Blink and children grow up. It’s something any parent realizes at some point. 

It is no different within a youth hockey program, and that is one reason why the Jr. Gulls have made re-establishing a strong Mite program one of its priorities. In doing so, the club provides 8U players of all skill levels and experiences an opportunity to learn from established coaches who have a passion for helping players and growing the game. 

This season, the Jr. Gulls were able to fill three teams completely for the first time since the twin blows of a pandemic and the closure of the Escondido ice rink dropped like a pair of shoes out a third-story window.

“We’re where we want to be,” Jr. Gulls Director of Hockey Pierre Dufour said recently. “We have full teams with 10 players. We have great coaching in place to grow the program.”

The trio of Dave Scowby, Mark Schwamberger and Brendan Thirkell not only brings a breadth of coaching experiences, all three are accomplished players as well. At least as important, there is a commonality of purpose. 

“I have three coaches who are on the same page,” Dufour said. “We’re there for developing the kids’ raw skills. If you can’t skate well, it’s very difficult to play well. We’re really concentrating on that. We’re trying to get the kids on the ice as much as possible.”

A JR. GULLS SEQUEL GETS RAVE REVIEWS

 

If Dave Scowby’s name rings a bell with long-time followers of the Jr. Gulls, it should. He’s been involved with the club on and off and back on since 2007. He helped lead a group of late 90s birth years to the Bantam AA Nationals in 2012. 

Prior to that, Scowby, who grew up playing in Saskatchewan, played NCAA Division I hockey at Princeton and captained the Tigers during his senior season. Upon the conclusion of that, he began coaching and eventually found himself running a rink in New Jersey for three years. 

The draw of coaching a Mite A team is two-fold: “My son is a 2014, that’s what really brought me back to the rink. It’s nice to be able to come back to that age bracket and help those kids get the basis for a long time in the sport.”

Part two is a strong desire to give back, something that was birthed when he was a young player. A power skating coach asked him to help demonstrate drills to players only 4-5 years younger than him. 

“I’ve always taken a liking to younger players and helping them get the skills to enjoy the game for a long time,” Scowby said. “My dad was a Royal Mounted Police Officer. This is my way of giving back. How do you go from a small town to an Ivy League school and not want to do that?”

Scowby’s passion for the game is manifest in helping players – and families – navigate what has become an increasingly more complicated landscape in the sport. Options abound, and without having gone through the rigors of the game, it can be difficult to discern which paths are appropriate for players. 

“If I can help kids and parents navigate it, I want to do it,” he said. “If we can expose them to higher-level skills earlier, that might help them move on to a high school, prep school or even a college to play. … Or even get some discipline in their life, help with where they’re at. It’s worth it.”

Scowby embraces USA Hockey’s American Development Model (ADM), and he has been appreciative of the efforts of not only the Jr. Gulls, but the AHL Gulls and the NHL Ducks.

“The way the Jr. Ducks and the Rinks have structured it with the ADM, it’s all skill development,” he said. “Lots of touches every practice. We want a puck on a stick and plenty of competition.

“When an opportunity came about with the Gulls, I jumped at it. They’re the premier club here. Then you add in the affiliation with the Gulls and the Ducks, and all that carries with it. Both clubs have been very supportive.”

THE JOURNEY IS ONE REWARD

Mark Schwamberger had a natural tie to the Jr. Gulls – he and longtime coach Noah Babin were teammates at the prestigious U.S. National Team Development Program. An upstate New York native, Schwamberger moved to San Diego to embark upon a law enforcement career after playing hockey at Division I Clarkson and D III Geneseo State.

His son’s interest in playing hockey piqued his interest in coaching. Realizing his experiences at high levels of hockey could help others, cemented his decision to coach.

“I’ve been through a lot, had a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “And I’ve learned a lot along the way from that journey. I have the same trust the process mentality that I tell parents. Don’t overlook things, don’t skip things. Enjoy every time you’re on the ice, make the most of every year and the process. It’s an amazing journey to be on.”

When the opportunity arose to join the Jr. Gulls this season, Schwamberger was ready to go. 

“I like the vision of the program,” he said. “I think it’s the right place to consolidate a lot of the top players in the county. If we can make it the premier program it once was, kids won’t have to leave the county to play high-level hockey. They won’t feel like they have to leave. They can stay here and compete. 

“There are a lot of high-level coaches at the Gulls right now.”

The Jr. Gulls’ skills emphasis aligns perfectly with Schwamberger’s passion for teaching the game. 

“Everything is about skill and player development,” he said. “I look at skating specifically like learning a language. Skating fundamentals are very similar. Our practices are high tempo with a lot of skating, speed and skill. 

“That’s today’s game – speed and skill – at the highest levels. That’s what we work on all practice long, and then how do we incorporate that into game situations. The kids are taking to it really well.”

PUTTING FUN IN FUNDAMENTALS

Mite B coach Brendan Thirkell has been with the Jr. Gulls for six years in various coaching capacities, including at the 12U level.

He had a front-row view of the club’s peaks and valleys, and he’s optimistic about the rebuilding effort. 

“Last year was a tougher year, but we’ve grown,” he said. “Dave came back and Mark moved over, that really helped because both of them are great coaches. Our level of coaching at Mites is great.”

All but two of his players in their first year of organized hockey, so while his approach also trends heavily toward skill development, he realizes there needs to be more teaching about the game itself. 

“Learning the key parts of the game without going into systems is important,” Thirkell said. “The basic breakout to a forecheck to an attack triangle. You have to have fun while teaching the fundamentals.”

Like Scowby and Schwamberger, Thirkell identifies one key aspect of the game to continually work on. 

“Skating is huge,” he said. “Sidney Crosby still does skating drills. Our challenge is to teach the kids, keep them engaged. … You’re always going to learn new things in skating. The pros are working on their skating every chance they get, and it’s reflected in how fast the game is.”

Friendly competitions are part of the engagement process. 

“All of us coaches try to give our players shooting and stickhandling drills to do at home,” he said. “We have contests – shoot a minimum of 50 pucks every day. Anything over and you get a prize. My son shot 2,000 pucks last month and he wasn’t the winner on our team. The kids want to improve.” 

AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT

That “want to” is a constant in the club. Each coach mentioned the commitment level of the Jr. Gulls’ hockey families.

“It takes dedication out here,” Scowby said. “That’s what I love about the community here, the families are committed, the coaches are committed. It’s not something you can pass off as a social sport. Everyone is serious about it.”

Starting at 8U and continuing through the Jr. Gulls’ 10U, 12U and 14U teams, the arrow is pointing up.

“We lost a lot here in San Diego,” Dufour said. “We had a two-sheet facility. We used to have 20 teams. We’ve had to rebuild. Covid was a huge setback. We put the teams together we could. It came down to finding good, quality coaches to develop the players, and we’ve done that.

“We feel that’s the way to get back to where we were.”