Apr 22, 2025 | Nathan Herrington | 164 views
Introduction Head Coach - Nathan Herrington
Nathan Herrington joins the New Hamburg U13 A team with lengthy
experience at the minor hockey level as a High Performance 1 Certified Coach.
Most recently, he was head coach of the Woodstock U18 A team and served as an
assistant with the Woodstock U12 BB team.
In 2008, Nathan started coaching U13 hockey and quickly advanced to AAA head coaching roles with the Brantford 99ers, Kitchener Jr. Rangers, and Huron Perth Lakers U16-U18 programs. He was also named an assistant coach of Team Alliance in (2011/2015) and Team Ontario’s U16 Team at the 2011 Canada Winter Games. From 2015 to 2019, Nathan served as Brantford Minor Hockey Association’s “Association Head Coach” with a focus on coach development and mentorship.
Prior to coaching, Nathan played in the Ontario Hockey League from 1998 to 2001 and earned spots on Team Ontario's U17 Team and Team Canada's U18 Team. Following his OHL career, he attended the University of Waterloo and played for the Warriors.
Nathan currently resides in Woodstock with his wife and their three sons.
COACHING:
My priority is the player experience and creation of a team building culture. Strategic communication and genuine care for my players helps to gain trust in the team’s development process. I take pride in strong preparation, teaching technical skill, tactical team play, and individual hockey IQ all while collaborating with parents to establish a strong support system for the players.
As head coach, I will coordinate and deliver player development in the following areas:
Physical:
• Weekly strength and conditioning.
• Pre- or post-practice speed and agility sessions.
• Weekly practice structure of “Work” (power and conditioning), “Skill” (puck skills and offensive attack techniques), and “Compete” (game play structure,
small area games, offensive and defensive tactics).
Mental:
• Well-established standards specific to leadership qualities, commitment, self-accountability, and compete level.
• Expectations to show respect in all areas of life while becoming a great teammate.
• Pre-season & pre-playoff player and parent meetings to establish personal growth planning and goal setting.
• Individual player identity development strategies.
• Team culture development with vision, values and a team building strategy.
• Team building initiatives.
• NCAA retreat promoting hockey pathway awareness.
• OHL & GOJHL educational player experiences.
Technical:
• Skill development sessions focused on proper use of hands and feet.
• Effective coordination of the hands and feet when carrying, passing and shooting.
• Body and stick position situationally to improve in game execution.
• Power-skating for stride length/strength, edge control/balance, lateral agility/quickness, acceleration, and transitioning.
Tactical:
• Team structure package outlining game play strategy.
• Team video sessions through appropriate software.
• Team YouTube for video teaching resources.
• Effective puck management and puck support standards.
• Pre-game preparation routines establishing keys to success.
• Effective bench management in game situations.