Kate Whitman Annis

Devils Youth Foundation, Executive Director

July 18, 2023

Great Coaches Change Lives

USA Hockey trains thousands of youth hockey coaches every year – a growing number of which are women.

In the Atlantic District, we want to share the stories of our amazing female coaches. We will feature two female coaches a month – telling their stories and sharing practical information (like their favorite drills).

Grace

What’s your current organization’s name? How long have you been with them? What age group are you coaching?

Currently, I am the New Jersey Bandits 19AA Head Coach and the Assistant Coach for the New Jersey Avalanche 18A team. This will be my second year with the Bandits and my fifth year with the Avalanche.

Tell us about your path to hockey.

I took an interest in hockey at a pretty young age. My dad was a Rangers fan and every time he would put a game on, I would watch the game with him and bombard him with questions. Since I showed so much interest my dad decided to sign me up for a practice session with a boy’s team at North Park. I was absolutely terrified and intimidated by all the other skaters. I ended up getting so discouraged that I sat down on one of the benches. One of the coaches noticed and convinced me to get back out on the ice. He walked me through every single drill and encouraged me throughout the rest of the practice. I will be forever grateful to that coach for the encouragement and patience he showed me during my first practice. I ended up joining his team and to this day I consider him one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for.

What inspired you to become a coach?

My youngest sister, Katharine, inspired me to be a coach. When my sister was a sophomore in high school our dad unexpectedly passed away. I was the only one in our family that was able to keep taking her to hockey, so I started driving her to all her practices and games. It was important to me that she continued to play and have the same opportunities my other sister and I had even though my dad wasn’t around anymore. We grew very close during her sophomore and junior years of high school and would debrief after every practice and game. We would talk about what she did well, what she needed to work on, etc. When she started her senior year, she asked me if I would join the team as an assistant coach and I have been coaching ever since.

What was the biggest lesson from your first year of coaching – how are you a different coach now?

The biggest lesson I learned from my first year of coaching was how important it is to get to know your players. There needs to be mutual respect between the coach and the players for a team to be successful. Some of the most successful teams I have been a part of were coached by people that created authentic and genuine relationships with their players.

When I first started coaching, I didn’t communicate with my players as much as I do now. My first year of coaching I realized that players respond so much better to open communication. As a coach now, I try to give my players equal amounts of positive feedback and constructive criticism and make sure they are always comfortable communicating with me.

What is your favorite drill and why?

My favorite drill is a small area game I call the Outlet Game. My favorite drill is a small area game I call the Outlet Game. I love this drill because it requires a lot of movement and communication. Having two nets both teams can score in encourages players to transition quickly to create good opportunities.