10 Years Ago Today: USA Hockey Approves American Development Model

Board of directors vote initiates new era in American youth sports. Ten years ago today, the USA Hockey board of directors unanimously approved the launch of a new paradigm in youth athlete development: the American Development Model. The decision created a better way to play for American youth, dramatically improving the hockey development environment in the United States. The NHL became an early champion of the ADM, throwing its support behind the initiative. The ADM has since spread across the nation’s entire sporting landscape, as it was subsequently adopted by numerous national governing bodies, local youth sport clubs and the U.S Olympic Committee.