentality that I had, and something I think about when I go out and recruit is that I didn't know Michigan was an opportunity for me to play hockey at any level, like I really had crossed off all the schools in the state because I was educated by my coaches who I was looking to guidance for that. These are the NCAA options Like this is what we see you pursuing, and I mean 10 years ago the PWHL didn't exist and I always had the mindset and fortunately in my upbringing, like my academics, like that was going to carry me as a female in the workforce. It was, you know, the connections I made in school. It wasn't the fact that I played hockey, it was, you know, everything in the classroom and beyond. So that really helped narrow my search and for me, part of what I want to do as a head coach of our program is make sure that women in the same position that I was in.
Speaker 2:So maybe, like looking at some smaller D1 schools, like obviously the top kids go to the top programs, but there's this huge population of other students and you see it in the ACHA in general, like ACHA hockey is really really good hockey and we have two players on our roster last season that transferred from NCAA Division I programs to come to Michigan for the academics and then hockey was a bonus for them, like I'm sure it played a part in their process in deciding of, maybe, where to go to school. But it's a huge draw for those students that you know aren't recruited to Wisconsin, minnesota, ohio State, that want that big school experience and maybe their offers are smaller schools but they want to be able to have that big 10 experience. They want a more urban campus, they want to be 20 minutes from the airport, you know, four hours from Chicago, like all of those things factor into where students are deciding to go to school.
Speaker 4:Can I just follow up on that last question, lee, because you mentioned, like even your own coaches didn't even bring up the ACHA, which most don't Like, like I think a lot of us as coaches get the ego that well, if they're not going to NCAA, then really there's no other really alternatives. But what we forget and obviously I think even the kids that I advise and work with, like you got to think about, unless you're going pro and you know you're on a pro when you're 15, like you, you, you, you. I mean we've had a lot of, you know, obviously, late bloomers. But unless you're going to make a career out of hockey, then the first objective has to be well, if hockey can fit into the greatest academic experience I can have, that's my number one goal. So I mean what?
Speaker 4:So? What is your like? Is that an easy pitch then for you If somebody says, hey, I'm going to so-and-so, I could go to NCAA, division one school, so-and-so, but it's not Michigan, you know it's not Michigan. So how do like, what is that discussions like, sound like for you? Uh, when, when you have these girls in the, in the um, in the hockey office, or on the phone, or in your recruiting process of you know. Guess what we do here looks like NCAA Division I, except you know we're not going to win a national championship.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think back to my own experience and Michigan recruits for itself. There's no lack of interest in the University of Michigan. The University of Michigan had over, I think, 100,000 applicants for first year students this past year, which is the most they've ever had, which also presents challenges for our program and other non varsity programs, because I have no pull on the admissions process for our program and other non-varsity programs. Because I have no pull on the admissions process, so I can have a 4.0 student that's, you know, top of her class, and she still gets waitlisted and there's nothing I can do. So it presents challenges and for a lot of these students, if they get into Michigan they will come to Michigan.
Speaker 2:But the biggest barrier for us is the admissions process and when students reach out to me, we are getting more and more interest, it seems, every season because of how successful our program has been on the ice and also our presence on social media, which is a huge tool for us. But ultimately it's those kids that are top of their class. It's a very niche community. It's okay.
Speaker 2:I need an elite female hockey player top of her class, amazing extracurriculars, things that set her apart from other students at her school that might be applying to Michigan, like all of those things are really what I'm looking for, and, at the elite levels and, having played at the AAA level myself, sometimes those extracurriculars, there's just not enough time for it. So we get a lot of interest from, you know, students that might have done like a post-grad year and they're taking classes elsewhere. And we have, I think, next year we haven't announced it yet, but we have three transfer students joining us that have done a post-grad year or have gone to school somewhere else, that have applied to transfer to Michigan and have gotten in. So I don't have access to the portal, but there are ways to get creative with it and I think that's what our recruitment model is going to look like, because Michigan is so competitive. But to go back to your question, this is as good as the portal.
Speaker 4:Trust me.
Speaker 3:But I mean, and your social media.
Speaker 4:I know Caitlin could probably post it, but your social media is awesome, so whoever does that and gets your girls doing what they do, it's an awesome follow if you have a chance to follow them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're great and I'm so glad that you gave them a shout out. I started the Instagram back in 2013 myself, but I'm still trying to navigate the reels and focus on the coaching side of things. But we've got two great people with Sophie and Carly that have kind of taken on that role and grow our program on the social media.
Speaker 3:It's so fun. You know that. That's the fun aspect of it. I'm curious, jenna, did you have any women coaches through your, you know, youth hockey journey? Were they role models for you journey? Were they role models for you? Because now, seeing you as head coach, that is so important because young girls can look at you and say look what I can do, I can be her. I know my daughter didn't have any women head coaches. There were a couple of assistant coaches which were great for her because they're the ones who really pulled her aside and said you have talent, you can play college hockey. The men never said that to her, it was the women coaches, jen and Kristen. Thank you for that, by the way, if they're listening. I was just curious did you have role models growing up through the hockey years?
