SMHA coaching program
There is more game changing and ground breaking news emanating from the ranks of the Sault Major Hockey Association. Hockey News North has confirmed that world class former coach and player Craig Hartsburg is instituting a coaching program guide that all Sault Major coaches at the AAA and AA levels will be expected to follow.
As Hockey News North was first to report in late June, Sault Major appointed Hartsburg as a league director with the goal of raising the standards for the various local elite programs. And one of Hartsburg’s first orders of business is to establish a coaching program guide with a number of goals.
“We want to help the AAA and AA elite level coaches get better, which in turn will help the players get better and thus raise the Sault Major standards,” Hartsburg began. “How we intend to do this is to build relationships, help teach, evaluate and communicate how to get better and thus grow the game in Sault Ste. Marie.”
To that end, Hartsburg has formed a coaching mentorship committee that will include him, fellow long-time veteran coaches Toots Kovacs and Marc Disano and a group of up and coming young coaches that are involved with the highly successful Sault College varsity program, namely Tanner Burton, Alex Cruise, Chris Hales and Bronson Kovacs. Hartsburg added that he is hopeful that a reputable goalie coach — someone like the venerable Terry Barbeau — will step up to lend his hand as well.
“We intend to initially have a meeting with the elite AAA and AA coaches and explain what our goals are,” said Hartsburg. “Once the season begins, any one of a group of myself or Toots or Tanner or Alex or Chris or Bronson will attend the various practices and observe and evaluate how the coaches are doing.”
Hartsburg added — and stressed — that the focus areas that he and the coaching mentorship committee want to zero in on include head coach preparation, time management in practice, proper use of assistant coaches, bench management, and pace of practice.
Hartsburg made note of the fact that head coaches Denny Lambert of the Soo Under 16 Jr. Greyhounds and Jeremy Stevenson of the Soo Under 18 Jr. Greyhounds are “completely on board” with the institution of the coaching program committee and the coaching guide. Which says a lot, given that Lambert and Stevenson are both former National Hockey League players and that Lambert is a former long-time Ontario Hockey League head coach and assistant coach.
As for the 65 year old Hartsburg, he has spent a lifetime in the game and has a glittery background that is hard to match.
Hartsburg officially retired from the game in 2016 after an eventful 27 year coaching career that included 19 seasons in the NHL and successful stints in the OHL and Western Hockey League. As a player, Hartsburg had a world class career as an all-star defenseman with both the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL and the erstwhile Minnesota North Stars of the NHL. As an on-ice leader, he was captain of the Greyhounds for two of his three OHL seasons and was captain of the North Stars for seven of his 10 NHL seasons. He was a first round OHL pick to the Greyhounds and a first round NHL pick to Minnesota.
It’s well overdue and it’s in good hands now with Craig at the helm I sure hope they all listen to him, Wishing all the best