We hope your season is off to a great start! New beginnings – and new seasons – are special and important. Great players rely on their past experiences and build on them for future successes. They also realize that the past is just that, the past.

An NHL coach recently commented about a slow start to the season, and the sluggish play of some on the team, by commenting that nobody cares how good you were last year. The message was clear: it’s a new season, and new opportunity…to prove you deserve to play, or for others to prove they deserve to play, regardless of your past points or production.

Whether you scored 50 goals last season, assisted on dozens more or made more saves than Mr. Zero himself, this youth hockey season is another opportunity to do it again!

When our pro staff talks about youth hockey development in our Player Tips section of our website, we often remind players and parents that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Great players keep developing over a period of time, they keep setting goals and reaching higher. They don’t quit and rest on their laurels.

Regardless of past success or failures, learn from them, build on them and work harder than ever to make this your best season ever!

Thanks for reading and check back soon for the announcement of our summer hockey school dates and locations. Until then, we look forward to seeing you at the rink!

This is another great post written by our Pro Staff for our Player Tips Archive. To view the full content library click here.

Here’s how I’m going to beat you. I’m going to outwork you. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. – Pat Summitt

I saw this quote recently and it made me stop and think. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t work hard, you aren’t going to be successful. Who is Pat Summitt you might ask?  Summitt was the head coach of the Tennessee women’s basketball team and at the time of her retirement had 1,098 wins, which was the most in college basketball history. As a player she won a sliver medal at the 1976 Olympics and later coached the US Women’s Olympic Basketball Team to a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. She knew a thing or two about winning.

Good coaches are good coaches regardless of sport, and it’s interesting as a hockey coach to learn from others.  And the thing about Summitt’s quote about winning, especially winning consistently, in the big games and in the playoffs is this: you can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t work hard, someone else, regardless of talent level is going to want it more, work harder and win the game. Will over skill is much more than a simple motivator or cliche.

At our summer hockey schools we focus heavily on skill. Specifically, the CARTER Method focuses on Control, Agility, Reflex, Technique, Edge and Retention. We challenge players to reach their full potential in each of these key areas and also teach of the fundamentals of skating, stickhandling, and shooting, and we teach in a way that builds confidence and leads to continuous improvement.

While we strive to instill not only these fundamental skills, we also stress the importance of hard word. A great quote from the best of all time is;

The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say
that I work hard every day, that I never dog it.
-Wayne Gretzky

The Great One finished his career with a 1.921 points per game average. Think of that, nearly two points per game in the NHL and what he wants to be remembered for is that he worked hard every day and ‘never dog it.’

Players who want to be successful in hockey need to continually work on skill development, but must also ask themselves if they ‘dog it’. One of the greatest and most fun part of being a coach is being a part of a team that not only has a ton of talent, but also three lines of players who all want to be at the rink and all want to work hard every practice, every game, every period and every shift.

This season have fun, become a better hockey player and make it the season that you focus on hard work. Good luck, thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you at the rink very soon!

Note: A similar version of this article ran several years back and with only some simple modifications, it still (fortunately or unfortunately) applies in 2022!

With Election Day just around the corner there is plenty of consideration – and consternation – among voters. Leading up to this election candidates on both a local and national level have displayed their character and aptitude through both action and words. At this point all that remains is the final decision of voters on who is best positioned to be a leader.

The definition of a leader is “the power or ability to lead other people”. Characteristics of a leader are similar, whether in sport, business or politics. A leader is someone who inspires and motivates. They are humble, intuitive, dedicated and solution oriented.

When hockey teams vote on who deserves the honor of wearing the “C” on their sweater, teammates and coaches make their decision based on many of the same considerations voters use to elect politicians, namely, the ability to lead. This should not be a popularity contest or an honor simply given to the best player on the team.

So what does it really mean to be a team captain?
A captain and leader:

* Is respectful of teammates as well as the game of hockey. 

* Has a deep desire to win, to work hard and to inspire others to work just as hard.

* Is honest and trustworthy.

* Sets good examples in the good times, and well as during the challenging moments of the season.  

During this election season we have seen plenty of examples of what defines leaders and captains, as well as unfortunate situations that do not define leadership.

For youth hockey players and captains, it’s important to remember that captaincy is a special honor, and one to be taken seriously on behalf of both teammates and coaches who look to their captain for leadership. Remember that the role of the captain and leader also extends beyond the ice, into the locker room and into daily life.

The following is one of our favorite quotes regarding leadership: “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.”

