The Role of the House League Head Coach

Overview

You may have many reasons for wanting to be a head coach. You may want to spend more time with your child who is playing hockey, you may feel you can teach children to become better hockey players, you may enjoy the social interaction with the children and their families, or you may really love the game and want to be a part of it. All of these are good reasons, and KMHA will especially support your efforts if you are motivated for all of them. Please remember that statistically you are unlikely to ever coach a child that goes on to have a professional career. You will, however, coach many future doctors, teachers, lawyers, business leaders, etc. When your players reach adulthood, the wins and losses will have long been forgotten, but the atmosphere and opportunity you create and the positivity you invest in their lives will have a lasting impact. Your ability to demonstrate the fun, fitness and friendship they can have with hockey should be a big reason you want to be a head coach at KMHA.

This page is intended to give you an overview of how to become a coach and what is involved once you do volunteer.

Volunteering to Coach

Individuals interested in coaching at KMHA should submit their names prior to the start of the season. If interested in coaching a house league team, please complete the online form and submit it to the appropriate convenor.

Once players have been sorted to the appropriate level, the Convenor will make head coach selections.

Head Coach Job Description

Serve as the official spokesperson on behalf of the team
Coordinate the delegation of responsibilities to the assistant coaches and manager
Plan on and off-ice activities in consultation with the assistant coaches
Plan, implement and control pre-game preparation and communication with the team
Design the practice plans in consultation with the assistant coaches and partner team coach
Coach the team in all games and practices
Establish rules for the team and oversee the supervision of the play
Report to the association through the Convenor or association mentor or designate

Assistant Coach Job Description

Assist with planning, organizing and conducting practices
Assist with the operation of the team during the games
Assist with pre-game preparation
Assist with the supervision of players off and on the ice
Assist with the formulation of the game plan
Report to the head coach

Certification Requirements

House League Team Coaches (Novice to Midget):

Head coaches must have Coach Stream Certification and Speak Out
Assistant coaches require Speak Out but are not required to have a Coach Certification but it is recommended.

House League On-ice Coaches (Initiation Program):

All on-ice coaches, including the head coach, require the Intro Coach course and Speak Out.

Volunteers have up until November to obtain proper certification. Coaches certification costs are reimbursed by KMHA.

Time Commitment

The KMHA House League season runs from early September to as late as mid-April. The time commitment for a head coach may vary according to level (and degree of preparation, but more on that later) but all house league teams receive two allocations (games/practices) per week with the exception of the 9 days around March Break, and if normally scheduled days such as weekends fall on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Other holidays such as Easter will have KMHA ice times.

Coach Selection

The Convenor will select head coaches for each level from the pool of applicants available and the based on a number of criteria, which may include feedback results from previous year coach surveys and impressions from written and/or verbal communications and interviews with the Convenor.

Your New Team

Once selected as a head coach the Convenor will provide a list of players and contact information. Due to the number of children wishing to play hockey in Kanata, and the limited amount of ice available, it is KMHA policy to have 15 skaters plus one or two goalies on every team (16 players total in the case of teams without a dedicated goalie, and up to 20 players per team in IP). Players and their families must be contacted by the coach, often though a welcome letter, which may include an introduction of yourself and a chance to state some objectives or philosophies along with initial team ice times or team meetings.

Volunteers

The coach is also required to form a team of parent volunteers to help during the season. Convenors will indicate what parents from your list have put there name forward to volunteer but the coach will need to select the team officials and possibly solicit more volunteers.

As many parents as possible should be involved to staff team officials positions. Team officials share in the various team responsibilities that must be managed throughout the year. Volunteers are required for the following roles:

assistant coaches (2-3);
goalie coach (if the team has dedicated goalie(s));
other on-ice assistants;
a manager(s);
trainer(s);
Three signing officers (head coach must be one signing officer, while the remaining two are usually a manager and treasurer) for the team bank account.