Speaker 2:I love this question but I don't love my answer because I never had a female head coach Growing up. I had two female assistant coaches. So actually one of my learn to skate instructors was a coach of the team that I tried out for and made, and I do think she played a part in me earning a role on that team, because if I hadn't made that team, I think I I don't even know what would have happened. I don't really have a backup option.
Speaker 3:Your story sounds just like Sophia over here yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, um, and I think for me something that I'm learning, um, and I just finished my third season as a head coach.
Speaker 2:But kind of going back to what you talked about, role models, like I don't know what a female coach is.
Speaker 2:A female head coach is supposed to act like, is supposed to talk like, like I, I'm trying to figure that out and I've been fortunate to meet some really great role models within the last few years. And actually Angela Ruggiero's sister was one of my biology teachers in high school, so I met Angela when I was in high school, um, which is really cool and yeah, it's just really trying to figure out, like, how am I supposed to coach a group of college-age women? And I relate to them in a lot of ways. I had the same experience or a lot of the same experiences, but like it's, it's always a learning process, yeah, and I'm very open about that, or I try to be open about that with our leadership group and the team and our coaching staff, because I only ever had coaches that would yell at us and that was the motivator Like, oh, coach is yelling at us and throwing trash cans and he's angry, you know, um, and that's just not acceptable.
Speaker 2:Like it's not acceptable today from anybody, and we're seeing that now, but yeah.
Speaker 3:What's your coaching style? What would you say?
Speaker 2:I'm really big on communication, so I love communicating. I think collaborating is really important as well, because I can, in my mind, think something works, but if the team, for some reason, isn't able to buy into it, I want to understand why they feel that, you know, maybe they don't understand something or they're not seeing it. So I'm really big on collaborating and communicating and it's a two-way street. It's not what I want for the program, it's what the team wants, and I think that's really important and that's a huge part of why we've gotten to where we are today. It's because the team the makeup of the team wants to be competitive, and I'm a competitive person and I'm going to do what we need to do to stay competitive.
Speaker 3:Well, jenna it sounds like you can write the playbook for how to be a female coach.
Speaker 1:So, jenna, I'll tell you a few things here. One is my, my daughter's seven years old. She plays and she has a a female head coach for her elementary school team and I'm just now seeing it through her eyes how much that means to her and how empowering that is for her and it's it's also awesome that her hockey journey is starting with that and not either ending or discovering that as a teenager or someone in their youth. So you know, I think that that's an important point to make to everybody listening just to kind of keep that in your mind that if you have a daughter that plays or you have young ladies on your team, that matters right to be able to see someone like you there that can have a conversation with you back and forth. It takes all of everybody, it takes a village to make it happen, but something to keep in the back of your mind. I also want to bring this up too.
Speaker 1:I've been coaching 20 years, from professional all the way down, and it all started for me at an ACHA school in a program that I was in the same position as you, running the entire thing. And I'll tell you what. There's three things I've learned. One is that I have one at the pro level and I have one at the ACHA level and I'm proud of both of them. All right One does not trump the other. Right Winning is winning. Number two is that coaches in your position, I believe, do a lot more from a 360 point of view than coaches that just coach. There's not a right or wrong in this. But this brings me to number three. A level of passion and dedication and understanding that you have to have to do what you're doing is going to serve you years beyond, and I think that for so much of my career I was bashful to say I coached at an ACHA school, and now I say it with a lot of pride. In fact, that jersey of the team I coach, which was also my alma mater there's a lot of similarities hangs in my office and I put it up and I tell people about it because I'm proud about it. So I just wanted to say that, since we had that conversation, that that I think what you're doing is amazing.
Speaker 1:I think that the job that you have to do is harder than most coaching jobs, from every single aspect, from recruiting to media and marketing, to the actual coaching, to making sure that you say communications there and you keep focused, because it can be very easy sometimes for the athletes to fall on a crutch with this as well, and you have not done that. You're a trailblazer in the space and while it is ridiculous that Michigan is in that position with women's hockey, it starts with people like you and teams like the Michigan Wolverines, who they are. They are the Michigan women's hockey team, division one hockey team, no matter what anybody says. So before we move forward, I just wanted to, I guess, proclaim that and tell you that and I generally mean this that I look up to coaches like you, right, once you get to the top and you're getting paid to do it.
Speaker 1:It is an undertaking and it's wonderful and it's hard and it's all that stuff, but I look up to people in your position that have made that decision to go back to spend a ridiculous amount of time. And again, people say full-time job. Right, this is more than a full-time job. This is your heart, your soul, your mind, your body. And then you have the responsibility of all these other people they're not much younger than you underneath you, and you all have to build a team and trust each other and find a way to the promised land. To me, that in itself is bigger than the game, so I just wanted to thank you for that before I get into my next question.
Speaker 2:Thank you. That means a lot and I'm super happy that you all asked me to be here today, and I'm really looking forward to the future of our program, whatever it holds for us.
