Welcome to The Assistant!

In the inaugural episode of 'The Assistant,' host Damian DiGiulian sits down with his very first assistant coach hire, Jeff Hill, currently a goaltending development coach for the Utah hockey club in the NHL. Jeff shares his journey in the coaching world, from starting at Rice Memorial High School with only nine players to moving up the ranks at Culver Military Academy. He later returned to his alma mater, the University of Vermont, where he navigated a coaching change during the pandemic. Jeff discusses his experiences working under different head coaches, learning the importance of mentorship, and finding his voice as a coach. The episode ends with a story about Jeff frequently being detained at the Canadian border due to a namesake with a criminal record. The show concludes with a musical feature from Chicago artist Lily Drury.

Topics

00:00 Introduction to The Assistant Podcast
00:39 Meet the First Guest: Jeff Hill
02:06 Jeff Hill's Coaching Journey Begins
05:55 From Volunteer to Full-Time Coach at UVM
09:57 Navigating the Transition from Player to Coach
26:34 Overcoming Self-Doubt as a Coach
27:02 Finding Your Voice in Coaching
29:30 Transitioning Between Head Coaches
30:18 Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic
38:22 Mentorship and Its Importance
40:50 Lessons from Challenging Situations
46:09 Book and Podcast Recommendations:
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning: https://a.co/d/aB1aZhp

48:06 Funny Coaching Stories

49:10 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Lily Drury on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/64N8LfiRByOaKGR00gNgWw?si=-a3yGmZ2TyOagcAEgoxDkQ