Why are European players usually more skilled?

[Statto]

we teach winning

It’s a good point but not in the way I think you intended. FWIW historically we tend to teach winning first in the UK too and it stifles development from my experience. Junior programs should be about teaching not winning. If you focus on trying to make sure the kids have fun and develop all the kids it allows them to enjoy themselves properly. I hate seeing top lines go out every other shift in u12 for example, leaving the other kids getting to split the remaining Ice time. It sets the wrong tone and also means late bloomers are missed.

In teaching focused programs kids can be creative without fearing being admonished so they’ll take the risk. Of course there are European programs that worry more about winning and play by the numbers Hockey too, but I don’t think there really any place for that until kids hit about 14/15 depending on how the age groups are split up. The big ice helps a bit not all European rinks are Olympic, it’s a myth. There are a lot of 56m x 26m rinks still out there.

Teaching kids how to win is never done right anyway. All you hear from development camps is the coaches talking about showing the participants what it takes to win at the top level.

 

[CartographerNo611]

Actually I think there are some more European leagues that are more physical than NA ones these days.

 

[Bakayoko Ono]

They aren't. The NHL is a NA based league so naturally the rank-and-file players are mostly North American. Most European players of similar skillset and attributes play *drum roll* in European leagues. The European talent you see in the NHL is just the small tip of the European player pool.