We hope you are have a great start to the season and that you elect a great captain – and leader – for your team!

Thanks for reading and we hope to see you at the rink soon!

Labor Day has come and gone, cooler weather and football is upon us and preseason NHL games are starting to pop up on the TV schedule. This could only mean one thing; the youth hockey season is upon us!

As youth hockey players gear up for the season, it’s important to reflect on what was accomplished during your summer hockey training. What are your plans to use the development to be a huge contributor and leader on your team this season?

A good way for young hockey players to start this season, is to reflect back to last season.

What areas of your game needed work? What goals did you set for the summer and did you accomplish them?

Hopefully your summer hockey training allowed you to refocus, work on new skills, get rid of any bad habits and position yourself for a great season.

The areas that you identified as needing work in your post season evaluation were hopefully the key areas of focus for you over the summer. Now is the time to apply everything that you learned, as well as show off those skills that you mastered. Maybe you needed to increase your speed, develop a better shot or improve your stick handling skills. Make sure you take what you learned and apply it to every practice, every game and every shift this season!

Hockey is a game that requires many skills, and putting forth the time and effort in the off-season to work hard on your development is part of the equation, but what you do on the ice this season is the true test. Are you prepared to apply your development to your everyday hockey experience?

Everyone has heard the slogan that ‘practice makes perfect’ and this is especially true when it comes to using the tools that you learned over the summer to improvement your skills each and every day this season.

Thanks for reading and good luck with the start of  your season. We look forward to hearing about your next great hockey experience and seeing you at the rink soon!

Our summer hockey schools were as exciting and successful as we’ve ever seen in our 28 years of running hockey camps! Why? Because this year each and every week our camps were packed with superstars.

We started the summer in Eagle River, Alaska where the wildlife outside the rink was just as exciting as the action on the ice. Camps in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Rhode Island all were packed with talent, energy and excitement.

So who were these summer superstars you ask?

Players

We owe the success of all of our camps to the players. Each and every day we saw players show up who wanted to learn, work hard and improve their skills. And wow, the talent level this summer was off the charts! Thank you to all of the players who attended our 2022 summer hockey camps, it was a joy to coach you!

Pro Staff

We are fortunate at our summer hockey camp to employ some of the most talented and dedicated staff you will find anywhere. Having a great ‘Hockey IQ’ is important to us. But so is being a great mentor, coach and communicator. We couldn’t be more proud of our Pro Staff that brought their ‘A Game’ each and every session to make sure players were soaking up as much instruction as they possibly could!

Parents

Of course none of the success would be possible without the commitment from the parents of these great players. One of the best parts of each week of camp is when we receive compliments from parents about how we run our camps. From emails, phone calls and social media posts, we appreciate the acknowledgement of the hard work of our staff and more importantly, the players!

From our entire summer hockey camp to your hockey household, we thank you for a great summer. We wish you the best of luck with the start of your USA Hockey season and invite you to stay in touch with us, sharing your season successes!

Thanks for reading and check out the Pro Staff section of our website for frequent player tips and updates! We hope to see you at the rink soon!

As the summer begins to set and excitement for another season begins, it’s time to ask some important questions! 

We hope you have had a great summer both relaxing and also working on your hockey skills. It’s been another awesome year training hockey players across the U.S. and we are looking forward to the remaining weeks of camp!

Based on the skill level of players we have witnessed this year, summer hockey skill development is more important than ever for youth hockey players. While time away from the rink is beneficial for players, so too is a focus you put on the areas of your game that need improvement.

In past articles we have talked about the importance of setting goals after a season. These goals should be a big part of your focus over the summer. What specific skills did you set out to improve? Did you train in those defined areas and see improvement? These are just a couple of the important questions players need to ask of themselves.

Yet another youth hockey season is within sight and the biggest question is if you are prepared to be the best hockey player possible.

Every player wants to be the captain.

Every player wants to skate on the power play and penalty kill.

Every player wants to be on the first line and score the winning goal.

However, only the players that are truly prepared for the season can realize their goals. 

As you enjoy the final weeks of summer and anticipate the start of the season, continue working on your skill development. We still have limited availability in select camps this summer and invite you to train with us! Check our website for dates and locations. In the meantime, enjoy the hot summer sun and we look forward to seeing you in a chilly rink soon!

Thomas Edison once said: “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent inspiration.” While Thomas Edison was not a hockey player, he was indeed a brilliant man and his philosophy can easily be translated to sports.

