🧠 How SMART Goals Can Transform Your Hockey Season
The best players, coaches, and parents in hockey don’t just hope for improvement — they set clear goals and build habits around them.
But vague goals like “score more,” “win more games,” or “be better next season” rarely work. Why? Because they’re not actionable.
That’s where the SMART model comes in. SMART goals are:
Specific → Clear and detailed.
Measurable → You can track progress.
Attainable → Realistic with your resources.
Relevant → Connected to your bigger hockey journey.
Time-bound → Has a clear deadline.
When you use this model, your goals stop being wishful thinking and start becoming an action plan for success.
🔎 SMART Goals in Action
Want to Set Smarter Goals — and Actually Reach Them?
This guide breaks down how top players, coaches, and parents set clear, measurable goals that keep players motivated and improving all season.
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Here’s what SMART goals look like for players, coaches, and parents:
S – Specific
What exactly do you want to achieve?
Player: “Improve my shot accuracy to consistently hit target areas from the slot.”
Coach: “Implement a breakout system that reduces turnovers.”
Parent: “Support my player with better nutrition on game days.”
M – Measurable
How will you track progress?
Player: “Take 300 extra practice shots each week and track how many hit my target.”
Coach: “Measure breakout success rate in practice/game film.”
Parent: “Track consistent pregame meals/snacks.”
A – Attainable
Is this realistic with my current schedule, resources, and skill level?
Player: “Dedicate 20 minutes, 3x per week, to accuracy-focused shooting drills at home.”
Coach: “I’ll introduce one new breakout variation over the next 2 weeks.”
Parent: “Prep pregame meals the night before.”
R – Relevant
How does this goal help me in my bigger hockey journey?
Player: “Improving shot accuracy will make me more dangerous on scoring chances and help me convert more opportunities in games.”
Coach: “Better breakouts will build team confidence and possession.”
Parent: “Consistent nutrition = more energy and better performance.”
T – Time-bound
What’s the deadline?
Player: “Within 6 weeks, raise my accuracy from 30% to 60% on targeted shooting drills.”
Coach: “Within 3 games, we’ll see at least 20% fewer turnovers on breakouts.”
Parent: “For the next 4 weeks, I’ll track all pregame meals.”
⚖️ How Many Goals Should You Set?
A good rule of thumb:
Players: 1–2 personal performance goals and 1 team-oriented goal at a time.
Coaches: 2–3 tactical or developmental goals per season segment.
Parents: 1–2 supportive goals that help consistency at home (nutrition, recovery, scheduling).
Too many goals lead to overwhelm. Too few, and you may not challenge yourself enough.
🎯 Focus on What You Can Control
One mistake players make is setting goals based on outcomes they can’t fully control, like “lead the league in goals” or “make varsity.”
Those can be motivating, but the most effective goals are controllable:
Shots taken in practice.
Hours of extra skill work per week.
Video sessions watched.
Consistency of nutrition/sleep.
When you control the process, results follow.
📥 Download Your Free HPC SMART Goals Planner
Want to set better hockey goals and actually hit them this season? We built a printable SMART Goals Planner designed for players, coaches, and parents to track progress all year long.
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