The coach should also select one assistant coach to serve as the backup for when the head coach is not able to attend a game or practice. These volunteers are selected by the head coach, though the Convenor may have recommendations.

The Head Coach should ensure that all volunteers take the necessary courses for their role. While the Head Coach is required to complete the Coach Stream course, assistant coaches are also encouraged complete the Coach Stream Certification. Trainers are required to have valid Trainer1 certification. There is no required course for managers, but an information night is offered early in the season to provide some guidance and all new managers are encouraged to attend. Seminars from experienced goalie coaches will also be available for goalie coaches to attend. All team staff are required to have taken the Speak Out course once, and all will be required to have done a police check.

Early Season Items

A team meeting with all parents and players (unless players are too young) should be planned for the start of the season and should be mandatory for at least one representative from each player family. Both team and KMHA policies and objectives should be included. Consensus should be sought for items such as budget targets, number of tournaments and other financial considerations. Rules and consequences of discipline should be made clear, as should the code of conduct for players, team staff and parents and other spectators.
Tournaments fill quickly, so applications should be made early. The manager should manage most of this task, and will have had to have collected the extra team funds from families in which to establish a bank account to submit a cheque with the tournament application.
The Convenor will provide a time to pick up team equipment which will include two sets of jerseys (just one for IP), game sheets, pucks and a trainer’s kit, plus goalie equipment for select younger teams that rotate the position among team members. Coaches are responsible for returning equipment in good condition. Equipment that is returned in a condition deemed by the Equipment Manager to be unacceptable, or is lost, becomes the responsibility of the coach who must then get the family responsible to correct the situation or have the team share in the cost. Sweaters are billed to the player they were issued to if they are not returned or are ruined.
The Convenor will schedule occasional meetings for head coaches to ensure all coaches understand their role and the program and to provide an opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues. Head coaches are expected to attend.
Usually within a month of team formation a roster must be completed and submitted to the KMHA Registrar. The players must be confirmed and the team staffs (name, address, birth-date) need to be added. It is not a difficult form to complete, but failure to do so by the deadline may result in practice times being withheld. All KMHA team staff are required to be covered by the Hockey Canada Insurance plan. KMHA fees cover a limited number of team staff, but additional staff members may be added for a small cost.
Most teams pick their own nickname. This can be a fun exercise for the players to come up with something they like.
The trainer(s) will have medical forms that all families must fill out and return.
KMHA uses TeamPages to notify families regarding ice times and other notices and it is recommended that a volunteer be selected to be the TeamPages administrator for the team. The administrator can also contact the KMHA office and set up a team site through TeamPages. KMHA does not really use Team Pages for this purpose but the teams can if they sign up to use it.
For younger teams, having juice after the game or practice is very important. The manager should set up a juice rotation schedule.
The head coach or another team or KMHA official should check all player equipment early in the season and at regular intervals to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the equipment.

Budgets

Budget items include expenses such as tournaments, additional ice purchases for practices or exhibition games, trophies, team supplies such as game sheet stickers, pylons, etc. Year-end party expenses in the budget should be for the player only, not families. Gifts such as clothing etc should be minimal and of a low value. Any higher priced items for the team such as jackets or sweatshirts can be offered but must be optional, therefore should be managed outside the budget. To cover the budget expenses team member families contribute an equal dollar amount, though teams may elect to do some fundraising to off-set costs. At the end of the season remaining funds can be returned to team member families equally, or may be donated to a charity, as many teams do, or a combination of the two.
Teams may receive sponsorship money from a parent or other person wishing to donate to the team to assist in covering some of the costs for the season. Teams typically thank the sponsor at the end of the season with a plaque with the team picture.
Budgets must be submitted to the VP Finance (it must also be shared with all team member families) at a set date early in the season, with updates again at mid-season and end of season. Typically there are not a lot of items so maintaining the budget is not a big job.
The coach must be one of the three required signing officers for team cheques, but while other volunteers may manage the duties of incoming and outgoing dollars, the coach is ultimately responsible for the team funds and should have the bank statements mailed to their attention and be aware of the financial situation of the team at all times.
The KMHA VP of Finance will send a document to all head coaches early in the season that will outline KMHA budget policy and expectations.