Speaker 1:Right. Well, I will return that and say that we are privileged to have you on this program today. All right, now my next question. I'm pivoting here a little bit A lot of parents that listen to this show. When I was coaching, we wanted nothing to do with parents. At the collegiate level and up, we didn't want to talk to them, and I feel like that that has shifted a lot in recent years. I had the privilege of sitting in front of Dawn Staley, who's a championship NCAA coach, and I was shocked how immersed she is with the parents and she kind of took the approach of look, they're the most important people in these kids' lives. We'd be crazy not to speak with them. So she has a monthly Zoom with the parents. Are you involved with the parents of your players and how do you feel about parents in general?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we so, historically our program, we have never involved the parents in any way, right, and that has shifted, especially last year. Um, we started to do. We had some parents that wanted to help initiate some programming with the parents, just getting them more involved, because we would have parents show up to the rink and like we're like well, we've seen you here before, do you have a kid on the team? Like you know, like we don't even know who the other families are and, like you said, they're huge, one of the most important parts of our program. So that is something we have focused on, especially this past year.
Speaker 2:We've had some parent gatherings, like pregame gatherings at Regents Field, which has our weekly coaches show. It's on Main Street in Arbor, it's phenomenal. They're huge supporters and we get all the parents there and they do their pregame festivities and if the coaches have time, they'll swing by and say hello to everybody and thank them. But yeah, it's, I mean, times are changing and especially when kids, students, come to campus, you know, I like to have a current athlete with me or to be present so that we can kind of separate. And then obviously parents have concerns that maybe they don't want to express in front of their children and it's the other way around, like, maybe sometimes a student has questions for a current student athlete that they don't feel comfortable asking in front of their parents. So, yeah, it's, it's a huge part and, yeah, I'm very thankful we have some really awesome families involved with our program, especially the past few years.
Speaker 1:We have some really awesome families involved with our program, especially the past few years. Yeah, I'll tell you that now that I'm in my 40s, most parents just kind of generally trust what I'm saying after I present it to them. But when I was in my early to mid-20s coaching especially college and again some of these kids were a couple years younger than me that wasn't always so easy for parents to say, well, what are you doing with my child? But I'll tell you, what was funny is that when I presented the plan and I presented this is how communication and trust and all these things work on the team there was there was extreme acceptance of okay, this, this young person has it together, right. So I bring this up because, again, a lot of parents listen to the show and it can be very easy as a parent Mike's going to relate to this to just say, well, you don't know what you're doing and I've been watching this game my whole life. That's why, look, parents, you never have to agree with a coach, ever. You never have to. I'm not saying blindly follow a coach, but I am saying to the coaches it behooves you. As you said, jenna, just to introduce yourself and explain listen, you're the most important person in your kid's life. I have them for so many hours a week and it's it's, this is what I'm presenting to them and I want you to know it. You don't have to agree with me, but I would appreciate it if we could all walk forward on this path together, because that's the only way the team is going to survive and win. And when you get egos involved or you get what's best for just your kid which I'm not saying you shouldn't do involved, it can really derail the ship. And again, jenna, what you're building there requires complete buy-in, really, not just from the players but, like we said, from the families, because and we know this a coach can be teaching a kid for two hours and you can go home and a parent can completely dismantle that in 10 minutes if they want to. It's the responsibility, it goes both ways.
Speaker 1:I'm going to, I'm going to reiterate not every coach is great, not every coach is perfect. At the collegiate level division one, Obviously, I think you know what you're doing. You don't get hired there if you don't know what you're doing. But that's something I wanted to ask. You mentioned TV shows. Mike mentions your social media accounts. There's a very. You know, if you search for Michigan women's hockey, it's not hard to find online. But I do know in your position that you do a lot more than, probably, coaching. So I want to talk about the identity of women's division one hockey at Michigan and how you've gone to develop that Cause. It's a bit of an uphill battle, as we've talked about in the beginning of the show, to do that. So why don't you walk the people through? I don't know if we have enough time, but everything that you do and how you've boosted that identity of that team?
Speaker 2:I definitely don't think we have. Yeah, I'll like on a. I'll just think about it on a weekly basis. Um, and kind of going back to talking about our social media, we have two other members of our social media team, including myself, so we're always communicating about what posts we have. We do birthday posts for the players. I was at an event yesterday, so hopefully we'll get some content up on there.
Speaker 2:But something that I learned really quickly, especially as a freshman in 2013 at the University of Michigan like there is a demand for this for women's hockey in the state of Michigan or at the University of Michigan. Like there is a demand for this for women's hockey in the state of Michigan or at the University of Michigan. And one of the first things I did in 2013 was like spam everybody on the team about inviting people on their Facebook page, because Facebook was a huge platform back then. Like people will follow this. Like you need to send it to everybody. So we've kind of had that same mentality. On the social media side, we've got a LinkedIn page, which I just created pretty recently now, which is getting a lot of traction, and those are all things that we have to keep up with. Obviously, we don't have full-time staff, so I'll help out on there. We've got threads now as well. Tiktok is something I'm not an expert in, but it is something we try to post on.
