At the bottom of this page, we have provided an image to give a month-to-month breakdown of what we believe Rep Players should be doing throughout the course of a year IF they would like to reach their highest level.

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Prior to that picture, we have provided a Q & A with some questions we've received over the years, which may help you better understand the reasonings in the image.

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Q: What is the most important skill?

A: Without a doubt, SKATING/SPEED - you see and hear about how fast the NHL is now, it's the biggest difference over the years - speed is so important to the game now, so we recommend to clients all the time to focus on skating, skating, skating. We know it's not the most fun - but it is the most important.

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Q: How often should my player be doing "extra" development DURING the season?

A: First off - while we can give a "guideline" in a number amount, we are big believers that the answer to this is however much they would like to do. We have worked with players who you simply cannot remove from the ice and they want to do everything from how motivated they are to improve (just monitor their performance for burn-out/recovery), we have also seen players who were "forced" to do the PowerSkating lesson or gym session, etc. - and when a player doesn't want to be there and doesn't have purpose to their training, they are getting nothing out of it.

With that said, some teams practice once/week, some coaching staffs like us practice 3-4x/week - depending on that number, find a balance that works for your player for extra development.

Please Note: if you are playing AAA, for majority of AAA Coaches it is "expected" that you are doing extra, as there is an expected level of commitment to play at that level.

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Q: How often should my player be doing "extra" development DURING the season?

A: This answer should be divided into 2 parts - "time of off-season" and "your age".

Time of Off-Season: 

• May & June: We are big believers that during May & June you should take a step back from how often you were on the ice during September to April. The exception to this: if your skating (stride, edge work, speed, etc.) is significantly behind where it should be, then you'll need extra ice time compared to some others. Otherwise, skills and shooting can be worked on off the ice - give your feet a break and come back with an excitement and hunger in the summer to get back to work on the ice in a higher frequency! 

• July & August: You've been limited from your usual amount of on-ice sessions per week the last 2 months, you're hungry and excited to develop, let's now ramp up the number of on-ice sessions to prepare for your Team Camp in August and the season to begin in September! If you start slow behind your teammates and opponents in September, it's a callenge to try and catch-up.

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Your Age:

• Up to U13: We are terrible business owners - if we were smart, we'd run all of these Spring Hockey Teams, do a million tournaments, and make a killing! But games is NOT where you get better. We believe there is some situations that can be beneficial to play spring tournaments (new to that level so you're getting game reps/experience in, you get to play with elite linemates/teammates, you get to meet new friends, etc.), however, we believe the number of spring hockey tournaments you play should be limited to 1-2 at the most, so besides that, here is what we believe you should do if you're below U13: continue to work on your Individual Skills (skating, puck handling and shooting) and play OTHER sports!!! Athleticism is so important in hockey and as you get older, and every sport contributes:
  - Roller Hockey = skating, puck possession & management skills, offense (playmaking & goal-scoring), etc.
  - Lacrosse = conditioning, wrist strength for shooting, introducing & embracing physical contact, etc.
  - Soccer & Basketball = agility, conditioning, leg strength, IQ through possession and plays, etc.
  - Baseball = hand-eye coordination, agility, etc.

• U13/U14 & Older: Now is when you should start to make DRYLAND Training a priority. U14 is when hockey becomes "real", Body Contact is introduced, growth spurts/puberty are happening, and some players thrive and some players decline. Being in the gym to improve your strength, speed, flexibility and conditioning are so crucial - not only for your physical abilities, but even more so for your CONFIDENCE. Players get hurt when they're scared or timid, and having that mental confidence in yourself is massive for your on-ice game performance.
  Due to contact, this is also where we highly recommend you limit the spring hockey tournaments - we've seen over the years how a major injury in a random spring game in June can ruin the whole next season for a player if they miss the majority/all of their off-season training and start the season behind and just can't catch-up.

Yearly Breakdown for Development