In episode #298, we're joined by Bethany Brausen, Head Coach of the University of St. Thomas Women's program.

Brausen just completed her first season with St. Thomas after taking over as interim Head Coach in November and being name full-time coach just a few months later.

She is also in the process of completing her PhD in Organizational Leadership Policy & Development, and as you’re about to hear, her education in leadership and organizational development is clearly woven into how she’s building the Tomies program.

Following her playing career that included captaining the University of Minnesota, she joined Brad Frost’s staff with the Gophers as an Assistant Coach for 5 seasons, before moving across town to St. Thomas.

Brausen will be joining us as a speaker at the upcoming IIHF Coaching Symposium, hosted in Stockholm during the Men’s World Championship. Stay tuned for that presentation on The Coaches Site!

Listen she shares why players need to create a self-governing culture, what we get wrong about real leadership, and the importance of understanding that every person has their own story.

In episode #297, we welcome former NHL Goalie Coach Mike Valley and Founder of The Goalie Guild Justin Goldman.

The two are good friends who collaborated on the books The Power Within, which includes 3 volumes, and Embracing the Grind. Each book shares personal interviews and stories from the best goaltenders on the planet and provide a guide for aspiring goalies looking to navigate what has generally been an undefined path to the top of the profession.

While the books focus on goaltending, they also provide real world solutions for dealing with the tough stuff that comes with reaching any noteworthy goal or achievement.

Valley played professionally as a goaltender and had the role of Goalie Coach for the Dallas Stars from 2009-2017. He is also a former presenter at TCS Live.

Goldman is a former goaltender, writer for NHL.com and Founder of The Goalie Guild, the world’s only non-profit organization dedicated to developing goalies and goalie coaches of all levels.

Listen as they share how the position of goaltending has evolved, why we need to redefine what "winning" is, and how to find your power within.

In episode #296, we welcome Head Coach of the Minnesota High School State Champion Moorhead Spuds, Jon Ammerman.

Our team at The Coaches Site had the chance to take in the State Championships in person and boy, did it ever live up to the hype. The Spuds defeated the Stillwater Ponies 7-6 in the culmination of an incredible run by Moorhead.

As a born and bred Moorhead-native, Ammerman has witnessed the magic of the State Championship as a fan, player and coach. In addition to his role as Head Coach, he is also a teacher at Moorhead High School.

As a result of this year's success, he was named Minnesota State Class AA Coach of the Year.

Listen as he shares the roller coaster journey that led to the championship, how Moorhead and Minnesota have built success through community-based hockey, and why coaching isn't about the destination but the journey.

In episode #295, we chat with Jeff Tambellini, who is the Director of Player Development for the Seattle Kraken.

He will be sharing how he develops long-term player development plans for the prospects of the Seattle Kraken at this June's TCS Live. Secure your seat now and see him live in person!

The former 1st round pick of the Los Angeles Kings played nearly 250 NHL games with the KIngs, Islanders and his hometown Canucks, before wrapping up his career in Europe.

From there Tambellini would step behind the bench, first with his alma mater University of Michigan and then returning to his roots in the BCHL as the Head Coach and GM of the Trail Smoke Eaters.

He then graduated into a scouting role with the Tampa Bay Lightning before joining the Kraken in his current role in 2022.

Listen as he shares why you need to get your players hooked on getting better, why processing speed is an underappreciated skill, and what we can learn from championship teams in other sports.

In episode #294, we welcome back a man who requires no introduction (but we'll give one anyway): Player Development Coach Daniel Broberg.

He is the founder of DB Hockey Factory and is regarded as one of the top development coaches in the game,travelling the world extensively to work with players, teams, clubs of all levels, and is sought after by some of the the top players in hockey to tweak and refine their skills.

We recently collaborated on the course with Broberg, 7 Steps From Basic Skills to Smooth Power, provides you with a blueprint for building a foundation in your players that will not only enhance their fundamental skills, but also empower them to read and react to whatever the game gives them and tap into the full spectrum of their creativity. Check it out here.

And on top of that, he will be presenting on-ice at this June's TCS Live coaching conference for the first time ever. Save your spot to meet him in person!

Listen as he shares the importance of posture in skill development, why players need to face adversity on their own, and why finding the state of "flow" is the key to building elite players.

In episode #293, we welcome good friend of The Coaches Site, Dave Smith.

Two days before we were scheduled to record this podcast he notified us that he had been relieved of his duties as the Head Coach of RPI. Despite that, he agreed to join the pod with his only request being that we focus on the future and the positive experiences he enjoyed during his eight season’s leading the RPI program.

Previous to his time with RPI Smith spent 12 seasons as Head Coach at Canisius College. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Coach for seven seasons split between Miami University (Ohio), Bowling Green, and Mercyhurst.

He is now going to start a new chapter in his coaching journey and will again relish in the opportunity to build and lead a team. We hope that this conversation will give other coaches hope and help them navigate the curveballs that the game throws at them.

Listen as he shares the message he left his players with after being let go, why the royal road has changed offensive hockey, and why it all starts with following you passion.

In episode #292, we welcome Tappara Head Coach Rikard Grönborg.

Last time we spoke with Grönborg, he and the Swedish National team were coming off back-to-back Gold medals at the World Championships, while he was also preparing to speak at TCS Live in 2019.

His presentation on the evolution of coaching and player development in Sweden is a must watch. You can check it out at The Coaches Site.

Grönborg was then hired by the Zurich Lions heading into the 2019-2020 season, his first opportunity to coach a club team in professional hockey. He would lead the Lions to first place in the NLA standings prior to his first season being cut short due to the COVID pandemic.

From Zurich, he would head north to Finland, joining Tappara, and in the process, become the first non-Finnish coach to coach in the Liga. In his first season, he would lead Tappara to a league Championship. Now in his second season, he’s managing a younger roster, but also an organizational shift focused on sports science and homegrown talent.

Listen as he shares why he's always accepted the challenge of trying something different, how to get players out of their comfort zone, and how to encourage your players to make decisions.

In episode #291, we continue our trip through Europe with a visit from HC Davos Head Coach Josh Holden.

Davos is of course the home of the Spengler Cup, a tournament that Holden and HC Davos won last season (his first with the team), the 16th in the club's history.

After a playing career in North America that saw Holden drafted 12th overall in 1996 by the Vancouver Canucks and spend time with Carolina and Toronto, he would travel overseas and evetually settle in Zug, Switzerland.

Zug would also be where he got his start in coaching, joining Dan Tangnes’ staff the season following his retirement. During his five seasons as an Assistant Coach, the club would capture one Swiss Cup and back to back NLA Championships.

Listen as he shares the difference between skills-skills and game-skills, the mentality of being "all in today," and what he learned from the infamous bench incident at the Spengler Cup.