Speaker 2:We have our weekly coaches show. So Arbor Broadcasting. They stream our games completely free of charge. We've done that since I think it was before COVID, I think it was 2016. They are heavily involved in the community and something that is really helpful for us in terms of recruiting is that if an out-of-state student does come to michigan and their families cannot be at every game, arbor broadcasting will usually have the game um. So that's a huge tool for us and obviously to have that film to watch back as well. But we this past season connected with Regents Field, who is on Main Street, ann Arbor. I'm not sure if any of you have been to Ann Arbor, but Main Street's very historic and beautiful. So to have a presence on main street and to have one of our jerseys hanging up there now as a relationship that we've been building. So we're there every Wednesday during the season, so throughout the week, obviously trying to come up with questions with our co-host, mark Wiseman of Arbor Broadcasting, and then got practice two to three times per week practice planning lineup decisions.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the hockey stuff. Right, All the hockey stuff's there too.
Speaker 2:There's the hockey stuff and in the off season, you know I'm hoping to announce something pretty exciting pretty soon. I have to figure out some logistics with that Are we getting a scoop here. Are we?
Speaker 1:getting a scoop yeah.
Speaker 4:You can tell us, they don't tell anybody, we won't tell anybody yes, hopefully in august.
Speaker 2:Um, but last week I was at the acha meetings um for the representatives of each program to vote on league specific issues and to have discussion um finalizing scheduling. And because we're at yost and with the men's varsity program really it's their rank and we're a tenant um we've had to already change some things around, so our schedule probably won't come out until the big 10 schedule is released in August. So that presents challenges too, and a lot of kind of what we're doing right now is trying to figure out what our roster may look like for the fall, because students that have been admitted to Michigan, that have put their deposit down, you know, just trying to navigate, making sure that players that are planning on returning with our team process.
Speaker 2:Everybody will have to try out again. But there are some players that we do contingently commit to if they're deciding between Michigan and maybe another program, so that they have that verbal commitment and know that we are interested in them, program um, so that they have that verbal commitment and know that we are interested in them. So really having those conversations with players right now and um working with our leadership group and there really is no off season um probably more busy in the off season than I always say absolutely for you.
Speaker 1:So I've seen all coaches are yes, I always say that the off season is just the time of year. We don't play games.
Speaker 2:Right, that's exactly true.
Speaker 1:That's all it is, we're just not playing games right now.
Speaker 3:No, how does a player get on your radar? Obviously you do not want to hear from parents. You don't want them calling you up and saying my kid is a star player.
Speaker 1:Jenna, my seven-year-old daughter, is ready. Right is a star Jenna, my seven-year-old daughter is ready.
Speaker 3:She is ready to be a Wolverine. Ready to be a Wolverine. You don't want to hear from Paris, but do they email you? Do they call you a personal phone call? Do they let you know? Hey, I'm going to be at this showcase. Here's some video clips of me. How do they get on your radar?
Speaker 2:that is a I love that question. Again. It really I would say most students probably email me first to initiate contact. There are some recruiting tools where players can submit interest but, as I talked about earlier, our target athlete, athlete. It's a very, very niche market because if somebody doesn't have the grades to likely get into Michigan, realistically I don't really have the time to talk with them for 30 minutes and educate them on our program.
Speaker 1:Jenna, if I may. Sorry, I really apologize to interrupt, but I need the parents to hear what you just said, cause and the kids too. Right, your academics are essential If you would like to play hockey past high school. Yes, we gloss over that fact. A lot of like oh yeah, grades are important, they're really important, and if you're going to put your heart and soul into the game, part of that is doing it in school as well. And if you can do it on the ice, you can do it in the classroom. I apologize for interrupting. I had to say it back to you.
Speaker 2:No, it's the most important thing for us, because unless a student has the chance of getting into Michigan like if they put theirself in a position to be considered for admission to Michigan that's great and I'd love to have a conversation with them. But if not, because I work full time in addition to coaching, it's really hard for me to have a 30 minute conversation with somebody that will probably not get into Michigan. Right, and it's something I don't love about the position. I'd love to be able to talk to everybody, but, realistic, with my 24 hours in a day, it just it really can't happen. Um, and I've had students you know really some really good emails. They talk about their GPA, their grad year, their position, what Jersey they wear. All of that information is really helpful because even if I don't respond right away, I can still pull it up in my email. And I have live barn, I've got flow hockey, I've got all of those tools that I can watch most games.
Speaker 2:And this past season I was fortunate to be able to make it to some high level recruiting events, including Stony Creek, which is a really, really big event I think it was the first year post pandemic that they had it with American teams this year and I was wearing my Michigan stuff and people are like, oh my gosh, michigan. And I'm like, yes, we have a program, so just like being there in person is. It sparks a lot of conversation as well. But I get a lot of emails. Players will call me, players will text with ACHA. There's no rules, so they can really do whatever they want, whatever they're comfortable with, and that's what I tell them too, like if they you know, for emailing, and we hop on a call like, hey, if you're comfortable, if you have a quick question, like usually text is the best way to get a hold of me because I'm running around a lot. So you know, some players will text me, some will call, some will email. Um, but it's really whatever they're comfortable with. If I get an email, I usually.
