This team has strong chemistry and communication, says Willie Rennebeck

This year’s team has progressed more rapidly than I anticipated

Will, the World Junior Ball Hockey Championship is slowly approaching, and everything will start at the end of June. How are your team's preparations for the tournament going? And what are your feelings?

Preparations have gone well. This year’s team has progressed more rapidly than I anticipated, which makes me quite optimistic. It’s comforting to have five returning players on the roster. We also have three coaches returning, and we’ve added two more experienced coaches to our staff. I feel that this amount of experience may be exactly what we need to reach our goal.

The tournament will be played in the Czech Republic. How much are you personally looking forward to it?

I’m very excited to have the opportunity to coach in this tournament again. This will be my third time traveling to Czechia with my son, Roman, who is playing on the USA U23 team. I’m looking forward to creating more memories with him this June.

What is the mood in your team, and how are you looking forward to the atmosphere during the championship?

The team is very focused. We always look forward to our team activities and really enjoy the time spent together. The atmosphere at World Juniors is like no other. It can be overwhelming for the players, no matter how much you try to prepare them. I personally love it — the loud crowds chanting, banging on drums, blowing horns — I just feed off that energy.

When it comes to player selection, what aspects and qualities are most important to you when determining the final nomination for the championship? What will you take into account the most?

So much time and consideration go into our player selection that it’s tough to name what is most important. One thing I look for is a player who hates to lose, who is willing to lay their body down and block a shot for the team. In one word: relentless. If you’re relentless on the rink, you’ll win me over.

This will be the most competitive tournament our players have ever entered

At the last championship in Slovakia, you took third place. In what ways have the players improved since then? And how much experience did that tournament bring you?

This team has strong chemistry and great communication. We need all our lines to be on the same page and work together. I feel that this year’s player cohesiveness will be noticeable.

How much competition do you expect this year? Do you believe you’ll be able to fight for medal positions again, even given the strength of other countries?

This will be the most competitive tournament our players have ever entered. There’s so much talent from all the countries — it’s truly best versus best. As we’ve gained experience from past tournaments, so have the other teams. It will be a great challenge for us to make it to the medal games. We can’t lose focus — every game is important.

How do you perceive the overall interest of young boys in playing ball hockey in your country? Is it very popular? And what are your prospects for the future of this sport?

In the U.S., ball hockey has really grown over the past few years. It used to be common only in a few areas, but now we’re seeing it played nationwide. We now have middle school and high school leagues, as well as girls’ and women’s leagues. It’s great to see! I think social media has played a big role in growing the sport. Some areas had never seen ball hockey, but with social media and live streaming, they can. People are watching and saying, “That looks fun — I want to play.” USA Ball Hockey does a fantastic job promoting the game online.