As we look back over the 2022 NHL Playoffs there have been many awesome games where teams battled incredibly hard, scored some amazing goals and fought like warriors until the final buzzer. Plenty of both inspiration and perspiration!

As summer begins and the NHL season winds down with the best of seven series to take home hockey’s most coveted trophy, youth hockey players will be watching and dreaming of one day playing on such a grand stage.

There is that old saying that dreams are just dreams without goals. The best hockey players set goals for their summer hockey training, defining areas of their game that need improvement, and then they go out and make it happen.

This is where perspiration meets inspiration. 

We hope that you do dream big and more importantly, we hope that you do something about it. There are many great skills, drills and even thrills that can be accomplished during the summer months. If you are still undecided about how to align your inspiration with perspiration, we invite you to train with us this summer!

We dropped the puck on our 2022 Greg Carter European Summer Hockey Schools and will be training youth hockey players all summer long across 11 states. While many of our camps are sold out with waiting lists, we do have limited space in select camps. Please check out our website for details by clicking here.

We hope you enjoy the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and thank you for reading!

When it comes to training for youth hockey players, it’s important to choose the right training method. We invite you to train the CARTER method this summer! 

What exactly is the CARTER method?

Control

Our hockey camps educate all students on the importance of body control. We have designed a sequence of drills to help them understand and enhance body movements to improve their overall balance and body posture. 

Agility

Our unique training methods focus on quick lateral movements and foot work. With proper body control and weight distribution, students will develop evasive techniques, make them more effective hockey players. 

Reflex

Hockey is a read and react game. Reflexes and split second decisions affect the game. Increasing your hockey skills (skating, stick handling, shooting, checking and edge control) helps to improve all aspects of the game. Through the CARTER METHOD we raise the level of play and quicken your reflexes.

Technique

We teach and improve hockey techniques under controlled situations and through repetition. We then incorporate speed once the proper techniques have been mastered. 

Edge

Edges are challenged and enhanced throughout the week using control and overspeed drills. Edges are incorporated into the skating stride through Power Skating and Dynamic Skating.

Retention

Individual Skill Development. All of Greg Carter’s European Hockey School Training Camps work on total skill development through the use of European training equipment, parallel bars, and carousels. 

Thank you for reading! Although many of our summer 2022 hockey camps are sold out, we have limited space left at select locations. To check on dates and locations CLICK HERE.

Our staff gets asked the same questions by parents every year, including how will my player develop and who will they meet at summer hockey school?

One of the many great things about hockey camp is the people you meet. Players, coaches, trainers and families from all over the country come together for this special week and it’s nothing short of an awesome experience to skate, talk and learn from others. So who will you meet at hockey camp this summer? Here are 5 people you are sure to have fun with and create lasting memories.

The Coach. We all have a coach who makes an impression on us, and some of the best coaches are those who teach you new things, in a way you have never been instructed. Each summer at camp our students create a bond with a coach that extends long after the week of camp is over. Many keep in touch throughout the season, and we are very proud of our knowledgeable and personable coaching staff.

The New Buddy. Going to a hockey camp can be intimidating, especially when doing it for the first time or going alone. Over the years we have watched kids show up the first day and hardly say a word to anyone, and end up being the kid we can’t keep quiet by the end of the week. Everyone finds a buddy at hockey camp and like the coach, those relationships often last beyond the last day of camp.

The Skillmaster. This one is kind of difficult to explain, but think the top scorer, mixed with a gift of gab and a healthy dose of confidence. Every camp has the player that has worked their tail off and has become just a step faster and a goal better than everyone else. We like these kids at camp because they motivate and inspire – one way or another- for the rest of the players to be just as good as they are.

The Most Improved. The first day at camp is always exciting for everyone, including the staff. We really enjoy getting to know the kids, assessing their talents and identifying their areas for improvements. What we really look forward to on the last day of camp is deciding which player has worked the hardest and developed the most during camp. We have a motto at camp: “get better every day”.  And we push players to do just that.

The Class Clown. This is the kid everyone at camp instantly connects with, keeps the group bonding and always has something funny to say. Oftentimes the class clown is also the hardest worker and most respectful. But one thing is for certain, he/she is always funny.

There are no shortages of stories, lessons and learning that takes place at hockey camp, and we hope you choose to improve your game and make your memories at our hockey camps this summer. Space is filling up fast so claim your spot in the starting lineup before it’s gone! For a complete list of dates & locations click HERE.