Welcome to the 2024/2025 U12 Mississippi Thunderkings!
Hello Players and Parents,
My name is Mark Crispin and I am extremely excited to be back for yet another year and have the opportunity to coach the MTK 12U hockey team for the upcoming 2024-25 season. This will be my third season as part of the MTK coaching staff. I would like to welcome everyone and for those that don't know me here is a brief introduction of myself and outline of the upcoming season.
Hockey has been part of my life from a very young age and I played it at a high level all the through minor hockey and was lucky enough to play Junior B hockey in the city after minor hockey. I have been the head coach of the 10U and 11U MTK Programs the last two season and really excited to build off the progress we made last season.
My intentions for the upcoming season are to create an environment that players can have fun in and that every player wants to be part of. I want players to be engaged when they come to the rink for both games and practices with a willingness to put in the work to improve their skills. Learning to be part of team and working with others will also be a focus and help all of these players grow as individuals on and off the ice. Focusing on fundamental skill development is still extremely important at this age level but there will also be more integration of hockey systems taught this season as the players develop into more well rounded hockey players in all zones on the ice. My goal at the end of the season is to ensure every player makes forward progress with skills development and overall hockey knowledge but more importantly wants to continue playing hockey in our program past this season.
In order to successfully develop within a competitive hockey environment an increased level of commitment is required from both players and the parents. At the 12U level practices and games are important parts of development at this age and are considered mandatory in this program.
We are also going to take part in 4 tournaments throughout the season 3 local and 1 out of town. I am a firm believer in creating memorable experiences for the kids at this age that will last a lifetime which is why this year the out of town tournament will be in Tampa, Florida at the end of January.
Once again I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to seeing everyone at the rink.
Thank You
Mark Crispin