Saskatchewan Hockey Association

How SHA used SkillShark In Their Immediate Post Game Meetings

The SHA is the governing body for all ice hockey in Saskatchewan, Canada and is a branch of Hockey Canada. 

Derek Bloski has been evaluating referees and officials for years and practices immediate post-game meetings to go over feedback. The old-school pen-and-paper method made these meetings difficult.

Derek came to know about SkillShark early on in its development through a friend. He quickly understood the benefits of the software, and how SkillShark could offer officials instant feedback in meetings as soon as they stepped off the ice. 

The thing we like best about SkillShark is the fact that the feedback to the official is instant. “Post game, we can sit down with them, we can go through some different things that happened during the game, assist them in those areas where they may be have some short falls, but also show them those areas where they do things really, really well.”

Development of athletes and officials doesn’t happen overnight, and prior to SkillShark it required a ton of effort to try to move this development along. “Before SkillShark, we basically used paper and pen. We would have to go through those evaluations and coaching forms,” says Derek. “Now the fact that we have SkillShark, it allows us to come up with the right answer almost instantly!”

One of Derek’s favourite parts of SkillShark is the video recording aspect. It gave him the ability to show his officials where scores came from. “I really like the video. There are other apps where you can go in and give scores and that, but I haven’t seen anything else that allows you to get situations as they happen.” 

Looking into the future, Derek understands the shift happening for tryouts and knows SkillShark is the solution to the problem. The diversity and ease of use make it something that will expand and grow far outside its home province borders.