Shane Thon is hoping for a return to normal for his Cariboo Elite Hockey camps.
The camps provide training to aspiring hockey players from ages 9-15, with a week of skill development and a week of power skating.
“We’ve always tried to reinforce the title ‘Cariboo Elite Hockey Training’ is not about only working with the kids who could go to the WHL or to the NHL draft, it’s about the type of coaches we bring to town,” Organizer Shane Thon said. “We get a chance to bring those guys to town, and parents don’t have to pay weeks worth of hotels down in Salmon Arm.”
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The camps will run from Aug. 16 – 27, with a weekend goalie camp as well.
“We were planning on getting it off the ground last year, but then COVID cancelled the whole thing,” Thon said. “We’ve never offered a goalie training component.”
There will be a change in instructors for 2021, with former NHL player Ed Patterson bringing along his son, Max.
“He’s done a lot of conditioning training in Kamloops with the elite players down there,” Thon said. “It’ll be a good addition. He’s a younger fella, so he’ll be a bit quicker than his old man, but it’s still good to have Ed out there.”
The powerskating component will be run by Aaron Konecsni, with the two-day goalie camp run by local Jason Foreman.
Resident players will get a discount, as well as any players who sign up for both weeks of training. To register for the camp, call the Quesnel Arts and Recreation Centre at 250-992-8200 or Thon at 250-992-5515.
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