by Pat Lovgren
Although there are a variety of hockey camps out there that offer different levels of on- and off-ice training and teaching, an aspect they all preach is a commitment to player development within a fun atmosphere. The camps are run using a fast paced, entirely scripted schedule that challenge their players at many different levels with every minute of the day being accounted for. “We work the kids pretty hard,” said Marshall Uretsky, the director of the World Hockey Centre’s In-Residence Youth Superskills Summer Camp. “But after the first few days the kids get used to it and by the end of the first week they are showing great strides.”
Camps typically open up on either Sunday or Monday with an orientation session where the players meet each other and are introduced to the different instructors and councilors. At the All Star Hockey Academy, located in Wayne, N.J. this means instructors Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens and Zach Parise.
“First we evaluate the students to see what group they belong to,” said the co-owner of the Capital One Bank Ice Vault Arena, Bobby Reiss, which plays host to the camp. “They are grouped according to skill level with the goalies going with Marty, the defensemen with Scotty and the forwards with Zach.”
After the first day, the players begin their camp experience in earnest, waking up around 7 a.m. and hitting the ice around 9 a.m. Typically, the morning on-ice session lasts one and a half hours. At Uretsky’s camp, situated between the towns of Shelburne and Alliston, 45 minutes northwest of Toronto, the players go through testing sessions that measure skills such as shot power and skating speed. The tests are then repeated on the last day of the camp to see if any improvements have been made. The morning session is followed by lunch and then dry land activities.
At the All Star Hockey Academy, players are given a menu with different options, and from it are served five main courses each day.
“We have a 3,000 sq. ft. restaurant where the kids can order anything from pizza to steak sandwiches,” said Reiss.
On the second full day of camp, the players are fully immersed within the camp and are taught up-tempo drills that suit their skill-set.
“Zach teaches the small-area game, battle drills, offensive positioning,” Reiss noted. “Scotty teaches 1-on-1 play, shot-blocking and stick positioning and Marty teaches his brand of goaltending.”
Off the ice the skills also vary. In addition to games such as soccer, basketball and ball hockey some camps such as Notre Dame’s Summer Hockey School located in Wilcox, Sask., offer players leadership and sports psychology seminars.
Although most camps are offered for a variety of hockey talent, Notre Dame’s hockey school caters to high-end talent among boys and girls aged 11 to 16. The camp is held at the renowned Anthol Murray College, a private high school that has produced NHL stars Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Curtis Joseph. Many players who attend the camp end up enrolling full-time once the school year starts.
“It gives kids an opportunity to get a feel of what it’s like to come here,” said Jon Frape, Notre Dame’s Hockey Operations Administrator. “It’s designed to show kids what it takes to get to the next level and become an elite level athlete.”
In the back half of the week the sessions get more complex and more elements are added to the drills learned the previous day.
“Each day it is ratcheted up,” said Reiss. “But in the end it comes back to the same basic concepts.”
The Youth Superskills camp makes sure the players get the best instruction possible, typically having 12 to 15 NCAA coaches on hand at the senior level camp to run drills. At the same time, the coaches are able to get a look at players they may be interested in for their own university or college teams.
The camp also provides in-house amenities that players have access to after their training has been completed.
“We have a theatre set up with platform-style seating for movie night,” Uretsky said. “We also have satellite TV and smaller lounges which all the kids have access to.”
At the end of the week more fun elements are included. At the All-Star Hockey Academy this includes a family game and a Q & A with the instructors.
In addition to an organized game and a final testing session to measure how much the players have improved, the Youth Superskills camp has an “excursion day” at the end of the week. This can include trips to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Canada’s Wonderland and Wild Water Kingdom.
With such a variety of hockey camps to choose from parents should do their research beforehand. Many of the camps have websites that provide information that can be very helpful in finding the right fit for a son or daughter. But overall, the experience a hockey camp provides can benefit hockey players in a variety of ways whether they be physical, mental or social.
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