Even though summer has only recently kicked in, ice will soon be in place at Twin Arenas and Brian Kozak and Doug Hedley can hardly wait.
In previous years the hockey camp was run by the Quesnel Millionaires coaching staff and players.
But now with the Millionaires franchise heading to Chilliwack for the 2011-2012 BCHL season, Kozak and Hedley saw an opportunity to do what they love most, teach hockey.
“We want to keep the Millionaires hockey school going,” Kozak said.
Hedley and Kozak have established a company, Next Level Sport Preparation, with the goal of providing a hockey school and camp for local youth.
“We’re looking forward to establishing a highly respected hockey school in your community,” Hedley said.
Respect should come easy, given the pair have about 40 years experience in coaching and teaching hockey at various levels, including junior A hockey.
The hockey school runs Aug. 22 – 26.
For players aged 6 – 8, the day begins at 10 a.m. and continues through to 3 p.m.
The day begins at 11:20 p.m. for players aged 9 – 10 and continues through to 4:10 p.m.
The third group, players aged 11 – 12, begin their day at 11:20 a.m. and tuck their gear away at 5:20 p.m.
Each day, regardless of age, each player will receive two hours of ice time, one hour of dry-land training and 30 min of hockey theory.
In addition to the hockey school, Kozak and Hedley have a hockey camp for older players.
The speed and skills camp is for players aged 13 – 15 and runs for one hour each day beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Instruction at the speed and skills camp will be position specific and will cover a variety of topics, including instruction on foot speed, shooting, passing, position and puck support.
For players aged 16 and older, Kozak and Hedley host a condition camp between 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
As with any school, instruction of any kind is always best with a low player/instructor ratio.
To ensure a low player/instructor ratio, Kozak and Hedley have enlisted the help of several players.
Among the names listed by Kozak are local hockey prosepct Eli Jarvis and Chris Allbee, Daryl Devries and Derek Huisman, who played for the Mills last season.
Tim Traber, a native of Quesnel and currently with the Victoria Royals, formerly Chilliwack Bruins, of the Western Hockey League will be on hand to give Kozak and Hedley a helping hand as will Alex Roach, fresh from a week in Los Angeles for the Los Angeles Kings prospect camp.
Once the hockey season starts, Kozak and Hedley also have a hockey skills school for peewee – midget-aged players.
The once-weekly sessions are designed to teach players
skills and tactics on the ice as well as instruction in the gym on proper training, as well as rest and recovery.
In addition to the hockey school and camp, Kozak and Hedley want to offer instruction through a hockey academy that would run during the hockey season.
Details of the hockey academy should be available soon, Kozak said.
For information call 250-316-6618.
