Player Development
| "I was completely raw when I went to Western; never really lifted weights. I was a chicken-wing, beer guy. Everything from my toes to my head got stronger - and bigger and better - each year. The hockey sense was always there." - Keith Jones, Western Michigan/Ten-year pro/Versus analyst "When you play college hockey, you build yourself up all week in practice, getting pumped up for the two games on the weekend, and by the end of the week you're a cannonball waiting to explode out of the gun." Mike Komisarek, Michigan/Toronto Maple Leafs "For myself, the college route was the better route to develop my overall game and also get stronger. I had that natural frame, but I was only like 6-foot-2, 180 and needed to get stronger if I was going to eventually make it to the NHL. So I really liked the conditioning program they offered at St. Cloud and was confident that with the college schedule the way it is, playing mostly on the weekend, I'd have plenty of time to focus on conditioning." - Ryan Malone, St. Cloud State/Tampa Bay Lightning "I was a skinny kid. I knew that working with [strength coach] Mike Boyle I could put on the weight to ultimately get to the NHL some day. With [head coach] Jack Parker, you see the guys he's turned pro and how many went on to the NHL from BU, that was a big selling point for me." - Tom Poti, Boston University/Washington Capitals "This is something I'll remember for the rest of my life, playing at the University of Michigan. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The coaches have been tremendous in terms of developing me as a hockey player and as a person. They care so much. They truly do care. And I think that's key if you want to develop as a hockey player." - Louie Caporusso, Michigan/Ottawa Senators |
Coaching
NCAA hockey has, arguably, the finest collection of knowledgeable, experienced, accomplished coaches in the world outside of the NHL - and in many cases, they stack up well with their professional colleagues. These coaches have been through the college experience and are well-versed in the challenges and tribulations that their student-athletes will face. They are constantly striving to improve the college game and experience both collectively, through the American Hockey Coaches Association, and individually, with their team staff and university personnel.
Games
College freshmen compete against older, stronger and faster opponents, accelerating their development. With the focus on two games a week, typically, college hockey provides an intensity level that is second to none.
The characteristics emphasized in the college game - speed, skill, agility and endurance - mirror those qualities of today's NHL player. College hockey, with the importance it places on practices and training, builds those skills.
Practices
The college game schedule provides ample time for on-ice practice instruction with these expertly trained and dedicated coaches. For the aspiring National Hockey League player, college hockey offers the ideal practice-to-game ratio to build skills and prepare for a career in professional hockey. There is also time allotted in the college hockey schedule for dedicated off-ice strength and conditioning program (see below) to build strength and endurance throughout the season.
Strength & Conditioning
Strength and conditioning have become a part of the year-round training programs of every one of the 59 Division I hockey teams. Taking advantage of some of the best training facilities anywhere in the United States, college hockey is committed to creating the ultimate training experience for its players. In most cases, this means working one-on-one with full-time strength coaches throughout the off-season as well as in season.
The college hockey player's significant advantage is that the limited number of games allows players to train - both on and off the ice - with intensity throughout the season. This results in continued increases in strength, power and explosiveness year to year. In a typical four-year period, college players will gain on average between 25-40 pounds of lean muscle mass, while at the same time maintaining or reducing body fat percentage and gaining speed.
Strength and conditioning is the building block of continued success for any player. Whether a player is a full scholarship player, a projected first-round pick or a player who is walking on at his school of choice, his continued success at the college level and beyond, in part, will be the result of his ability to develop more size, speed and power.
