Coyotes' Adult Learn-To-Play Hockey Program's Successful Launch

Hockey has no age] limits.
And that's being embraced by the Coyotes' Hockey Development Department, which has introduced a learn-to-play program catered specifically to adults.
There has been a paradigm shift when it comes to educating the game's raw form; its foundational elements, the body armor, the basic skills.
The Arizona Coyotes' Growlers Adult Learn-To-Play program was launched earlier this year to do just that.
**[LEARN MORE: ARIZONA COYOTES GROWLERS LEARN-TO-PLAY
"We realized there was a demand to do what we're doing with kids, but at the adult level, said Matt Shott**, the Coyotes' Director of Hockey Development. "There were so many parents interested in joining with their kids, we noticed, so we said, 'you know what, let's see what the demand is'."

That demand? Overwhelming. Three different locations were made available for the first sign-ups, which maxed out at 40 participants at each setting. All three rinks and all 120 available slots sold out within nine hours.
There is currently a waitlist totaling roughly 150 people.
For $250, the Growlers program includes a full set of equipment, minus ice skates, as well as 10 weeks of on-ice teaching led by former professional hockey player Brad Perry, who has been a skills instructor for 24 years.
"Brad gets on a microphone so everyone can hear him, he makes it as easy as possible for everyone participating," Shott said. "Another great aspect is that he records everything, so you're able to get video breakdown and see how you progress."

All players receive a Coyotes branded hydro flask growler, as well as two tickets to a future game.
One of the main reasons for the staggering popularity? The equipment.
"Equipment is the always the biggest cost for getting started, and if people have any reservation whatsoever about wanting to commit long-term, getting the gear at an inexpensive cost really helps," Shott said. "You can do it for really cheap, it's something where if 'oh, I don't like it', it's only $250, it's not well over a thousand dollars' worth of equipment."
Though the end goal of the 10-week program is to get participants comfortable with all of the basic necessary hockey skills, the first three weeks are all based on honing in on skating.

"Skating, that's always hockey's biggest hurdle, you have to learn that extra dynamic," said Shott. "Getting over the fear of falling. You have all the pads on; yeah, it might hurt a little bit, but it's not going to hurt nearly as bad when you have all the pads on."
After three weeks of thorough skating skills, the four weeks to follow institute pucks and stickhandling.
And by the end sessions, players get to test their newly developed capabilities in game scrimmage scenarios.
"The hope is that most, if not all of our adult players continue on with it at their local rink," said Shott. "Plenty of local rinks here in the Valley already have adult skills classes, but what we're doing is providing that avenue to develop those skills, and that will only give them an opportunity to improve even more and maybe eventually join a beginners' league."

The concept has also taken the Coyotes' front office by storm. Almost 40 team employees have signed up for a Gila River Arena-based version of the program, catering to staff members eager to learn the game first-hand.
"I've always felt that if you play the sport that you're trying to sell, you'll develop an even stronger passion for it, you'll develop a whole new level of respect for it," Shott said. "I love the camaraderie it's brought to our staff. Every Monday, the day that we have it, practice days, it's something our employees look forward to every week."
Shott and his amateur hockey development staff look forward to establishing a second round of the program in the near future to accommodate the program's popularity and rather crowded waitlist.

Photo Credit [All]: Tyler Rittenhouse - Arizona Coyotes