Frequently asked
questions.
Everything you need to know about Hockey Coach Hub. Can't find your answer? Email us.
Getting started
What is Hockey Coach Hub?
Hockey Coach Hub is a player development platform for youth hockey coaches and associations. It helps you collect player-set goals at the start of the season, run multi-coach evaluations, track off-ice and on-ice challenges, add check-in notes throughout the year, and generate personalized end-of-season letters — all in one place.
How long does setup take?
Most coaches are fully set up in under 10 minutes. The onboarding wizard walks you through creating your team, importing your roster, customizing your goal questions and evaluation criteria, and sending goal links to players.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Hockey Coach Hub is a web app — it runs entirely in your browser and on your phone without any download. Players access their goal-setting link and challenge tracker from a link in a text or email, also with no app required.
Is there a free plan?
Yes — and it's permanent, not a time-limited trial. The free plan lets you manage one team with up to 10 active players, including player goals, evaluations, check-ins, and challenges. No credit card required.
What does the Pro plan include?
Pro ($19/month or $149/year) removes the team and player limits and adds AI-generated end-of-season letters and year-over-year player history. Every new Pro upgrade includes a 14-day free trial.
Player goals
How do player goals work?
At the start of the season, you send each player a personalized link via email or text. They visit the link on any device — no account needed — and answer a short set of questions about their goals and what they want to improve. Their answers flow directly into their player profile and become the foundation for mid-season check-ins and the end-of-season letter.
Do players need to create an account?
No. Players receive a unique personal link and respond directly — there is no signup, no password, no app. This makes participation easy even for younger players.
Can I customize the goal questions?
Yes. You choose the questions players are asked. Defaults cover skating, puck skills, compete level, and personal goals, but you can edit, reorder, or replace any question to match your program's philosophy.
Player evaluations
How do multi-coach evaluations work?
You invite your full coaching staff — assistants, skills coaches, goalie coaches — and each coach rates players independently. Ratings are averaged automatically so you get a blended view, not just one person's impression. Coaches can also add written comments alongside their ratings.
Can I evaluate goalies differently from skaters?
Yes. Hockey Coach Hub has separate evaluation criteria for skaters and goalies built in. You can also fully customize the criteria categories and rating descriptions to match your association's standards.
When can I run evaluations?
You can run evaluations at any point in the season — pre-season, mid-season, end of season, or anytime in between. There's no limit on the number of evaluation rounds per season.
How many coaches can be on a team?
There is no limit on the number of coaches per team. Add your full staff and assign each a role — team admin, contributor, or view-only.
Player challenges
What are player challenges?
Challenges are off-ice and on-ice assignments you give players to work on between practices — shooting reps, stickhandling minutes, conditioning exercises, whatever fits your program. Players log their progress daily from their phone.
How do players log their challenge progress?
Players visit their challenge link on any device (same no-login experience as goal submission) and log their daily reps or minutes. Coaches see an up-to-date progress view for every player in the dashboard.
Can I create my own challenges or do I use a preset list?
Both. There is a built-in challenge library with common drills you can assign in one click. You can also create custom challenges specific to your team.
Pricing and plans
What's the difference between Free and Pro?
The free plan covers the core development workflow — player goals, multi-coach evaluations, check-ins, and challenges — for one team with up to 10 active players. Pro ($19/month or $149/year) removes those limits and adds automated end-of-season letters using player goals, coaches' input, and tailored to your voice, plus year-over-year player history.
What is the 14-day Pro trial?
When you upgrade to Pro for the first time, you get 14 days free before your card is charged. You get full Pro access — personalized end-of-season letters, unlimited players, year-over-year history — with no commitment. Cancel anytime before the trial ends and you won't be charged.
Can I stay on the free plan forever?
Yes. The free plan has no time limit. If you coach one team with fewer than 10 players and don't need personalized end-of-season letters or multi-season history, you may never need to upgrade.
Is there pricing for associations or multi-team programs?
Yes — association pricing is available separately. See the Associations page for details on program-wide tools and pricing for multi-team programs.
Personalized end-of-season letters
How do the end-of-season letters work?
When you're ready to close the season, Hockey Coach Hub automatically writes a personalized letter for each player using everything captured during the year — the goals they set in their own words, your staff's evaluation scores and comments, mid-season check-ins, and challenge results. You review and edit before sending. Personalized letters are a Pro feature.
Do the letters sound generic or templated?
No. Every letter is built from the real inputs of that player's season — including the exact goals they described at the start. Tone controls let you adjust the level of directness and formality so the letter sounds like you, not a form letter.
Can I export or print the letters?
Yes. Letters can be exported to a Word document (.docx), which you can print or send as an email attachment. You can also mark letters as sent to track delivery.
Roster and import
How do I add my players?
You can import directly from Crossbar using a roster URL, upload a CSV from SportsEngine or any spreadsheet, or add players manually one at a time. Most coaches have their full roster loaded in under 5 minutes.
What CSV format is required for roster import?
The CSV import accepts any standard export from SportsEngine, Hockey Canada, or a custom spreadsheet. The importer maps columns automatically — first name, last name, jersey number, position, and birth year.
Associations and programs
What's the difference between a coach account and an association account?
A coach account manages one or more teams under a personal subscription. An association account gives a program director visibility across every team in the program — each team's roster, coaching staff, evaluation completion, and player development status. Association admins also set program-wide defaults for goal questions and evaluation criteria. Association pricing is separate from the individual coach plans — see the Associations page for details.
Can association directors see individual player evaluations?
Yes. Association admins have read access to all player data across all teams in the program.
How do I invite coaches to my program?
From the association admin panel, you can send email invitations to coaches. When they accept, they're automatically connected to the correct team with the role you assigned.
Data and privacy
What happens to player data between seasons?
Player profiles persist across seasons. Evaluations, goals, check-ins, and letters from each season are stored on the player's profile, building a longitudinal development record over their entire career with your program.
Can I export my data?
Yes. All evaluations, goals, check-ins, and letters can be exported to a spreadsheet at any time. Your data is always accessible and portable.
Is player data private?
Yes. Player data is only accessible to coaches and admins in your organization. Player goal submissions are tied to personal tokens — not shared publicly. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
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