Passion. Curriculum. Coaches. Technology.

What I Saw on the Ice

I was waiting to get on ice with my campers watching another hockey camp run a skill session. I looked closer and realized one of my former teammates, a former NHL player and a really skilled one, was running it. I watched with critical eyes and got frustrated fast.

The kids were standing in line most of the time. The drills were just drills, not teaching moments. Nobody was being pushed, nobody was being coached. That's the norm at a lot of programs and it should bother you as a parent.

The Obsession Behind the Curriculum

I spend all of my time studying the game and my own curriculum. Watching, learning, constantly looking for new information and better ways to teach. I lay awake at night thinking about how to break the game down for a twelve-year-old who has never been coached properly. Sometimes drills play over and over in my head until I hit an "ah hah" moment and wake up to write down the missing piece.

When I hear interviews with songwriters talking about stopping everything to write down lyrics before they lose the idea, I relate to that completely. That is exactly what happens to me with player development. This is not a job I clock in and out of. It is something I live.

Four Reasons We Lead the Industry

I believe there are four reasons Pro Ambitions has paved the way as the leader in hockey development. Passion. Curriculum. Coaches. Technology. Take any one of those away and you have an average program. All four together is what creates real results for your player.

The Curriculum: Battle, Skill, and Conditioning Together

We focus our curriculum on battle training, pro shot, goalie development, and other core skill areas. I refine these curriculums constantly, adding new drills, tweaking old favorites, and adding variety to make sure players get the best possible results. Nothing gets stale. If a drill stops producing results, it gets cut or rebuilt.

The majority of our battle drills contain three distinct features: a battle element, a skill element, and a conditioning element. All three are foundations of hockey. All three have to be present for real improvement to happen over the course of a week. Most programs give you one. We give you all three inside a single rep.

The Second Puck

Part of what makes our system different is the second puck. After a player completes the drill, here comes another puck fired at them. It creates urgency. It teaches gap control. It conditions kids to be ferocious and hungry for possession. By the end of the week, they do not give up on a puck the way they did on Monday.

I tell kids straight up: if you do not fight for that second puck, you will not win battles in your game. Hockey is about puck possession. Everything flows from that. The second puck forces players to compete even when they are tired, which is exactly when real character shows up on the ice.

The Summer Hockey Growth Spurt

I coined the term "summer hockey growth spurt" but the concept behind it is proven. Periodization training over the summer produces the largest development gains of the calendar year for young athletes. The off-season is not a break. It is the most important training window you have.

Our job is to take your player out of their comfort zone and send them back to their team in the fall as a different player. We are also a confidence store. The transformation in player confidence and competitive mindset is real and measurable. I experienced the challenges of hockey politics firsthand and I have no agenda here except making your child the best hockey player they can be.

Do your due diligence. Ask around. The hockey community is small.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What age groups does Pro Ambitions Hockey work with?

We work with players across a wide range of youth age groups. Whether your child is just developing foundational skills or working toward a higher level of competitive play, we have curriculum built for where they are right now and where they need to go. Contact us directly and we can point you toward the right program.

Why is battle training such a big part of your program?

Because hockey games are not won in drills, they are won in battles along the boards and in front of the net. Most camps focus on skill in a clean, controlled environment. That does not prepare a player for what they actually face in a game. Our battle curriculum puts players in competitive situations repeatedly throughout the week so that competing hard becomes a habit, not an effort.

How is Pro Ambitions different from other hockey camps?

The curriculum is the difference. I have spent years building and refining a system that combines skill, battle, and conditioning inside every session. We are not running generic drills with kids standing in line for twenty minutes at a time. Every rep has a purpose. Every drill is designed to create a specific response in the player. The coaches we hire understand that standard and are held to it.

What does "summer hockey growth spurt" actually mean for my child?

It means the summer is when the most significant development happens for young hockey players, provided they train the right way. Players who put in focused, structured work during the off-season come back to their teams in the fall noticeably stronger, faster, and more competitive. That gap between the player who trained and the player who did not is visible the moment they step on the ice.

As always, reach out with any questions. We are here to help.

info@proambitions.com

Yours in hockey,
Jeff