Common goals bring CoachThem, NHLCA together

A perfect match.

That’s the best way to describe the budding partnership between CoachThem and the National Hockey League Coaches’ Association (NHLCA).

The pair joined forces ahead of the 2019 NHLCA Global Coaches' Clinic, which was held in conjunction with the NHL Draft^TM in Vancouver.

It was there that CoachThem created a digital drill book for attendees featuring 129 different drills from coaches across the NHL, which was exceptionally well-received.

Among CoachThem CEO and Co-Founder Mike Weaver’s favorite memories from the event were his interactions with users in a traditional conference setting, as well as connecting with a few familiar faces from his NHL past – including Columbus Blue Jackets assistant coach, Brad Shaw, and Philadelphia Flyers assistant coach, Ian Laperriere – both of whom employ CoachThem at hockey’s highest level.

“As an Internet-based company, we don’t have many opportunities to speak to our users in person, so being in Vancouver and getting to know the coaches who use CoachThem was really amazing,” said Weaver. “Our users genuinely love what they do, and we’re happy to help them and their players further develop their skills and ultimately achieve their hockey goals.”

CoachThem was a proud participant in the 2020 NHLCA Online Global Coaches’ Clinic as well. This time around, the platform helped presenters integrate high-quality drill graphics into their presentations, quickly catching the eye of attendees and making the material exceptionally easy to follow.

Dallas Stars assistant coach John Stevens was just one of the many beneficiaries of CoachThem’s professional drill diagrams displayed during the five-day workshop.

John Stevens (@DallasStars Assistant Coach) gives a shout out to former colleague @DonNachbaur42 as he walks coaches through the drill named after Coach "Snack Bar" during his presentation "In Search of Offense: Finding Ways to Score" during the #NHLCA Global Coaches' Clinic. pic.twitter.com/nxeWdlGkzT

— NHL Coaches’ Association (@NHLCoachesAssoc) June 9, 2020

CoachThem also produced another digital drill book featuring 170 drills – including 130 NHL drills and an additional 40 drills from participating coaches – which were fully accessible to clinic attendees on CoachThem through an exclusive drill share group.

“Making all 170 drills from this year’s clinic available on CoachThem was a big win for us,” said Stephen Evans, CoachThem’s Director of Business Development. “With the help of the NHLCA, not only were we able to provide some creative drills for participants, but we made them fully available to be added directly into a coach’s database, showcasing the true power of the platform.”

It's go time! @NHLCoachesAssoc pic.twitter.com/3lhvrgFzog

— CoachThem (@coachthem) June 8, 2020

CoachThem’s partnership with the NHLCA runs far deeper than just the Global Coaches' Clinic, however.

Weaver’s platform supports all three of the NHLCA’s coach development initiatives – their Mentorship Program, the Female Coaches Development Program, and the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) Coaches Program.

Free for all coaches to participate, the Mentorship Program features webinar presentations from NHL head, assistant, goalie, and video coaches on topics ranging from leadership, communication, networking, and career advancement strategies to advice about implementing systems, player development, and opponent scouting tactics.

CoachThem provides drill design support to Mentorship Program presenters to further enhance the content and clarity of their presentations.

Excited to share that our partners at the @NHLCoachesAssoc are bringing back their Mentorship program!

The program is a mix of tactics and leadership topics and speaks from some of the best coaches in the game.

The best part, it's all Free! Learn more: https://t.co/hZCT8mL457 pic.twitter.com/BVGAgHEfyE

— CoachThem (@coachthem) October 7, 2020

CoachThem is also serving the Female Coaches Development Program and the BIPOC Coaches Program as well by affording participants free access to a multitude of important resources to help increase diversity within the sport.

The 50 female coaches and 30 BIPOC coaches in the NHLCA programs were given a complementary annual CoachThem membership, access to the latest digital drill book content, along with access to a private drill swap area within the platform that allows them to share and create drills amongst themselves.

Both programs are designed to support participants in the areas of skills development, leadership strategies, communication tactics, networking, and career advancement opportunities.

Recognizing the important role coaches play on an athlete’s future in their sport, we are proud to announce a new initiative to help support the development of female #hockey coaches at all levels of the game.https://t.co/9jaHGlmrp3#InternationalWomensDay #HockeyIsForEveryone pic.twitter.com/vyP0ZH4RbL

— NHL Coaches’ Association (@NHLCoachesAssoc) March 8, 2020

“CoachThem is a wonderful partner for our Association because we share a collective goal to help coaches be the best they can be,” said Lindsay Artkin, President of the NHLCA. “Together we are able to focus on supporting the development of coaches at all levels, and continually find ways to give back to the coaching community. CoachThem’s willingness to step up to the plate and get involved with our initiatives is a clear testament to that.”

It’s safe to say the future of the CoachThem – NHLCA relationship is exceptionally bright.