Speaker 3:But, as you know at that age. You know at that age. You know, when the young woman turns 16, 17, 18, thinking about college hockey, you also get flooded in your inbox and this happened to us of agents, recruiters. You know companies that will represent you and get you into the best colleges. We immediately deleted them. Do you pay attention to that? If you hired somebody to sell your kid basically to you?
Speaker 2:I would say if it hits my inbox, I'll take a look at it. Something that does happen, though, which I know I need to work on, is educating these groups of people like what we're looking for, because I think sometimes I get an email and a student might not have a GPA that fits within the admissions range, and it's. I don't. It's a time, right, right, right.
Speaker 3:So crouch your inbox. You don't need it.
Speaker 2:Right. So there are those things that come up. Um, if it hits my inbox I'll usually look at it whether I'll be enticed to respond. That's kind of another story, um, but for me I try to stay really organized, like setting up calls. Um, because I do work full time, it's really hard for me to take a cold call, especially midday. So those are all things that factor into when I can have conversations with players.
Speaker 3:Is it worth it for a parent to do that, or can get a young woman to do it on her?
Speaker 2:own. So me personally, I I think the athlete should own their recruiting experience. I love that. You said that You're welcome and it's the same thing I tell my athletes too, like if they have a comment, question or concern, like come to us directly at some point. You know, we're especially with our athletes, like we're all adults and we need to be able to have those conversations and you know, if students can have those conversations when they're 16, 17, it makes them probably more experienced to have it when they're 18 and dealing with me or another college coach and really advocating for themselves as well and I saw that in with my own daughter.
Speaker 3:Her personally, making these connections with the coaches really helped mature her and got her ready even now in her job interviews. You know she had to go for a job interview the other day and she said this is easy. I did this with so many college coaches when I was looking for a college to play at, so she was very comfortable. So for parents, let your kid take the reign here because it will benefit them later on in life when they're hunting for that job and they have to go in front of you know, somebody that they've never met before their first job interview. They've got that under their belt, it's.
Speaker 1:It becomes easier for them well and I advocate for that at younger ages. I think one of the mistakes that we make as parents sometimes is a kid gets to 16 or 18 and go you talk to the coach and it's like, well, you've taught me nothing on how to do that, mom. So I always say I advocate for the starting honestly, attend you and all that means. By the way, it doesn't mean tell your kid go talk to the coach, but it's hey, if your kid has an issue or you have an issue, discuss it with your kid and then go to the coach. I have my son do that, you know, and my I have my son do that and my daughter say ask your coach. And again, it's pretty innocent at 10U, but you have to explain to them and this is the term I always use with my kids Christy is, you need to learn how to speak to adults. You need to learn how to talk to adults.
Speaker 3:Put the phone down and talk to them personally.
Speaker 1:Right, don't be looking around the room, don't text them, look them in the eyes and talk to him.
Speaker 1:I don't tell them the secret that all adults are actually still children, but I do tell them that you need to learn how to speak to adults, because it's an important thing that you can advocate for yourself. And look, if my 10 year old is terrified, I'm not forcing him to go do that, but I am planting the seeds of if you have a or something that's a little controversial maybe in how the team is being run. You should be asking that. And again, parents look and I'm going to make Mike laugh. I'm a coach.
Speaker 1:There are plenty of times during the season when I'm not coaching my kids team. I want to go up to the coach and say hey, what are you doing? Like, like we're not developing these kids? What are you doing? But the reality is, the first person I should go to is my kid. Yes, Right, Because I'd say eight out of ten times your kid's not even aware of it and they're having a blast, Right? I had a parent last year who was very disgruntled about how the team was being run. His kid was not happy and I said well, have you asked your kid that? Well, no, I can just tell this kid was not unhappy. This kid was very happy. While the concerns were somewhat valid, it was like you gotta, you gotta understand that the conversation piece um jenna.
Speaker 3:Go back to you see that jenna and the young woman you're coaching, you can tell who's kind of taken ownership of their own paths I can yes.
Speaker 1:That should be something to note for the entire audience here. Right Is that it's obvious when someone has taken it upon themselves to speak for themselves.
Speaker 4:I can add one thing just in there too, but it's also because they're probably well coached how to advocate for themselves, right. I mean it just doesn't happen naturally for most kids, like that's a process that takes place, to Christ's point, you know, later on in life. We all talk about why kids play sports, and a lot of it's because of these leadership qualities and these communication ability and the ability to talk with another adult and work things out within a locker room and with within a staff, and I think that's so important, especially at a really high institutional level where they are on their own. I mean these girls aren't living with mom and dad anymore. I mean they're on their own and you're the parent, you're the person they're going to look to for that advice, and I think that's why I think, in a lot of ways, I think that's why this is changing a bit, where parents are probably more are creeping into the college ranks.
Speaker 4:Listen, I know I know parents right now that are involved with their pro players, coaches. I mean that's a fact. I mean not, you know not certain aspects, but you know, maybe that's our fault as parents for allowing this to. You know, fester all the way up. And then you know coaches are at a disadvantage too, right, because now the kids have such an easy out. If they're not, if they don't like you, they just go into the portal and they transfer. They don't like it anymore, right? So I think that's an epidemic we're seeing at the men's level especially where you know, kids, kids have.
