{"podcast":{"title":"The USA Hockey Podcast: A Youth Sports Conversation","slug":"the-usa-hockey-podcast-a-youth-sports-conversation-5772100","podcast_index_feed_id":5772100,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/b7088d58/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://www.usahockey.com/podcast","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/30607910/30607910-1665601574092-a5eb7f8c611b7.jpg","author":"USA Hockey","episode_count":60,"summary":"The USA Hockey Podcast brings powerful and engaging interviews from ice hockey and youth sports and development to your ears. Follow along as we provide informative interviews that will benefit players, coaches, and parents.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-13T22:19:28.343059+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-usa-hockey-podcast-a-youth-sports-conversation-5772100"},"episode":{"title":"#56 Growing the Game, One Player at a Time with Darren Elliott","slug":"56-growing-the-game-one-player-at-a-time-with-darren-elliott","published_at":"2026-05-05T14:05:32+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-usa-hockey-podcast-a-youth-sports-conversation-5772100/56-growing-the-game-one-player-at-a-time-with-darren-elliott","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-usa-hockey-podcast-a-youth-sports-conversation-5772100","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/usa-hockey/episodes/56-Growing-the-Game--One-Player-at-a-Time-with-Darren-Elliott-e3itroa","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/b7088d58/podcast/play/119516362/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-4-5%2F423510043-44100-2-01a7e14c33077.m4a","summary":"On this episode of the USA Hockey Podcast, host Zack Nowak is joined by Darren Elliott, former NHL goaltender, broadcaster, and VP of Hockey Programming and Facility Operations for the Vegas Golden Knights. Elliott shares how street hockey, multi-sport participation, skating out as a young goalie, and playing with older kids shaped his development and long-term view of youth sports. The conversation explores how the game has changed since his playing days, especially the evolution of goaltending, the increased importance of skating, and the way today’s players must learn to play with their heads up, make decisions, and create space in small areas. Elliott also discusses the value of age-appropriate environments, cross-ice hockey, small-area games, and allowing young players to discover solutions through play. From there, he offers insight into building hockey in nontraditional markets, including the growth of youth programming in Las Vegas, the importance of clear pathways from learn-to-skate to house league, and why programs should avoid rushing players before they are ready. The episode closes with practical advice for coaches, including the importance of fun, trust, intentional practice design, and understanding the skill inside each drill.","meta_description":"On this episode of the USA Hockey Podcast, host Zack Nowak is joined by Darren Elliott, former NHL goaltender, broadcaster, and VP of Hockey Programming a…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2832,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-usa-hockey-podcast-a-youth-sports-conversation-5772100/episodes/56-growing-the-game-one-player-at-a-time-with-darren-elliott/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-usa-hockey-podcast-a-youth-sports-conversation-5772100/56-growing-the-game-one-player-at-a-time-with-darren-elliott.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}