I was chatting with my good friend Brooke yesterday about the college hockey recruiting process, and as always, she had some awesome insights for me. Out of all the elite female hockey coaches I’ve met, Brooke knows how this process works better than anyone else.

First of all, she went through it as a player. But she didn’t just play college hockey. She went from being a kid from small-town Washington, to winning the 2002 Patty Kazmaier Award as the best player in all of NCAA women’s college hockey.  She’s been through the entire college hockey process with hundreds of players as a coach and scout. She was an NCAA Division 1 coach, and has been the head coach of one of the most successful prep school programs in New England.   Many of her former players will be playing college hockey next season and she walked each and every one of them through the entire process.

You get the point.  When it comes to knowing what college coaches are looking for, Brooke is the real expert.  And she said the #1 thing college coaches want when looking for players is someone with…

==>   A GREAT ATTITUDE

This goes for all coaches at all levels really, but when it comes to getting noticed and getting recruited, having a bad attitude will completely RUIN your chances of getting to the next level.

I can help you get as strong, fast and fit as possible… And your coach can help you improve your skills…  But NO ONE ELSE can give you the innate desire to be successful. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to be your best.

One of my new favorite quotes is,  “Great players are made when no one else is watching or keeping score”.

I’m not sure where I heard it, but I know that it’s true.  I am a firm believer that you can’t teach attitude or hard work. You either have it or you don’t.   When I work with players who have “it”, I can see it in their eyes.  They want it, and they want it bad.

Every college coach I have spoken to says that they would much rather work with a good player with a great attitude, than a great player with a bad attitude.

Players with good skills are a dime a dozen. But players with that burning desire to be great are hard to find.  Those are the type of players that coaches like Brooke and I absolutely love to work with.

Your friend and coach,

~ Coach Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director, Total Female Hockey