Ice Times

The Convenor will provide times for games and practices as soon as provided by the Ice Scheduler. Relay the ice time to families as quickly as possible. KMHA uses TeamPages to notify families and it is recommended that a volunteer be selected to be the TeamPages administrator for the team.
The re-scheduling of ice times is very difficult and unless there is a very compelling reason, times will not be changed. For this reason, once accepted to a tournament, notify the Convenor immediately to ensure your team is not scheduled that same day / weekend. Also recognize that tournaments that conflict with your normal ice times (for example a mid-season tournament on a weekend when all teams in your level normally play) will result in a loss of an allocation from KMHA. Times lost because of attending a tournament will not be rescheduled. For this reason it may be advantageous to schedule tournaments over holiday periods such as Christmas and March Break where house programs are not scheduled.
Occasionally ice time will be available from KMHA. This is ice time that was not allocated and cannot be returned for a credit. This will typically be last minute, but it will be communicated to all coaches and the first to respond will be assigned the ice and the KMHA office will send an invoice. Coaches should not rely on this for the purchase of extra ice, as it will be sporadic. Other avenues are available for extra ice, such as the City of Ottawa (Allocations line is 613-580-2595, minor hockey rate is $160 per hour) or the Bell Sensplex (613-599-0363, the regular rate is $300 but last minute specials can be as low as $99 per hour). Ice is frequently available on holidays such as Thanksgiving, over the Christmas break and March break, Family Day and Easter. School PD days are another possibility, though not all school boards do their PD days at the same time.

Practices

Almost all KMHA assigned practice times are shared ice with another team in the same division. Younger age groups (IP and Novice) should plan on sharing the full ice for the entire practice. As you move to the older groups practices may include a larger portion of each team doing a half-ice practice following an initial shared warm-up or other shared activities. KMHA scheduled ice should not be used for exhibition games or lengthy scrimmages, but for development and teaching opportunities.
Coaches must commit the time to practice preparation which includes a practice plan that considers the needs of the team and KMHA and Hockey Canada guidelines for the age group taking to the ice. The practices should be interesting and challenging. The practice plans should be communicated to the partner coach and all on-ice help in advance (not when you arrive at the rink) to ensure the best use of the limited time the players are on the ice.
At least one qualified trainer from either team must be at every practice.
KMHA jerseys are not to be worn for practices. Many teams will purchase some practice jerseys.

Games

The home team is responsible for providing the game sheet
The home team must provide the time keepers for the game. There is a description of the timekeeper’s duties on the KMHA web-site.
At least one qualified trainer from either team must be at every practice.
KMHA has an equal ice time policy for all house league teams. This means that no player should intentionally get more or less ice time than another, or be put on or kept off the ice in certain situations such as a power play or a key moment late in the game. KMHA believes that all players deserve an equal opportunity to contribute at all times of the game and for equal lengths of time, and that while “shortening the bench” may help a team have a better chance to win, the harm to a child’s confidence lasts much longer than the temporary satisfaction of winning the game.
Players starting the game should be rotated. Players should also be given opportunities to try different positions.

Tournaments

All KMHA teams are expected to participate in at least one tournament as it is part of the hockey experience each child should have every year. Some teams will decide to do several tournaments (three is a typical average).
KMHA teams are only permitted to participate in Hockey Canada or USA Hockey sanctioned tournaments
Some teams will also decide to enter an “away tournament”, one that requires families to stay in a hotel. Expectations of player and parent behaviour and parent activities, including the consumption of alcohol, do not change when teams travel to other communities. KMHA Code of Conduct and the laws that govern that community are to be respected. Head coaches are expected to communicate this to families and adhere to it themselves.
Any tournament outside of the ODMHA boundaries requires a travel permit signed by the KMHA President and District 11 Chairperson. If you are unsure if the tournament you wish to attend is outside of the ODMHA please contact the hockey office for advice. Travel permit forms are located on the KMHA website.

