How should we group young athletes — by age or by maturity?

In this episode, sport scientist and hockey coach Simon Heidenreich talks with John Lind from the Swedish Ice Hockey Association about Bio-Banding, biological maturation, and how Sweden approaches long-term athlete development.

Building on a previous conversation with Ken Martel on the U.S. model, this episode dives into the Swedish perspective — where research, coach education, and development-first thinking guide youth hockey.

A must-listen for coaches working in youth and talent development.

https://hockeyakademin.se

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41283790/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39133685/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-lind-73ab31b2/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-cumming-46727818/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommylundberg21/