Speaker 4:They've never spent more than two years in a program in their life. It's both women and men's at all levels.
Speaker 4:It's just easy to lose If you're a parent listening to this and you have an opportunity to play for somebody like Jenna, understanding that it is noticeable when a player advocates for themselves, recruits for themselves, sells themselves, whether that was successful at the end or not, it's just part of the learning process. And you got to. You know you got to step back and be like it is painful, right, because as a parent, you'll watch like, ooh, is that really what you're going to write, is that really what you're going to say? And you're like, okay, well, go ahead, try, you know, just throw it out there, see, you know, just throw it out there and see what happens. That's right, let the kids it is Let them fail.
Speaker 3:It's okay, right, jenna Nope.
Speaker 1:Well, I will say this Parents, you do a great job. It is nothing easy about being a parent, and it is the hardest and the greatest job in the world, but you can derail your kid's hockey journey if you are doing this incorrectly. In terms of overstepping boundaries, Jenna, I want to move on to a segment I've just created in my mind, called so your kid wants to play college hockey right, and you've just mentioned it a few times throughout the episode that there's a recruitment aspect to your job and that there's a lot of young women that want to come play for the University of Michigan. So talent's a prerequisite. We talk about this. To make this team, you have to have hockey talent. You're not getting on this team without it. We talked about academics. That is a prerequisite.
Speaker 1:Now we get to the tryout and there's a lot of young women on the ice. Now what is the separator for you when you go into picking that team? Are we looking at character and, if so, what types of character? What are you looking at to pick the team? Because I think this is an important aspect for parents and the young athletes that are listening, especially the women of when you're looking to play for a college hockey team or a high level hockey team. Your talent's part of the equation, but when you're looking to be part of a successful program, that is not the full equation.
Speaker 2:Jenna, I'm saucing the puck to you equation, jenna, I'm saucing the puck to you Perfect. Like you mentioned, character is a big thing and for our program specifically, something that we need is we need players that are willing to buy into our program, and that means it's 10% on the ice and 90% off the ice. 90% of what we do is off the ice. So that means, hey, if you're interested in community outreach, we do community outreach events, like find ways for us to get involved in the community. If you like, we do a lot of fundraising events as well, and we need our players to show up and own those things Right.
Speaker 2:With our program. It's not just show up and practice and play hockey, it's all of those things behind the scenes that our players are doing that actually make this happen. So we've got two co-treasurers that have managed our budget and so, like they're the ones working with the university to manage our finances, like I personally don't have direct access to our accounts, so everything we do goes through them, and I'm not sure how it was when you were coaching ACHA, but it was similar.
Speaker 1:I didn't have control over the budget. The school, yes, okay.
Speaker 2:So it's very similar in that sense and we have a team elected president, vice president that handle all the organizing, the logistics behind the scenes, like coordinating travel, like making those scheduling decisions. But 90% of what we do is off the ice and those are things you don't see, that whoever is interested in our program they understand that it's not just show up and play hockey and wear the block M.
Speaker 2:It's going to fundraising events. It's maybe being a little uncomfortable and asking people if they can donate. It's those things that a lot of students we see are very uncomfortable with. Unfortunately, I work in sales so it's something I'm very comfortable with now. But I remember when I first started my position in sales I'm like I don't want to pick up the phone and call somebody, and now I have no problem doing it and it's the skill that I've learned. Like there's nothing, like it's a yes or no, you've got a 50-50 shot, and that's something that we're trying to instill in our athletes as well.
Speaker 1:It's so hard to hear no without Jenna I'll tell you, mike, one of the best pieces of advice I ever got was this was that everyone is trying to sell something. It's just how you do it and why you do it. So I think when we hear sales, especially young athletes, it's like, oh, I don't want to ask for this. It is a amazing skill set if you can do it and do it well and do it with purpose and pride, right. So so again, selling the University of Michigan ice hockey program not a hard sell in the grand scheme of life, if you think about it, right. Selling a used car? That's a little bit different, right, and I'm not poo-pooing on used car salesmen either right. But parents, I will tell you that, and kids listening, the ability to learn how to sell yourself and how to sell things is an important skill if you can do it correctly, with high morals and high distinction between right and wrong, right. I don't want to go too far into that, but yeah, jen, I love that. You said buy-in because, mike, you talk about this all the time, right? That's really one of the skill sets of a great coach is creating the understanding of buy-in and what buy-in really means, right? Is that?
Speaker 1:It's not about the me when you come to a program of, well, I'm super talented and I'm a great student, it's about the we right, yeah, but you're part of a team now, right, and I love that, especially at the ACHA ranks.
Speaker 1:You know, we used to, as a player and as a coach, go to the inner city of Newark and read the kids and I'll tell you right now, they didn't care that we were the Montclair State University ACHA team. They were blown away that these college hockey players were coming to read to them. It meant something and boy did that boost the identity of me as a player but also the team when I was a coach, right, so that that is part to me of the game. You know, christy, I'll throw this to you too. Like we get so lost sometimes in the hockey and this is even at the collegiate ranks that we forget that we're developing a human being here and that part of being a great hockey player and part of being a great hockey team is that outreach, is that community aspect. And again, it's not everything. I'm not saying drop all the hockey and go out into town, but I love programs that do that.
