All Episodes

May 26, 2025 56 mins

What does player development look like at the top levels of play? Today’s guest is Dallas Stars Skill Coach, Stan Tugolukov, who works closely with players in skill development and individual on-ice post-injury conditioning roles. We speak about everything a skill coach needs to know, from game patterns to player development and designing skill sessions for both the high performance and youth levels. Stan shares his fundamentals for development at younger ages (6-8, 8-10, 10-12), and the must-have skillwork to set up your young athletes for future success. We also explore the differences in the game now versus then, layering skill packages for elite performers, return to play and off-season drills and reps, and more.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

00:00 Meet Stan Tugolukov, the Dallas Stars Skill Coach!

01:35 How did you get involved in the game back in Russia, and who were your mentors?

05:35 The differences between American youth players and Russian youth players.

12:05 What are your duties as a skill coach with the Dallas Stars?

17:25 Stan’s player development philosophy fundamentals.

21:40 How do you choose drills and patterns to focus on, for non-injured players?

25:45 Designing return to play and off-season skill sessions.

32:50 How to approach skill development in pro players versus youth athletes.

38:05 The important skills for developing young athletes (U8-U12).

43:10 How has the game and hockey IQ evolved, then versus now?

47:40 How to layer skill packages for your elite players.

50:50 Advice for young skill coaches who want to work in high-end hockey.

53:40 How do you want to be remembered in the game?

 

RESOURCES + LINKS

Check out Anthony’s Masterclass - 

The High Performance Hockey Masterclass

Follow Anthony on Instagram | @anthonydonskov

Follow Anthony on Twitter | Anthony Donskov, PhD

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel | The HPH Podcast with Anthony Donskov

Follow HPH Podcast on Instagram | @hph_podcast

Follow HPH Podcast on Twitter | @TheHPH_Podcast

Learn more on our Website | https://www.donskovsc.com/

Check out Anthony’s Books

Physical Preparations for Ice Hockey: Biological Principles and Practical Solutions

The Gain, Go, and Grow Manual: Programming for High Performance Hockey Players

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.

The Joe Rogan Experience

The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.