The Dryland Development Project brings a non-profit civic-focused approach to youth hockey development. We share the Minnesota/Nordic mindset that youth hockey is something that ought to exist for the public benefit. We believe in the mantra: "as many as possible, as long as possible, as good as possible."

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE ARE ABOUT:

• We subscribe to the holistic (and age-appropriate) development principles of the USA Hockey ADM.
• We are a home for players, coaches, parents, and student-mentors who LOVE hockey and who LOVE development.
• We bring expert advice from a wide variety of in-person and virtual sources to families who have "growth" mindsets.
• We aim to heighten the intrinsic motivations for every player and coach in our universe.
• We embrace the notion that youth athlete development is a marathon and not a sprint:
• We understand that hockey is a late specialization sport, where the best players won't emerge until their late teenage years.
• We therefore assign player cohorts by High School graduation year - not birth year.
• We want families looking ahead 5-8 years on their development path.
• Therefore, we don't hold tryouts. We don't pretend to know which 8-year old will be the best 18-year old player.

OUR ETHOS: "80/20"

• We believe that 80% of a player's development happens off the ice, and only 20% happens on the ice.
• We encourage our families to make sure they are getting the most out of the "80" via:
• Focusing on overlooked aspects of player development such as "unstructured play".
• Understanding the benefits to load management, taking time-off, & rest/recovery considerations
• Emphasizing dryland workouts, strength & conditioning, mindset development, film work, multisport play, and backyard/basement skill work.
• We also encourage our families to not obsess about the "20" - as it doesn't really matter what team a 10 or 12-year old makes.

We Are A Non-Profit, Civic-Focused, Hockey Development Program:

• We strive to fulfill our non-profit educational and development mission by offering hockey at the lowest cost (in terms of money and travel time).
• We offer sibling discounts, free goalie registration, free mentor ice, and financial aid for families in economic need.
• We offer several FREE community hockey events each year.

THIS IS OUR "WHY":

• We want to make "the journey" into "the destination" for our players and families; to relish the joys of being young and playing youth hockey; to realize that winning is a fleeting feeling, and that embracing "constant growth" is the key to unlocking meaningful opportunities in each of our lives.

WE. WILL. DO. THIS.

Topher Scott of the Hockey Think Tank coaching Firehawk players in the Chase Cup at Agganis Arena.

Just the most fun civic-based hockey imaginable. Parents playing on the same team as their kids. Varsity players suiting up with Squirts, Pee Wees, and Bantams. Siblings who are 8 years apart playing alongside each other. It's the hallmark of our summer Rooster program.

We wouldn't call ourselves the DRYLAND Development Project without a huge emphasis on dryland sessions that build team chemistry, invasion sport concepts, and gross motor development. We do that each week during July and August at "Camp Rooster", and it features fun things like "The Rock Paper Scissors Challenge". Here's a link to a few other "Camp Rooster" highlights from MetroWest Daily News.

Topher Scott and Derek Whitmore (NHL Alum) coaching and playing in a Chase Cup game at Agganis Arena.