Off-Season Training Goals: Using Last Season's Stats to Set Next Year's Plan

Summer training feels aimless. Your kid shows up to workouts, does drills, but there's no scoreboard. No game. No direct measure of progress. By August, motivation fades.

Here's how to fix that: Take last season's stats and turn them into next season's goals.

The Stats-to-Goals Framework

Step 1: Pull Last Season's Data

You should have tracked last season. If not, now's the time to start. Look at the numbers: average points per game, shots per shift, turnover rate, plus-minus trend.

Step 2: Pick One Stat to Own

Don't try to improve everything at once. Pick one stat your kid can meaningfully move. If they averaged 2.1 shots per game last year, aim for 2.8. If they had a +0.7 +/-, aim for +1.2. Make it specific enough that your kid can visualize it.

Step 3: Connect the Stat to the Workout

"Increase shots per game" is abstract. But "We're doing shooting drills three times a week this summer because last season you averaged 2.1 shots and you want to hit 2.8" — that's concrete. Your kid now knows why they're in the gym.

Step 4: Check Progress Mid-Summer

Games start again in late August. Track the first three weeks of the new season and see if the goal is tracking. If your kid hits 2.9 shots per game in week one, momentum is real. That compounds into next month's confidence.

Good Goals vs Vague Goals

Vague: "Get better at hockey"

Impossible to measure. No direction. Your kid trains in general directions (skating, passing, shooting) but has no north star.

Good: "Average 2.8+ shots per game (up from 2.1 last season)"

Specific. Measurable. Tied to last season's data. Your kid knows exactly what they're chasing.

Also good: "Keep +/- above +0.5 (last season was +0.2)"

Defensive goals matter. This forces your kid to think about the full game, not just scoring.

Also good: "Lower turnovers to 1.2 per shift (from 1.8)"

Discipline goal. This one is subtle but high-impact: smarter decision-making with the puck.

The Real Payoff

Off-season training feels pointless when there's no finish line. But when your kid knows "I'm training to average 2.8 shots, not 2.1," suddenly drilling makes sense. They're not just doing reps; they're chasing a number they saw themselves achieve last season.

By November, when the season is in full swing and they're averaging 2.9 shots a night, the payoff is *real*. Not abstract. Your kid will see it in their card stats, feel it in their game, and carry that confidence into next season.

Pull last season's stats. Set one stat goal. Watch your kid chase it.

Start tracking

Sam Menard

Founder & Product Strategist

Digital health executive who's scaled products across 90+ markets. Girls hockey coach, girldad, and founder of Pull My Card. Built because sports parents deserve a way to celebrate every season.

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