RinkWise podcast: Freddy Meyer on the importance of player development

Freddy Meyer (middle) is the head boys hockey coach at Rivers. (Dave Arnold/NEHJ)

Freddy Meyer‘s resume speaks for itself.

The boys coach at Rivers climbed the ladder from the USNTDP to Boston University to nearly 300 games in the NHL between the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Atlanta Thrashers and Phoenix Coyotes.

After wrapping up his pro career in Sweden, Meyer (Sanbornville, NH) returned to Boston and started Dream Big HockeyStars. He served as an assistant coach with the Manchester Monarchs in the American Hockey League from 2012 to 2014. After, he was the head coach and eventually the general manager of the East Coast Wizards in the Eastern Hockey League until 2020 when he took the job at Rivers.

Meyer joined New England Hockey Journal editor Evan Marinofsky and writer Patrick Donnelly on the latest episode of the RinkWise podcast. They discussed his career, the importance of player development and much more.

Watch/listen to the podcast

When did coaching and player development become big for you?

Meyer: “I think once I finished playing pro hockey. My last year was in Sweden, we came back to the greater Boston area and it was kind of like, ‘What’s my next step?’ So for me, I started Dream Big HockeyStars, and I started working in the American League as an assistant coach. A lot of the American League assistant coach stuff is more about player development than really coaching, I would call it. I would say that’s kind of my sweet spot in terms of what I enjoy most. I think when you can tell a kid how to do something, how to use the net, how to make a breakout pass or how to protect a puck, and then they go in a game, they do it and they have success doing it, that’s really gratifying on my end. That’s been a big piece of it.”

How do you balance player development and winning games as a coach?

Meyer: “I would say from my philosophy, we do limited game planning. … My job, in a way and the way I look at it is like, ‘I got you here on November 15th. How high can I get you to climb as a player?’ It’s a lot of playing the game the right way. So practice-wise, it’s more up-tempo, fast-paced, compete hard, a lot of smaller things where you’re working on skill development, puck protection and touches. … That’s what it’s more about. Down the stretch when we’re getting into the playoffs and we need to win a few games, then let’s do a little bit more game planning or strategic stuff on certain teams we’re playing. … Overall, it’s more about, making kids better players. The only league I feel should be strictly about winning games is the NHL, right? If you’re not coaching in the NHL, every other step along the way should be about player development. I think with that mindset, kids can continually get better. If you’re only worried about winning, and all you’re doing is game planning for your next game, you’re probably missing out on moments where you’re affecting some kid’s development. I really believe in that.”

The RinkWise podcast can be streamed here and on major platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.