Speaker 3:During my daughter's college years she was very involved in a number of organizations, helping veterans, helping the campus with mental health awareness. She was a huge advocate of that and all of the women wore you know green it was you know green sticks. They taped green sticks. They wore green jerseys because that was the color for mental health awareness. They helped raise money for, you know, kids with disabilities. It's just, it was so impressive how involved the women college hockey players were in giving back and she I can see her she carries that with her to this day. You know any chance she can get to volunteer, to give back and to raise awareness, because it was instilled in her during her college years and now she carries that with a very proud of her. But a lot of it is because of the culture that the team had too. And I'm sure, jenna, that's exactly what you're doing, and and what you're doing is in helping to create really caring, passionate young women who are going to make a difference in whatever community they decide to invest in.
Speaker 4:But that's, I think that's the whole point here of where Jenna is in her which she's doing, overseeing this organization is that it is a club, like you know, whether it's an NCAA team or ACH team. It's like what we want for any of our kids, right? We want them to belong to a community, and if we could do that through sport which is great let's say that she ran the biggest volunteer band program in the country it would be the same thing. Right, it's just a matter of you go to a campus or you go to a rink. You go, you're with a club, you're with people that have like interests. You want to go outside. You know you're forced to do, I guess in a lot of ways, the fundraising and all the community aspect, but it's all part of your education. You know're a 16-year-old, an 18-year-old playing USHL, and you have to go do reading things at schools and go do the local carnival. It's all part of being a part of a club and a community. I think that's what's great about being in these that you offer an opportunity and it gets to be easy. Right, Jennifer?
Speaker 4:For for Michigan, just say listen, we don't have hockey, it's a club or not. You know we're not going to support it, it's just a lot and all of a sudden, now you have it's just another. You know people that don't belong and don't feel like they're connected to anything, and I think that's just an easier way for you know, for student athletes to get through their four years is that they are part of a club and they are part of a community. They are part of the growth they're watching. When I started, when I was a freshman, and here I am as a senior, look at all the growth that's happened and for you it's even bigger, right You're? You're seeing growth from being a player to a recruiter, to a coach, to a developer, to an owner. I mean you're like all of those things are part of the whole ecosystem, of what the hockey program is there, and.
Speaker 4:But I do think when those student athletes leave the school, the hockey just like you said that it was 10% of what they did and and I think all the rest of the stuff they take with them and we would say this at the youth hockey level. I mean that's why, on this show we talk a lot about you know the negative parts of travel hockey and and the craziness of it, and you know the fact that you know and maybe and and maybe this. So this is my question you get the, you get the chance to work with these young ladies for basically, let's, let's call four years. How much more refreshing is that for you, then, you know, and the opportunity to grow with them, than if these were, like you know, like the youth hockey world where you go play for somebody and then in six months we're trying to cut you. I mean, you know, like, so, like you really get to connect with these, these, these girls, right, and and have an opportunity to really, you know, uh, influence their life and they influence your life yeah, something.
Speaker 2:I wanted to go back to christy's story a little bit. I was trying to figure out how to articulate in my head but because I just finished my third season as a head coach, like I have players that I've coached as a head coach and also an assistant coach like out into the real world and what's really rewarding for me is seeing a lot of our former athletes that are trying to get involved in hockey. Like we had a player she graduated last year, she's from Chicago and she got involved with a non-profit in downtown Chicago. Like teaching kids how to skate and providing opportunities for them to learn to play hockey. Wow, and she was. She's like check it out. Like we were on the news, like all this stuff and I'm like this is so cool. Like this is probably the most rewarding part of the job is like seeing how somebody's time at Michigan and whether I had an influence on that or not. Like how it's spreading into other parts of the world.
Speaker 2:And we had I don't know if you all saw this our president from last year, robin Goldman. She was in Taiwan for a study abroad and she helped out with the Taipei Tigers and she didn't have any hockey gear Tigers and she didn't have any hockey gear. She was there for study abroad and she looked up ice rinks near me because she wanted to see if she could get involved and there was one a couple bus stops away from her. And for her to like take that next step when she was on study abroad, like it's incredible, and we're starting to see that a lot more with our former athletes and even our current athletes too. I have players that are like anything you need over the summer. Let me know if there are opportunities. So it's, it's really rewarding and I'm obviously really passionate about hockey and to see that passion grow into, you know, other markets that our former student athletes have entered now that they've graduated is something that's really special for me and our program that's got to be the most rewarding for me
Speaker 1:I'll tell you, you know winning games it expands. You know, I'm at the point now some of my former players are head coaches of other teams and I've gotten more than once coach, I'm a dad, or now it's becoming my kids playing coach and I'm like you're not becoming a coach anymore, and wouldn't you?
