A year ago, we went into the same preseason tournament and had no business playing with some of the teams across from us. We were slower, weaker, out of position, and we scored one goal in four games. We looked like a team that was trying to survive against better competition.

I could tell our players to believe in themselves. I could tell them they belonged. I could tell them not to worry about rankings or reputations. But kids know what is happening in front of them. If the other team is faster, stronger, cleaner with the puck and spends most of the game in your end, there is only so much a coach can say.

This year we went back to the same tournament.

We had one full-roster practice before it. We were facing four teams that had finished inside the top 20 last season while we had been ranked in the 70s. We had not installed special teams. Our penalty kill looked messy at times. We still had a lot of work to do.

But from the first game, something felt different.

We could skate with them. We could match their pace. We could create offense. We did not look out of place.

That might sound simple, but for our group it was a huge step.

Last year there were stretches where we were just hanging on. This year we were actually playing hockey against those teams. We looked for passes through the neutral zone. Our forecheck was harder. For the most part, our defensive-zone coverage held up.

We still had wingers drifting too low. We still got trapped in our own end. We still struggled to get pucks out along the boards and lost track of players around the net. Offensively, we still relied too much on rush chances instead of getting set up and creating second and third opportunities.

None of that disappeared just because we were better.

The difference was that the mistakes were happening inside competitive games instead of games that already felt over.

The moment that really stood out came in the quarterfinal.

We were down 2-1 against a team that had our number the year before. Last season, that probably would have been the point where the game got away from us.

Instead, we came right back and tied it 2-2.

From the bench, that felt different. There was no sense that we were hoping to stay close. The players believed they could win the game. The coaches believed it. The parents could see it too.

We stayed with them until the end and were about five minutes away from forcing overtime with a semifinal spot on the line.

That was probably the biggest takeaway for me.

Confidence is not something you can just give a player by talking to them.

You can encourage them. You can set expectations. You can remind them of the work they have done.

But eventually they need proof.

They need to feel what it is like to skate with a team that used to overwhelm them. They need to win a battle against a player they thought was better than them. They need to come back in a game where they normally would have folded.

Once they experience that, the conversation changes.

Last year, we were trying to convince them that they could play with those teams.

This year, they saw it themselves.

I think some of that comes from the work we did last season. We were consistent with our message and our expectations. We spent a lot of time on skating and structure, and I think some of that carried over.

But I also cannot take credit for everything.

A lot of our returning players were on the ice all summer. Many of them played summer hockey together. They came back faster, stronger and more confident because they put the work in themselves.

One of the biggest differences for me this year was my own expectation level.

Last year, there were times when keeping games respectable felt like a win.

This year, I found myself frustrated when we lost close games because I could see what we were capable of.

That is a different problem to have.

We played with almost every team we faced, aside from one third-period collapse. We were not trying to survive anymore.

We were trying to win.

That does not mean I walked away from the tournament thinking everything was fixed.

If anything, the tournament made the next areas of work very clear.

Our offensive-zone possession needs to improve. We need to create more chances after the first rush. We need to get better at getting pucks out under pressure. We need to clean up net-front coverage. Our special teams need work.

There is still a long way to go.

But now the players know what the work is for.

They have seen what last year’s development turned into. They have felt what it is like to compete with teams that once looked far ahead of us.

I was proud that we hung with those teams.

I was even happier that the players saw it for themselves.

The biggest difference between our team last September and our team now is that we believe.

Not because we told ourselves to.

Because we finally have evidence.

And after this weekend, I did not leave thinking it was nice that we kept the games close.

I left thinking we could have won them.

In three months, I expect us to.

Jesse Candela is the Head Coach of the Hespeler Shamrocks U11 A team, an Assistant Coach with the Cambridge Jr. Redhawks U16 AAA program, and the founder of Candela Hockey Development. He is also involved in scouting, video, and player development, with a focus on hockey IQ, compete level, and helping players better understand the game.