My name is Mark Deutschmann and I am the head coach for the Lakers JV hockey team. 

 A bit about me - I have been involved in coaching a variety of youth sports teams for a number of seasons and this will be my 9th year coaching ice hockey.  I am Level 4 certified coach with USA Hockey for Mite, Squirt, PeeWee, Bantam 16U and 18U age groups (8 and under to 18 years old) with AAU for Mites and hold certifications from Positive Coaching Alliance and U.S. Center for SafeSport.  I am an advocate for positive youth development and have been working with Wisconsin 4-H  at the state level since 2015. Last fall I was elected to the state Leadership Council for the third time, previously holding officer titles of Vice President and President.  The fundamental goals of my work with that program are much like my goals for this team, empowering youth to reach their full potential working while learning in partnership with caring adults and building them into future leaders. 

I am really looking forward to getting to know some of you, reconnecting with others and working with your children in the coming months to make your child’s participation in this team sport a fun and positive experience.

My coaching goals are simple. I will emphasize positive skill development and teamwork -  to further advance players ability to work together both on and off the ice, expanding the overall knowledge of play, play making and of course fun and enjoyment. 

I want the players to first master all the fundamentals required to be successful in hockey. Skating, stick handling, reading and reacting, working for each other and most importantly to learn to love the game.  I believe that forming friendships, developing a feeling of belonging and learning to share experiences with others is important to children.

My number one goal is to see these players - your children - grow into better people than they were when they first stepped in to the rink today. 

In order to truly succeed at this I need your help, we as coaches will work exceptionally hard to build your child up and fill them with positivity each and every time we touch the ice. We will ask them all to encourage each other to be their best. To truly be a team. 

As a parent I encourage you to continue what we do on the ice and promote positive thinking to your children simply through the way you talk to them. If after a game the first thing you ask your child is about winning or losing, or what was with that shot you took that missed the goal by a mile? Or didn't your coach tell you not to pass in front of your own net?  Try instead probing questions like  Did you have fun? or did you learn anything new?  or that was really funny when the referee wiped out wasn't it? This alters their perspective on the importance of performance outcomes, and allows them to consider what they just learned. Remember that we play because it is fun, and we want to continue to get better.

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