Other Activities

Team meetings may be held from time to time. The KMHA boardroom is available and can be booked through the KMHA Office Manager. Any other rooms that are booked and involve a cost must first be approved by the Office Manager or VP of Finance.
Team activities that are not on the ice require a special events form (available on the web-site) for insurance purposes. This may include a road hockey game, a gym night, etc.
On-ice activities participants may only be individuals from a KMHA roster, again for insurance purposes. This would include all players and team officials from the team roster, but players and coaches from other KMHA teams may participate in a guest capacity as well. Parent-child games are NOT permitted.

Affiliation

All KMHA house teams are expected to participate in the affiliation program. The Convenor will set numbers and will communicate them to coaches. The program affords players to see stronger competition at another level, and helps provide additional development to players, enhancing the strength of the KMHA programs over time.
All teams must affiliate some players, and those players should be invited to as many practices as possible. If your team is expected to have less than the full 15 skaters plus goalie(s) for a game, affiliates should be invited. Convenors will be following the use of affiliates for each team to ensure the success of the program.

Discipline

Code of Conduct violations should be recorded and dealt with immediately (the Code of Conduct is a part of the KMHA Constitution, and is available on the KMHA website). This may involve a conversation with the player and parent(s), or in the case of more serious breaches, it may involve the KMHA Disciplines and Appeals Chairman. If an issue is not resolved between coach and player and parents, it should be escalated to the Convenor, and if unresolved there it would go to the Director of House, and next it will be escalated to the VP of Hockey Programs if necessary.
All coaches in KMHA have the discretion of suspending a player for one game, and it must be discussed with the player and parents in advance and the convenor must be notified. Any issues that the coach believes warrants more than one game must be presented to the Convenor and may involve the Chairman of Disciplines and Appeals.
Coaches must be mindful of their own code of conduct and lessons from Speak Out. Swearing is not acceptable for any age or level (If coaches can refrain from swearing around IP players, they can do the same around older players and are instructed to do so). Treat players, parents of both teams and officials with respect. It is good to remember that coaches do not yell at or otherwise disrespect their own players for making a mistake on the ice. Officials will also make mistakes and the same leniency should be shown.

End of Season

Jerseys need to be collected some time following your final game. They should have been washed by the player families prior to returning them to you, and then checked for damage (ask your manager to look after the collecting and checking for damage). The Convenor will arrange with the Equipment Manager for a time to return the jerseys to the KRC equipment room. Please note that there will be a charge for any damaged or lost items. If this is due to actions of an individual, that family will be responsible to compensate KMHA, but if it is a team responsibility (a lost trainers kit, a lost puck bag etc), make sure you keep enough team funds available so that the head coach does not have to cover it.
Most teams finish the year with a team party. This could be a pot-luck at someone’s home, or going to a local business for some fun (bowling, laser tag, karate, indoor gym etc) and/or food. This gives the team a chance to gather and acknowledge the volunteers who have helped all season, and to thank you for all the hard work and time you have invested to make their children better hockey players and good people.

Coach Evaluations

KMHA uses coach surveys to obtain feedback on the abilities of the head coach and other team staff and about the experience of the players and their families. The feedback helps KMHA see ways to improve programs, and helps with coach selection for future seasons.
Most coaches in KMHA receive excellent survey results. Knowing who those excellent coaches are is as important and knowing those that need improvement, and KMHA is committed to offering head coach positions to coaches that demonstrate strong technical skills, interpersonal skills, sportsmanship, leadership, and provide a positive hockey experience for every player on the team.
It has been noted that positive survey results have little correlation with wins and losses. The success and enjoyment of the hockey season is almost entirely the result of a good coach providing a fun and challenging and socially positive environment for children playing a game of hockey.