What is The Battle Camp?

What is The Battle Camp?

This is what we are known for. Pro Ambitions Hockey, Inc. created and trademarked this system of training where skill development takes place in a game situational battle in small area drills. Our goal is to develop a player's skill and hockey IQ through game situational battles. Every drill incorporates a skill, skating, and game theory element while engaging in a game situational battle. The difference between what we do and what most camps do is simple: we never separate skill from competition. When a kid only works on skills in isolation, they never learn how to execute under pressure, and pressure is the whole game.

At the Battle Camp, players go through a battery of drills that all introduce a second puck. After the initial battle is won or lost, the players focus on gap control and go back in for a second battle. That second puck is everything. It forces players to recover, reset their positioning, and compete again, which is exactly what hockey demands every single shift. This curriculum has created its own niche in the industry and has been endorsed by the Boston Bruins and countless NHL players. We facilitate camps for the Boston Bruins and Hockey East.

Camp Structure

• ▸Four hours of ice daily
  - Morning two hour skate is all skill development
  - Afternoon two hour skate skills are applied to game situational battles when players are both with and without the puck, with a focus on positioning and decision making
  - Ages 6 to 16
  - 5:1 Player to Coach Ratio led by Lead Professional Youth Development Coach
  - Players are grouped into age appropriate and skill groups of five
  - We will move players and groupings daily to continue to challenge and will not hold any child back who is up for the challenge

Four hours of ice time every day is a lot. We use every minute of it with purpose. The morning session builds the technical foundation, the skating mechanics, the puck skills, the details that separate good players from great ones. The afternoon session is where those skills get tested. Players have to make real decisions under real pressure, and that is when genuine development happens. We keep groups small because in a group of five, there is nowhere to hide and no reason to.

Our Approach

• ▸Positive reinforcement
  - We train with unbiased eyes
  - Agenda is to give each player the summer hockey growth spurt
  - Try new things, go out of comfort zone to push themselves and learn
  - Go back in the fall a new player with a clean slate

We are not here to coddle anyone, but we are also not here to tear kids down. Positive reinforcement is a coaching tool, not a participation trophy mentality. When a player does something right, we tell them. When they make a mistake, we correct it clearly and move on. The unbiased eyes matter because we do not care what team you play for or what your reputation is coming in. We evaluate what we see on the ice. Every player gets the same coaching, the same attention, and the same push to grow.

Program Options

We run programs for a wide range of ages, levels, and goals. Whether your player is just developing their foundation or already competing at the AAA level, there is a program that fits.

• ▸AAA Battle and Defense Camps
  - Goalie Camps: at every Battle Camp we have a goalie group of five with a private goalie coach
  - AAA BU on location
  - AAA Hockey East
  - AAA Hockey East Girls
  - Bruins Camps Powered by The Pro Ambitions Battle Camp
  - BU Boarding Camps
  - High School bi-weekly 8 week summer skills program

The goalie program deserves a specific mention because goaltending development is often an afterthought at multi-position camps. We built it in from the start. Every goalie works with a dedicated goalie coach while the skaters work in their groups, so nobody is just standing around filling a net. Goalies are players too, and they need the same level of focused development.

For more information about available camps:

→ View All Pro Ambitions Camps and Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

What age group is the Battle Camp designed for?

The Battle Camp is open to players ages 6 to 16. Within that range, players are grouped by age and skill level, not just birth year. If a younger player is ready for a harder group, we move them. We are not going to hold a kid back because of their age when they are clearly ready for more.

How is the Battle Camp different from other hockey camps?

Most camps either run drills or play scrimmages. We do both at the same time, every session. The battle format means every drill has a winner and a loser, a puck battle, a gap control situation, and a decision to make. Players are not just skating through cones. They are competing, recovering, and competing again, which is what the real game asks of them.

Do goalies have a place at the Battle Camp?

Yes. Every Battle Camp includes a dedicated goalie group of five players working with a private goalie coach. Goalies are not thrown in to face shots while the real coaching happens elsewhere. They have their own structured development track running alongside the skater program.

What should a player expect to gain from attending?

The goal is simple. Come in the summer, put in serious work, and go back in the fall a better player. Not just a player with more miles on their skates, but one who understands the game better, competes harder in small spaces, and makes smarter decisions with the puck. That is the summer hockey growth spurt we talk about, and it is real when the work is real.