Mid-Season Hockey Coaching Reset: Coach Steve Lauzon's November Strategy

Coaches, October is already behind us!

Games are piling up, habits are forming, and your team is starting to show its true identity. You're beginning to see where your strengths lie… and what areas need tightening up.

November is often the first real turning point of the season, or at least, it was for me on many occasions. It's that time when I like to pause, take a deep breath, and make sure we're still heading in the right direction. Here are a few key reminders that help me - and might help you - stay on track.

Go Back to Your Original Plan

It's time to pull out your season plan and ask yourself three simple questions:

Do my practices still reflect my early-season objectives?
Are my priorities (team and individual) still clear for the players?
Am I seeing tangible progress in the areas we wanted to improve?

With tournaments, tight schedules, and the usual surprises, it's normal to drift a little. But November is the ideal time to realign your focus - not to rebuild everything, just to make sure every minute on the ice is used wisely.

This is where CoachThem has its advantages.

Your Mid-Season Planning Reset

I use it to centralize all my drills and build my practice plans - everything stays organized, visual, and easy to adjust based on the week's priorities. In just a few clicks, I can review my segments, tweak progressions, or share plans with my assistants.

It's become second nature: whenever I take time to review my season plan, I open CoachThem alongside it. It helps me keep a clear vision and ensures every practice aligns with the goals we set at the start of the season.

Your coaching action this week: Pull out your August season plan and compare it to this week's actual practices. Are they still aligned? If not, what shifted?

Keep an Eye on Team Energy

Around this time of year (especially late November), both physical and mental fatigue start to show up. The kids have long school days, busy weeks, and motivation naturally fluctuates from one player to another.

Your role as a coach: keep the energy and fun alive.

Mix things up. Add competition, tempo, and small internal challenges. A few minutes of 3-on-3 or a mini-tournament at the end of practice can do wonders to bring the spark back and reignite your group's competitive drive.

Youth hockey players engaged in competitive 3-on-3 drill during practice

Your coaching action this week: Add one competitive element to each of your next 3 practices. Observe the energy shift.

Focus on Simple but Impactful Details

This is a great time to reinforce the foundations:

Core skills, individual tactics
Gap control, first pass under pressure
And more.

A return to basics is never a waste of time - it actually strengthens everything else. We are still early in the season so you should continue to focus on individual skills and tactics.

Hockey players executing fundamental skating drill on ice with focus on edge work and positioning

Your coaching action this week: Select ONE fundamental area that needs work. Design 2-3 drills focused solely on that skill for this week's practices.

Coach… Take a Look at Yourself Too!

We often talk about the players, but this is also the right moment to evaluate your own approach. Ask yourself:

Is my message still coming across clearly?
Am I staying consistent with my original philosophy?
What could I adjust in the way I communicate, plan, or delegate?

The best teams evolve when their coaches do too.

November coaching action plan with five step-by-step reset instructions

Ready to Reset Your Season?

November is the time to step back and fine-tune your approach. You don't need to reinvent everything - just make sure every decision, every practice, and every message helps your team move forward in the right direction.

Tools like CoachThem can make that process a lot easier, helping you see the big picture and keep your plans aligned with your season goals.

What you consolidate now will make all the difference after Christmas, when the season enters its second half.

To learn more about Steve, CLICK HERE. Follow him on TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube for coaching tips, drills, and updates.

Sign up for CoachThem PRO with code LOZHOCKEY and get 20% OFF!

Bon coaching!