Metro Moose Transition from Success to Preparation

The 2009-2010 season was a good one for the Metro Moose.  The team captured the CHA regular season championship and then had a great run in the playoffs to capture the coveted Continental Cup in the CHA league championship as well.  The Moose then made their second consecutive appearance at USA Hockey Junior B Nationals.

The team, the coaching staff, and Moose administration have now started to prepare for next season.  The coaching staff sat down immediately following Nationals and put together a plan for the future.  Assistant Coach Vinny Smith said “We saw some of the more successful teams at Nationals and knew that despite our success in the CHA we had to continue to improve if we wanted to achieve our ultimate goal of winning a USA Hockey Junior B National Championship.”   The coaches all agreed that they want to increase the speed of the team and they want to try to move toward a younger player profile.  They identified the types of players they felt would represent the brand of hockey they wanted to play moving forward.

Tryouts for the 2010-2011 season provided the first indication of how the off-season was going to go.  Needless to say, the organization was extremely happy that over 50 players showed up to compete for a spot on the team.  Tryouts were tough and competitive and the coaching staff was extremely happy with the signings at the completion of the three tryout sessions.  Assistant Coach Vic DiRico said “We think next year’s team is going to be fun to watch.  We really believe we have added the right players to the mix and at the same time achieved our goals of increasing team speed and getting much younger.”  The staff will continue to scout during the off season for any players they think would be positive additions to an already competitive roster.