December 23, 2008
Tight-knit Midget, Bantam program blossoms in short time
So really, what is in a name?
For Jeremy Goltz, head coach and mastermind behind Arizona's newest Midget Tier I hockey program, just about everything.
"There's no better name," Goltz said. "It says who we and what we're trying to do better than anything else."
So then, who exactly are they?
It says "Mission" across their chests – thanks to early sponsorship from Mission Hockey gear – and they officially go by Mission AZ Ice, to be sure.
And if Goltz succeeds at his mission – pun intended – "they" will also be the next big thing in competitive youth hockey in Arizona.
But with nearly 100 players spanning ages 14 to 18, five teams, from a Bantam introductory program all the way through a newly christened Tier I Midget U18 squad, maybe, just maybe, Goltz's brainchild already is that next big thing.
The Founding Philosophy
A former standout for the University of Arizona club program before joining the professional inline ranks through Roller Hockey International, Goltz can be charged as one of those responsible for both the Mission Arizona inline and ice brands.
"This is our third year (of ice)," Goltz said, "and it feels like 10."
While he's distanced himself of late from the inline sector, which had seen interest center recently on young, introductory levels of hockey, Goltz's involvement in the development of Mission AZ Ice is at full bore.
So much so, that he's the head coach of four Mission AZ teams. On top of serving as a Bantam assistant coach, Goltz heads two Midget U16 teams and a pair of Midget U18 teams -- including Arizona's newest Tier I program.
"We've established ourselves as a specialty group at the Midget level," Goltz said of the Mission program, which is based out of Polar Ice Peoria, but pulls kids from as far across the Valley as Gilbert. "The Bantam team is kind of our entry program. We run it the same way, but I call it the '101' program, so it feeds into the Midget teams."
The philosophy is simple, Goltz adds.
"The biggest thing we've really pushed with this organization is that everything is uniform," he said. "You really get that with one head coach."
It's a brotherhood of sorts; one that's also visible when teams practice together, travel on road trips together.
"Basically it's just the sense of family and unity," said Michael Weinberger of Scottsdale, captain of Mission's U16 "Red" team. "I'd die for these guys out here, and I'm sure they'd do the same. It's such a close organization."
Phoenix's Jake Rovie, captain of the Bantam U14 team, echoed Weinberger's sentiment.
"We're like the little brothers of the family, so we get beat up," he said. "But we kind of look up to these guys. We want to do what they do.
"We want to be like them one day."
If Goltz had his way, Mission would be able to draw talent in at age 14 and keep those athletes playing under the same system as long as possible.
Now that Goltz is also serving as head coach of the Arizona State University men's program, it's not impossible for a local 14-year-old to play under the same coaching system for as many as nine years.
"Who knows," he said. "It could happen. That would be incredible."
Tier of Joy
When a five-year plan comes to fruition in just three, that's when you know things are going well.
"My initial goal, very honestly, was to get guys in the pipeline in Bantams and get them five years of constancy. And by the fifth year, my goal would be to have those guys playing Tier I," Goltz said. "Well, three years in, we've reached that. So we're ahead of schedule."
Going Tier I, Goltz explained, meant that his players would not only see the absolute highest level of competition their age bracket allows, but that the group is actually ready to compete as well. That's part of why, for now, a Midget U18 team will be the only Mission squad to attempt the Tier I transition.
"We tested the waters. The big moment for us was when we went to Chicago this summer and played the defending national champions, Team Illinois," Goltz said. "Over the summer our guys went out there and they kind of clicked, it was like "OK, we're ready," Goltz said.
Diamonds in the Rough
"When we started out, a lot of these guys, to be honest, were cuts from other places. I said to them, 'Hey, trust me, lets take an opportunity,'" Goltz said. "And the last three years, and the last year in particular, out of the five teams, we've had 93 percent of the guys coming back. Once they're into the pipeline, they love it."
Goltz said it's a very simple deal the Mission coaching staff makes with potential players: "If you're a team-first guy, you're going to have a job here."
This year, Goltz said Mission has seen an influx of players at all ages, but specifically the U16 level. That translates into a positive mindset for the future, he said, adding that if the program's ability to be competitive stays hot, keeping Mission's top Midget team at the Tier I level would be a likely possibility.
"At this point, P.F. Chang's is at the top of the pinnacle, and we are the viable No. 2 option at this level."
The More the Merrier
It would be easy to see Mission AZ Ice – at least the U18 Tier I group – as the most natural, not to mention first, in-state rival for the P.F. Chang's program.
But that's just one way to look at it, Goltz admits.
Based out of the Alltel Ice Den in Scottsdale, P.F. Chang's has established itself as a relative power amongst AAA Tier I teams in the western United States. And Chang's, like Mission, is officially just three years old.
Goltz said that while he hopes Mission grows a reputation like that of it's North Scottsdale counterparts, giving opportunities to more kids and helping grow the sport in Arizona as a whole is just as – if not more – important.
"If we're seeing growth, and [P.F. Chang's is] seeing growth, that's what matters," he said.
And how about when the teams finally take the ice against one another in February, during Arizona's state playdowns?
"I have tremendous respect for their program," Goltz explains. "Put it this way: We've really got to win two games this season, in February. That's when we play Chang's. That's our goal."
That goal, however, likely has as much to do with the fact that winning the state playdowns allows Mission's season to keep going, on a national stage.
"We're here to stay. It's going to be fun," added Phoenix-native Cameron Morgan, captain of Missions' Tier I U18 AAA team. "We're ready to go, and we'll be ready in February."
So Crazy, It Just Might Work
"The funny thing is I don't really sell them at all," Goltz said of convincing kids to come play for Mission. "I know it was a startup process for a while, but I'd like to think now it sells itself."
If there was one selling point, he adds once again, it's that consistency of having the same coaching philosophy throughout all levels.
With that said, Goltz admits that coaching as many as six teams at the same time, between Mission and ASU, makes him sound, well, insane.
But, he added, Mission's success would be impossible without the work of assistant coaches Hank Taylor and Glenn Karlson, who help with all five teams, and Mike Sarter, head coach of the Bantam squad.
Goltz said the operation of the program isn't much unlike any other youth association, complete with a board of directors, team managers and volunteers to help keep logistics under control.
And despite not having a rink of its own, Goltz added that Peoria Polar Ice has welcomed Mission with open arms, and that the team's relationship with the facility and the host association, the Peoria Roadrunners, couldn't be much better.
"People outside the organization ask, 'How do you do it?'" he said with a laugh. "I just say, 'You do it… and if you're in it, it makes sense.'"
This cover story appears in the December issue of Arizona Rubber magazine. To read the full issue, click here. Scroll up for a video feature on the program, or click here.
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