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32 // SEPTEMBER 2019 A Special ADM Round Up REIGN REIGN LET IT B en Frank remembers the first time he heard about the American Development Model and the benefits it could have in youth hockey. He wasn't sure what to expect when he attend- ed a symposium in 2011, but he left with his thinking changed forever. "It exposed me to a bigger picture of youth hockey. I brought the ideas back to our staff," said the president of the Junior Reign, a youth hockey organization based in Riverside, Calif. "I knew I couldn't go back and us not follow this model." The ADM is the product of extensive research from USA Hockey staff members involving educators, child devel- opment experts and coaches as well as physiologists from around the world. The goal was to develop an age-appro- priate model of training hockey players from the 8 & Under level all the way up to the elite levels of the sport. But selling the ADM to others in the organization, which at the time was called the Wildcats Hockey Association, wasn't easy. Old habits in youth hockey sometimes die hard. "It's like ripping off a band- a i d ," Fr a n k r e c a l l s . " Yo u d o something for so many years and then you change, it's not going to go super smooth. We found that we took more arrows than others that have come around to it over time. It's easier to be second or third sometimes." After a bit of convincing, the program was all in, all the way. "We decided we were going to jump in with two feet and not be apologetic about it," Frank says. " We told people this is what we stand for and this is what we are going to do." That meant implementing practices such as having 8 & Under teams playing cross-ice games and not having teams travel out of state until they reach the 14 & Under level. Paul Esdale, the chief of hockey operations for the Junior Reign, was one of those early supporters. He saw PHOTOS COURTESY OF The Junior Reign S C H E N E C TA D Y Y O U T H H O C K E Y A SS O C . YA L E Y O U T H H O C K E Y A SS O C . N E W J E R S E Y B A N D I T S M O N T G O M E R Y Y O U T H H O C K E Y A SS O C . K E T T L E R C A P I TA L S S T R O N GSV I L L E Y O U T H H O C K E Y C L U B A D M I R A L S H O C K E Y C L U B G R A N D T R AV E R S E H O C K E Y A SS O C . K A L A M A Z O O O P T I M I S T H O C K E Y A SS O C . T W I N B R I D G E S L I G H T N I N G K I R K W O O D Y O U T H H O C K E Y A SS O C . A R VA D A H O C K E Y A SS O C . C O L O R A D O R A M PA G E H O C K E Y C L U B A N A H E I M D U C K S Y O U T H H O C K E Y L O S A N G E L E S J U N I O R K I N GS J U N I O R R E I G N Y O U T H H O C K E Y C L U B C A L I F O R N I A H E AT H O C K E Y C L U B S A N J O S E J U N I O R S H A R K S K I R K L A N D S N O - K I N G H O C K E Y A SS O C I AT I O N C O L O R A D O S P R I N GS H O C K E Y A SS O C . C O L O R A D O S E L E C T G I R L S H O C K E Y A SS O C . M C K I N N E Y N O R T H S TA R S H O C K E Y C L U B N A SS A U C O U N T Y H O C K E Y W A L P O L E E X P R E SS SUPERMODELS There are currently 24 ADM Model Clubs scattered around the country. Model Associations receive extra support from USA Hockey, including in-person coaches training, on-ice instruction and parent resources from USA Hockey's national staff. They also receive equipment, signage and educational support from USA Hockey. Going All-In On The ADM Puts California Association Ahead Of The Pack By BRIAN LESTER