JOE HENTZ
U13 AA/A Alliance
St. Thomas Jr. Stars
I am excited to be the U13AA coach for the 2025-26 season. Hockey provides a tremendous opportunity for young athletes to develop their confidence and resiliency as individuals and learn the importance of teamwork. I believe in creating a supportive, player-focused environment where teamwork, respect, hard work, and fun are at the forefront.
Experience
I have coached hockey for over 10 years from the U5 to the U15 and High School levels. As a coach, I draw on my experience as a former infantry officer in the Canadian Army, which taught me lessons in leadership, discipline, and team building, all of which are essential qualities for a successful coach. During two separate deployments to Afghanistan, I had the privilege of leading soldiers on combat operations in a very challenging environment. These experiences taught me the importance of effective communication and fostering a sense of camaraderie and trust among individuals to create strong teams.
Motivation
I believe that hockey offers an outstanding opportunity to develop our youth into well-rounded contributing members of society. I am committed to helping young athletes not only improve their hockey skills but also grow as individuals, building confidence, resilience, and teamwork along the way. I believe in creating a positive, supportive environment where players can learn, enjoy the game, and develop a lifelong love of hockey. By fostering a culture of hard work, respect, and accountability, I aim to ensure that every player has a meaningful experience, both on and off the ice. Ultimately, I aim to inspire players to reach their potential while ensuring they have fun and create lasting memories as part of a team.
Philosophy
As a coach, I expect the following from players:
1. Respect – Respect for teammates, coaches, the opposing team, the referees and the facilities we play.
2. Compete – To give a relentless effort in practices and games.
3. Develop – To improve their skills and knowledge of the game.
As a team, we will celebrate blocked shots, backchecks, and good defensive plays. Our team identity will emphasize defense first, possession of the puck, passing, and fast-paced play.
Season Goals
The primary focus will be on long-term athlete development. Our practices will be challenging and game-based, emphasizing competition and learning the individual and team-based tactics required to succeed at higher levels of hockey. We will have 2.5 to 3.5 hours of practice weekly, including skills sessions run by various outside skill instructors.
U13 is the last year of minor hockey at the competitive levels before body checking. We will work the entire season to prepare our players for U14 hockey, including teaching awareness, how to safely play along the boards and how to deliver and receive a body check.
If we have the support of the players and parents, we intend to apply for a position in the Quebec International Pee Wee Tournament to compete in the AA division. While the selection process is competitive, we believe the team record over the past 3 years will provide us with a very strong application.
Tryouts
Tryouts are open to all players and are not resident-restricted. We encourage all players wanting to play AA hockey on a competitive team to try out. During tryouts, players will be assessed on their individual skill, competitive level, ability to play the game with teammates, and coachability. Non-coach evaluators will assist with tryouts to ensure a fair and unbiased evaluation.