Are U10 Players Too Young for Film? I Don’t Think So.

How video sessions help young players connect ideas to action

People might think it’s a little crazy showing video to eight- and nine-year-olds, but I’ve always believed in using film as a tool to learn. It’s something I carried over from my time coaching U Sports football, where video was a part of daily life. I wanted to see if it could help our U10 team the same way — to teach visually, connect language to action, and bridge the gap on the terms we’re using on the bench.

We rented a room at the arena, hooked my laptop up to a TV, and dove in. Nothing fancy — just clips I’d picked out from our last few games. I don’t have access to systems like InStat or ShiftCut, so I did it manually. But the goal was simple: help the kids see what we’ve been talking about.

To my surprise, they were engaged for nearly 30 minutes. They asked questions, pointed things out, and started recognizing situations before I even paused the video. About halfway through, I could tell attention was fading a bit — they’re still nine after all — so we got up, shook out some energy, and then jumped right back in. That little reset made a big difference.

We focused on three main things:

• Positioning in our own zone — showing how staying between the puck and the net keeps things simple.

• Our forecheck — when to pressure, where to support, and what “good stick” actually looks like.

• Fly-bys — the habit of skating past the puck carrier with a waved stick instead of stopping and engaging.

The best moment came when we looked at a clip of a goal we gave up late in a game — we didn’t get the puck deep, then failed to clear it out, and it cost us. Watching it back helped them understand how one missed detail can turn into a goal against.

One of the most encouraging parts was the discussion. A player asked a great question about where I want our centers to support the puck, and suddenly the group started pointing out situations where we could have dumped the puck earlier. That’s the kind of learning I was hoping for — players connecting decisions to real moments.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect. Keeping focus is a challenge, and I’d love to have more resources to make cleaner, player-specific clips. But I realized something important: film absolutely works at this level. Every player learns differently, and visual learners especially thrive when they can see the game unfold.

The truth is, assuming young players can’t learn from video is a lazy mindset. These kids spend extra hours on skills sessions and off-ice training — so why not challenge them mentally too? If we want them to understand the game, not just play it, we have to teach the game in different ways.

Time will tell how much carries over this week in games, but I’m confident we’re on the right track. Film gave our players context, ownership, and a new way to see the game. And that’s worth every minute.