player tips

This year there is a great debate brewing about who will win the Calder Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year. Chicago Blackhawk Connor Bedard and Minnesota Wild Brock Faber are both experiencing exceptional years. Bedard is a high talent forward while Faber is logging record ice time as a defenseman. What can you learn from watching both of these talents?

Train, Train & Train!

Faber leads the Wild with 25:05 played per game, logging 30-plus minutes five times. This would not be possible without being in top physical shape. This year we celebrated the 44th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice. A large part of the success of that team was head coach Herb Brooks whipping them into shape, better than any in the 1980 Olympics. “Again. Again. Again.” was a memorable part of the movie “Miracle” made about that team and as any top player will attest to, being in great shape is a key to success.

Skills = Success

While this is quite obvious, skill development is something that Bedard has mastered. The phenom entered the NHL as the most hyped rookie in years. He lived up to the expectations by showing off a shot, and release, that had even the Great One marveling over it. As a great coach once told our team, you can never quite working on skills.

Take advantage of every opportunity

Sometimes opportunities come along but once, and often are only there for a fleeting moment and must be taken advantage of. In the case of Faber, injuries to fellow Wild defensemen thrust him into a role that nobody imagined he would be in. He currently leads the power play and logs record ice time. When the opportunity presented itself, he was ready, and capitalized on an early career defining moment. Great players are ready for the moment!

Regardless of who wins the Calder Trophy, both players are worth watching anytime young hockey players have the opportunity. Much can be learned and applied each and very time they hit the ice!

Thanks for reading and we once again invite you to train with us this summer at one of our hockey schools. Many locations are already sold out, but you can click here to shop for dates, times and locations.

See you at the rink!

It’s been a fun season from the peewees to the pros. With two NHL players (Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon) eclipsing the 100 point mark and another (Connor McDavid) about to do the same, there have been plenty of goals and talent to celebrate!

With most youth hockey tournaments complete we are in the ‘inbetween season’ and depending on where you live, that can mean many different things. Here in Massachusetts for example, we are in tryout mode as our youth hockey teams for next season are chosen in the coming weeks. 

In other parts of the country where teams for next season are chosen in September or October, you are likely spending the next few weeks in a spring league or development league as well as making final plans for summer hockey training.

One of the biggest decisions players are faced with at this time of the year is this:

How bad do you want to achieve your hockey goal?

We have talked about goal setting in a variety of past articles and the importance of this can’t be overstated. 

What’s Next?

Regardless of how your hockey season started and ended, whether you felt like you deserved more ice time or anything else, what happens next is more important than what happened last. And it all starts with deciding how bad you want to improve your skills and take your game to the next level.

One of our favorite past articles was about a player who showed up every day for summer workouts. While friends were sleeping in, going to the beach or doing other things, this player was dedicated to sticking to a schedule, never making an excuses. Hockey was important enough to the player that there was always a way, never an excuse. The results and success of this player spoke for themselves. 

So as you make important decisions about how, where and when to train this summer, we invite you to join us at one of our summer hockey schools located in 12 states.

The only real question that remains is, will you find a way, or will you make an excuse?

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you at the rink soon!