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	By Nels Eckland Former Head Coach/Dir. of Hockey Operations Helena Bighorns - AWHL PlayYourGame.com is more than happy to welcome Nels Eckland, A former Coach of the AWHL's Helena Bighorns, as a feature writer. As a seasoned coach at the Junior A level, Nels will bring his insights to all aspects of the game and to player development. Training camp is always a time for players to compete against each other for positions on a team, and the players who catch the Coaches and GM's attention are usually the ones that will eventually wear the jersey. Every player has certain strengths and weaknesses. The key to having a successful tryout camp is to focus on the things that you do well. Training camp isn't a time to work on your weaker areas of your game. It's a time to show the staff members what you do well and how you can contribute to the team. It's up to the Coaches to work with you during the season to help the weaknesses catch up. Obviously every player has to be able to physically keep up with the speed of the level that they are competing at, therefore skating is the first skill that will be noticed. Beyond that, the other skills such as puck handling, shooting, passing, decision making, size, strength and checking will speak for themselves. But without being a solid skater, it decreases your chances immensely. A "no brainer" in getting noticed is to be a force offensively. If you put a few pucks in the net consistently throughout camp, you will definitely increase your chances of making the cut. There aren't many teams who will shy away from a pure goal scorer. Now where would a goal be without the assist? If you can move the puck well and are smart with your decisions, which lead to scoring chances, then that too will be an asset that teams will be looking for. For the players who aren't as gifted or maybe haven't been able to find the back of the net, a way for you to gain that early recognition is to take one of your first shifts and designate it as a 'Hit' shift. Every time during that shift, when you are pursuing the puck, make sure that you finish your hit. This is something that will not only help you get noticed, but if done consistently you will more than likely make the team. I have yet to meet a coach who doesn't appreciate players who finish their hits consistently and effectively. Another great way of getting noticed, and one has to be careful because it can sometimes backfire, is early in a training camp, preferably the first scrimmage, get possession of the puck and try keeping possession for a count of 10 seconds. This may be in a small confined area down low in the offensive end, or it may be a coast-coast rush with a drive on the net. Whatever the case, you will automatically be the focus of attention for that time and the chances of gaining attention early will increase. Every team needs leaders as well. Being a vocal player on the bench may get you some attention, but you have to be sure to back it up when you step on the ice, because "talk is cheap unless you're a lawyer." Now last but not least, "Fighting". Fist-a-cuffs always seem to be a big concern for many players going into tryouts. There is a myth about junior hockey in particular where players think that if they don't drop the gloves then they won't crack the line up. This all depends on who's selecting the team and what they are looking for. It also depends on what the individual player expects his role to be on the team. It could also be a result of what the individual has done throughout camp, and whether it was enough to be noticed. As crazy as it may seem to some, regardless of what skill level a player has, fighting is one way to get noticed by the staff. I'm not saying go out and duke it out, but if you're not getting the job done elsewhere and you feel your chances of making the team are slipping away, you may want to show that you care enough to put your pride on the line with a willing combatant mono et mono. At least, whatever the outcome is after camp, you're not leaving anything hanging and you can walk away knowing that you put everything into making the team. Building a team is similar to creating a recipe in the kitchen, and we're all aware that recipes take more than one ingredient. The majority of Coaches and GM's are looking to do the same thing when putting together their rosters, in that they want diversity and good team chemistry. Therefore they will not necessarily take all the skilled players from the camp, but the best players suited for each position, and it's up to the players to decide which ingredient they are in the mix.
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