Mike Johnston is the President and GM of the Portland Winterhawks and will be presenting at TCS Live 2025. Johnston is coming back to TCS Live to deliver an on-ice presentation about neutral zone counters. This talk is from way back when we hosted TCS Live in Toronto, but talk on systems, rules, and culture has resonated with coaches for years.
Johnston has had a distinguished coaching career in hockey. He has served multiple stints as Head Coach of the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he has been known for developing talented players and implementing sophisticated tactical systems. He also has experience as an NHL Head Coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins and has worked with Hockey Canada in various capacities.
“Early in my career I had too many rules. I believed I needed to control everything, but all it led to was players catching me in loopholes. So now we only have two rules.”
What are they? Watch the presentation to find out!
For Johnston, it’s easy to show long video sessions until your payers fall asleep. But more is not always better.
What are the benefits of keeping video sessions short and efficient?
- Improved attention span and focus - players are more likely to stay engaged when content is concise
- Better retention of key points and tactical information
- More time for on-ice practice and implementation
- Reduced mental fatigue for both players and coaches
- Allows for more frequent, targeted sessions rather than long, overwhelming meetings
Johnston is best-known for his time in Portland, but we forget that he, along with coaches like Ken Hitchcock and Wayne Fleming, set the stage for coaching conferences back in the early 90s when he was coaching at Augustana University in Camrose, Alberta.
Noteworthy Timestamps:
- 1:00 Culture beats scheme
- 4:40 Portland Winterhawks Pillars
- 9:30 Identity = Systems, skills, principles
- 13:50 Systems
- 17:35 Forechecking principles
- 30:30 Surfing/gap and strike
- 36:50 Attack principles
- 54:30 Required skills to play your game
