Nicki L.

I have worked as a coach at youth camps run by former NHL player Jeff Serowik of Pro Ambitions Hockey, by former Boston Blades Head Coach Digit Murphy, and by the Harvard Women's coaching staff. As a coach at these camps, I have trained and mentored players ranging in age from 4 years old to 18 years old. I have experience coaching players across various skill levels and aim to tailor training to each player's needs. I will be offering one-on-one training and am open to leading small group sessions, if requested.

My ice hockey career began, actually, with figure skating. I enjoyed figure skating, but I watched other kids play hockey and longed to do the same. When I was 5 years old, after convincing my parents, I transitioned from figure skating to boys' ice hockey. I played for lower level teams for many years, but was determined to improve. I made my first AAA team when I was 11 years old and, that same year, I switched from boys' hockey to girls' hockey. I continued to hone my skills, and was eventually recruited to play D1 Women's Hockey at Harvard, where I was D partners with one of our Captains and started many games. After suffering my fifth concussion in three years, my college career came to sad close. Though I miss playing, I love to stay connected to the game by coaching young athletes.

Before or during a first session with a client, I like to speak with the player to learn more about them. I like to ask about a player's strengths, weaknesses, game style, goals, schedule, and any current injuries. This helps me craft a training plan and is meant to start an open dialogue with the player and, depending on the age of the athlete, the player's parent(s). I believe coaching, especially for one-on-one or small group sessions, should be a collaborative practice. After this initial conversation, I will structure and propose a long-term training plan. This plan will be tailored to any skills and/or game play the player wishes to improve. The player (or the player's parent[s]) and I will go over the plan. I allow for flexibility, and it's my hope that we work together to adjust the plan as needed. For each session, I will map out a series of drills in advance. The player and I will review the drills at the beginning of each session, and discuss whether any changes are to be made. At the end of the session, we will have a brief stretch and I will ask for feedback, which I can incorporate into the next session and/or the broader training plan.

An important note: Recording a player and showing them the video can be a valuable training tool, especially for skills work. Sometimes, we do not understand what we are doing wrong without seeing it ourselves. I may request to take videos during a session. These videos will not posted anywhere and will only be shared with the player and/or their parent(s), if requested. If a client does NOT want any videos taken of the player, please let me know during our initial conversation. Before taking a video at any point during a session, I will always ask the player and/or their parent(s) for permission before. You may decline at any point.