Hi! I’m Riley Dudar, and hockey has always been my passion. After a great conversation with the incredible team at The Coaches Site, I’m excited to begin sharing my experiences, insights, and coaching philosophies with this community. Timing couldn’t be better now that my busiest season—summer training with high-performance players—has wrapped up. Now that things have settled, I can dive into the hours of video and content I’ve accumulated and share with you the same tools and strategies I provide my players regularly.

My coaching journey started in 2011-12 as an assistant coach and strength coach with the University of Manitoba Bisons. It was there that I discovered my knack for spotting the subtle details in skills and individual tactics and finding effective ways to translate them into game success. Since then, I’ve immersed myself in learning not just about hockey but also about human development, performance and how people learn best. I realized that, like many things in today’s world, hockey needed a fresh approach—and I’ve been refining that approach ever since.

At Evolution Hockey, the company I founded, we work with players of all levels—from U9s to NHL athletes. I’m fortunate to lead a team of driven coaches and managers who are equally committed to growing as coaches and elevating the programs we offer. I’ve also had the privilege of serving in several roles with teams over the years, including as a scout for the Clark Cup champions, the Chicago Steel, and as the Director of Player Personnel with the Winkler Flyers in the MJHL. These experiences, combined with my current role as Director of Player Development with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL, have taught me invaluable lessons about player evaluation, scouting, and building winning cultures.

I’m incredibly grateful to have earned the trust of Manitoba’s top players, and my passion remains in helping athletes continually level up their game. That’s exactly what I aim to do here—by sharing the same insights and lessons I’ve learned working with elite players and applying the broader philosophy of collaboration we embrace with Hockey Canada.

My coaching approach isn’t about prescribing the "right" or "wrong" way of doing things—it’s about understanding the game’s nuances, recognizing situational tendencies, and improving decision-making. I focus on breaking down the key skills, mindset, and awareness needed to execute common plays more often and more effectively. For some people, skill development is thought of perfecting a certain technique, skating and stick handling around cones or something of that sort. However, I aim to show that player development is about taking a player where they currently are, and getting them to where they aspire to be. Most often times the road map is through the lense of what is going to best help this player do what they do, but better in a game. 

What I share here isn’t a strict formula; it’s an invitation. I’m simply offering what we’re working on because it’s what I see happening often in games, or it's something I’ve learned from other great coaches. My hope is that you find ideas and inspiration in my content. If something resonates with you, I’d love for you to engage by liking, sharing, and letting me know what’s working for you and your team.

If you are looking for more video with minor Hockey drills, or clips, you can check out our Evolution Hockey youtube page. 

I’m excited for this opportunity to contribute to this incredible coaching community, and I want to extend my thanks to The Coaches Site for all the work they do in supporting coaches around the world.

Stay tuned—there’s more to come!