Why Shortening the Bench Hurts Youth Hockey Development

What is "Shortening the Bench" in Youth Hockey?

“Shortening the bench” refers to the practice of limiting the number of players rotated onto the ice, often to favor more skilled or experienced players during moments in the game. Coaches may use this strategy in tight games, playoffs, or situations where they want to maximize the performance of their strongest players. This usually results in players deemed less skilled in some way spending more time on the bench, reducing their ice time.

Why You Should Not "Shorten the Bench"

Shortening the bench can undermine player development, enjoyment, and team dynamics.

Undermines Development and Fun
Youth sports should prioritize learning and enjoyment. Players left sitting for extended periods feel undervalued and may lose confidence. Limited ice time stunts their growth as athletes and diminishes their love for the game.

Causes Burnout for Key Players
Overusing top players without sufficient rest can lead to physical and mental exhaustion, negatively impacting both their performance and enthusiasm for the sport.

Disrupts Team Dynamics
Prioritizing only a few players creates resentment among teammates and parents, damaging morale and cohesion. It sends the wrong message: that certain players matter more than the rest, which contradicts the team-oriented nature of hockey.

Why Inclusivity Matters

Coaches should aim to involve every player, even in high-pressure situations. Providing equal opportunities fosters long-term development, teaches resilience, and promotes teamwork. Teaching all players to work in all situations, strengthens a team by giving overall higher resilience and flexibility in lines and situations.

"Special Teams" vs. "Shortening the Bench"

Special teams are not the same as shortening the bench. Using special teams is a strategic decision that should balance competition with inclusivity, development of the players still remains a priority.

• • What are Special Teams? They are tactical units used during power plays (player advantage) or penalty kills (player disadvantage). These units consist of players with specific skills suited to the situation.
  • What is the Difference? Special teams only apply to specific scenarios and do not exclude players from regular shifts, ensuring everyone participates throughout the game.

Why You Should Have More Than One Special Team Unit

In youth hockey, having multiple power-play and penalty-kill units benefits both the team and individual players in the following ways:

Encourages Development
Rotating multiple units ensures that more players gain experience in special situations, helping them develop a more flexible set of offensive and defensive skills.

Prevents Fatigue
Fresh players bring energy to the ice, improving performance and preventing burnout. This is the #1 mistake I see coaches make, tired players are not good players!

Promotes Morale
By involving more players in special teams, coaches boost morale and foster a sense of contribution, ensuring no one feels excluded from key moments.

What to Do If the Bench Is Shortened

If you notice the bench being shortened, here’s how to approach the situation:

Assess the Context
Determine whether the coach shortens the bench consistently or only during crucial moments. Occasional adjustments may be understandable, but a pattern of exclusion warrants attention. A sample of one game does not constitute a "pattern" as in a game many one off situations can occur. Patterns only emerge over a 3-5 game window.

Context and pattern matters more than you think, getting mad over a one game/time occurrence that could be due to injury of a player, penalties, the coach just had a momentary lapse, or any other random issue doesn't serve anyone any good.

Talk to Your Child
If they mention it as an issue to you, talk to them about the context/pattern you saw and iterate not to rush to judgement over one instance. Kids do tend to misunderstand the reasons that a shift might be shorter than normal, longer than normal and missed all the time.

Ask how they feel about their ice time and experience. Understanding their perspective will help you advocate effectively.

Speak with the Coach
After assessing the context and establishing a pattern, approach the coach respectfully, emphasizing the importance of development and fair play for all players. Frame the conversation around growth rather than criticism.

Which coach you talk to matters as well, as decisions aren't always made by one coach as the head coach can override an assistant coach. Sometimes talking to an assistant that deals with the relevant side of the bench to understand the situation more before continuing can help (situation: their decisions might have been overridden by the head coach).

Examples:

If it's only an issue around special teams ask why they aren't on the special teams or what they can do to get onto them.

If they aren't on the ice at the beginning and end of games (or periods), ask them what skills are necessary to allow them to get into those situations.

Does the coach have particular philosophy; like to pair certain players so maybe they were "resetting" the lines after someone was in the penalty box or hurt?

Escalate If Necessary
If the issue persists over a long time, involve team leadership or league officials to address fairness and inclusivity concerns. Different organizations and level of hockey handle this differently and this is where knowing the organization and coaches philosophy matters.

Support Your Child
Remind your child that their value isn’t tied to ice time. Focus on their growth, enjoyment, and love for the game. If necessary, explore other teams, leagues or levels of hockey that align with your values.

Is It OK to Shorten the Bench at Higher Competitive Levels?

Perspective: The vast majority of youth hockey players, even as you go up levels, will not play professionally. The focus should remain on skill-building, teamwork, and fostering a lifelong passion for the sport.

The more competitive a tier; such as AAA, AA, or A hockey, shortening the bench gets unfortunately more common, especially in high-stakes situations. However, it should still be done judiciously even by those that support such tactics.

• • High-Stakes Moments: Coaches may lean on top players during playoffs, critical games, trying to tie up a game or prevent a tie up by an opponent, but this should not be a routine approach.
  • Development Still Matters: Even at competitive levels, all players deserve opportunities to improve. Prioritizing short-term wins over long-term development does a disservice to young athletes and the team as a whole.

Final Thoughts

Shortening the bench may seem like a sound strategic choice, but in youth hockey, it often comes at the expense of development, inclusivity, and enjoyment. Coaches should prioritize growth and team cohesion over short-term wins, ensuring that all players feel valued and have the opportunity to thrive.

Citation:
Lorentzen, Christian. “Allocation of Playing Time within Team Sports — A Problem for Discussion.” Idrettsforskning (Norwegian School of Sport Sciences), 2017. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23265507.2016.1266694

Rückel, Lisa-Marie. Bench Player versus Line-Up: The Relationship between Active Playing Time in Team Sports and Mental Well-Being, Competition Anxiety and Satisfaction with the Coach. Master’s thesis, University of Twente, 2019.  https://www.researchgate.net/

Camiré, Martin, and Pierre Trudel. “Coaches’ Perspectives on the Use of Benching and Punishment in Youth Sport.” International Sport Coaching Journal, vol. 3, no. 1, 2016, pp. 54–66. https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/iscj/10/2/article-p266.xml