Prince Rupert’s future hockey stars had an opportunity to sharpen their skating fundamentals over the weekend.
Aaron Konecsni, head coach and director of player development for AK Hockey, made the trip to Prince Rupert where he held a series of player and coaching camps.
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The purpose of the camps is to provide young players with the foundational skating skills they will need to be successful on the ice as the compete at higher levels.
“Skating is not the most exciting part of the game to learn, so my job is to teach the coaches and to also make it fun for the kids,” Konecsni said. “And I think building their confidence is what makes the game more fun for them and what makes skating more exciting.”
At an afternoon session on Oct. 13, Konecsni led a camp of approximately 30 skaters through a series of drills, such as skating on one leg or doing squats while in motion. He said each movement would help them to move dynamically on the ice.
In addition to the enthusiasm of the skaters, Konecsni said he was excited about the willingness of the coaches to pass on some of the principles he taught.
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“It’s about training the coaches so we can spread the same consistent message and drill throughout the whole association so we have a consistent curriculum for all the age groups,” he said.
This is Konecsni’s second year in Prince Rupert. He will return in December for another camp along with Simon Ng, who will provide mental strength development to the players.
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