2018 DSC Revolution White 8U AA

Head Coach: Michael Berger bergerm8705@gmail.com

Asst Coach: Chad Petherick

Manager: Stan Lebedinski stan.lebedinski@gmail.com

 

Team Vision

The 2018 DSC Revolution White team’s vision is to develop its youth hockey players both on and off the ice, while providing a fun environment for learning. It uses Ice Hockey Systems, Inc., a world class hockey coaching resource in setting up team practices. The team is highly supportive of its players being multi-sport athletes and encourages them to engage in sports that complement hockey development, such as soccer, lacrosse, and baseball.

The team will develop its players' individual skills throughout the season, including skating (forward skating, backward skating, transitions, cross-overs, power-turns, etc.), passing (forehand and backhand), stickhandling, and shooting (forehand and backhand). It will provide its goalies specific goalie training so they can learn key goalie skills, such as positioning and proper butterfly technique. To support this, the team will provide professional power skating instruction for its players and professional goalie instruction for its goalies. We will also incorporate small-area games as much as possible to make learning these skills fun for its 8U players. The two DSC Revolution teams (Red & White) also anticipate jointly offering summer hockey skills development opportunities for their 8U players.

The team will introduce foundational hockey strategy and positioning, including proper positioning in the defensive, neutral, and offensive zones, with an emphasis on team play over individual play. Understanding that many 8U players struggle to see the value of play away from the puck, we will place a strong emphasis on rewarding players for their off-puck efforts, such as backchecking, breaking up passes, and winning puck races.

Finally, we believe in using hockey as a vehicle to teach life skills that players can carry with them at school, at home, and with friends. The program will focus on its players learning to give their best effort, listening to instruction, respecting others, learning from mistakes, and building foundational leadership skills — all while ensuring that hockey remains fun. The team is committed to helping its 8U players fall in love with the game, so that they have the drive to pursue whatever hockey goals they set for themselves as they grow older.

Coaches

Head Coach – Mike Berger

Coach Mike started playing hockey as a child and eventually played Varsity Hockey at Novi High School. He’s continued playing since he graduated high school. He is a USA Hockey Certified Coach and has received continuing coaching education through the Positive Coaching Alliance. He started his coaching career with the Royal Oak Hockey Club and has spent the past two years as a coach in Motor City Hockey’s Future Stars program, having served as the Lead Coach for the Future Stars 8U Yellow Team for the 2025-2026 season. He believes in making a positive connection with his players and does so by taking great efforts to engage with every one of his players while on the ice and in the locker room, after games or practice. Coach Mike loves hockey and wants to pass that love on to the next generation.

Assistant Coach - Chad Petherick

Coach Chad grew up playing hockey alongside a variety of other sports before going on to play college hockey, including a year playing abroad. He is a USA Hockey Certified Coach and is passionate about youth development both on and off the ice. He has spent the past two years serving as a coach in Motor City Hockey’s Future Stars program. Coach Chad holds three simple rules for his players: have fun, work hard, and listen to your coaches. He is also a firm believer that mistakes are part of the process — just as in life, mistakes on the ice teach us how to learn, grow, and approach the same challenge differently next time. He is excited to bring that philosophy to the ice and looks forward to being a positive presence and encourager for every player on the team.

Recommendation

“Mike and Chad have been a great asset to the Motor City Hockey program through their coaching and commitment to helping develop our players. They truly care about the kids, the game, and creating a positive environment. Mike and Chad bring great energy and a team-first attitude that supports the culture we’ve built within our program. I strongly recommend 2018 players participate with their team; It will be a fun, supportive place for young players to learn, develop, and enjoy hockey.”

• Rich Mihelic, Owner of Motor City Hockey