I've been asked that question many times through my years of coaching in minor hockey. 99% of the time it has nothing to do with making the NHL. It's more about making a team that is one level up for their age group.
Parents will turn to subject matter experts for opinions. I'm a student of the game too and I get my knowledge from experience, clients and resources that I have coached with or connected with on Linkedin.
The simple answer to the question is:
Who maintains their skates? Where does your child train? How much time a week do they work on their skills at home?
Skate maintenance has come a long way in the past several years. About 7 years ago, I would take the boys' skates to the same person that sharpened our lawn mower blade. A 'sharp' skate is not good enough for performance anymore. A professionally maintained skate is. I'm happy with the expertise that any
Maximum Edge dealer offers. Their seven step sharpening allows my boys to hit the ice with confidence knowing that their skates are in top condition.
Training for competitive hockey has become a year-round activity. It involves strength, conditioning, nutrition and skill development. Getting to the next level will not come from the momentum of playoffs prior to tryouts. If your son or daughter has the desire to play at higher competitive level, seek out one or two hockey specific training businesses that will condition them for the current season and prep them for tryouts.
Practising on
skates at home is ideal as it gives your child the same height and stick lie that they have when training with their instructor. Training in running shoes is limiting. You don't need a large rink to do this either. With the products we carry at SkateAnywhere.ca, you have access to a skating surface that suits your space and budget.
Feel free to contact me to ask about training centres in your area. I have dealt with many across Canada for their synthetic ice rink needs, mobile app development, social media management and advertising.
1 on 1 is the official blog of SkateAnywhere.ca written by company owner Dean Sprung. Hockey rinks and accessories for all applications and budgets.