Speaker 3:love to see that, jenna, because, as we talked about, growing up you didn't have any women who were head coaches in your youth hockey years. Now you have an opportunity to really help, you know, coach these young women who can go out and coach others and be that role model. That's gotta be exciting too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I, I'm really excited. Yeah, we'll see, but it's definitely the most rewarding part, for sure.
Speaker 1:You know, jenna. Last question for me before we wrap this up. It's a really exciting time for women's sports right now. Both collegiate and pro sports have really been elevated more than I've ever seen in the public eye. Also, you know, it's so wonderful to say there is a clear path now from youth to college to pro for women's hockey, which you know, really a decade ago was unthinkable. It was just college is the top and that's it. Maybe you make it, maybe not. Um, I just would love to hear your thoughts on the impact of that on both the sport now. But what? What does that look like? Moving forward? Because you know, as coaches men and women were I feel so enabled for my daughter and the young women that play for me now to be able to say, hey, you can dream about that, right, obviously there's no guarantees on anything, but you can dream. What are your thoughts on that?
Speaker 2:I love it and, like you said, about 10 years ago, there really was no clear path and I thinking about my college recruitment process, like I knew I wasn't gonna play in the Olympics, like I already knew that. Um. So for me, I decided to pursue an academic career at Michigan and still play ice hockey. But for us, specifically in the state of Michigan, I think it's something that is more important than ever, and when the PWHL game was in Detroit, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend and I'm so glad that Detroit broke the US record for attendance, because that, to me, was hey, there's a demand for this year, like there's a demand for women's hockey and there's a demand for women's hockey in the state of Michigan.
Speaker 1:Damn right, there is.
Speaker 2:I made a statement and that's like.
Speaker 2:That's statistical information, that's facts.
Speaker 2:It's not me saying, hey, you know, women's hockey would be really successful in the state of Michigan. It's here, are, you know, thousands of people that showed up for a few hours of their time on a Saturday to watch this game, and it's I'm not exactly sure how to articulate it, but in terms of our program and discussions that have evolved, likely as a result of the PWHL and getting to know some of the PWHL front office staff and to see how passionate they are about growing the game and using their platform and their really their markets to help grow the game. And also going back to some friends that I have that play in the PWHL WHL, like, I don't know if you watched the game last night, but something that I'm really excited about is that the games are on YouTube and it's super accessible for anybody to just put that on. Even we were at a team dinner in Traverse City in January and I was sitting at the end of the table and three of our student athletes were huddled around a phone watching the PWHL game.
Speaker 1:That's amazing.
Speaker 2:That's so cool and, yeah, it's just a really exciting time for women's sports and women's hockey. And going back to what I've talked about before, like I'm really big on educating and advocating, like I'm not here to tell anybody what they're doing wrong, but I do know that there's a demand for women's ice hockey in the state of Michigan, whether that's at the collegiate level or division one, ncaa or a PWHL team. There is demand here. Um, so if people are willing to listen, I'm happy to talk.
Speaker 4:Do you guys play your home games at Yost?
Speaker 2:We do. Um, we are at the mercy of the big 10 schedule, so sometimes we will have to find alternate ice. The past two seasons we have not had to, just because of some scheduling conflicts we were able to work out. But we practice at Yost. We try to play all of our home games at Yost and if you look at our schedule it's sometimes a little lopsided because of the football schedule, because if there's a football home football game nobody gets in, nobody gets out. So, um, we kind of cross those off the list.
Speaker 4:But it'd be an easy sell to get home games then for teams to come to play.
Speaker 2:Yes, it's the hardest part is the scheduling and the logistics and not knowing what happens on the men's side before august. Really.
Speaker 1:Well, I will say this in closing, jenna, that I love that the PWHL record was broken in Detroit. I love that. As you said, it's not you asking, it's the people saying, hey, we want this here. And I think that part of any legacy and identity is the trailblazing people that started out, and that's you and that's your teammates and the people that you played with there. I don't think that it's going to be much longer before people catch on that women's hockey in Michigan should be a thing bigger than it is today, right? So I just want to thank you for all the work you're doing, not just for your team, but advocating for women's hockey and hockey in general in that area. It's inspiring, and I'm going to say what I said before. I really look up to you for what you're doing. It's inspirational, it's motivational and we're lucky to have people like you in the hockey world.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you're going to help get them there too, Jenna, I can feel it.
Speaker 2:We're trying.
Speaker 1:OK, that's going to do it for this edition of our kids play hockey, powered by NHL censoring. Remember, you can hear all of the episodes at kidsplayhockeycom or just go where you listen to podcasts. We're everywhere. It's pretty fun time. Uh, jenna Tribiano, christy Gashino-Burns and Mike Benally I'm Lee Elias. We'll see you on the next edition of our kids play hockey. Have a great day, everybody. We hope you enjoyed this edition of Our Kids Play Hockey. Make sure to like and subscribe right now if you found value. Wherever you're listening, whether it's a podcast network, a social media network or our website, ourkidsplayhockeycom. Also, make sure to check out our children's book when Hockey Stops at whenhockeystopscom. It's a book that helps children deal with adversity in the game and in life. We're very proud of it. But thanks so much for listening to this edition of our kids play hockey and we'll see you on the next episode.
