By Joe Simon Owner/Operator Powerhouse Performance Hockey

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For those of you who remember what it’s like to be a kid, really remember that is – you’ll at some point or another be able to recall a time where either yourself or a buddy of yours was being pushed beyond his present limit. You remember it because it felt like the best you were wasn’t good enough – other kids were better, other kids would succeed, but not you at your present level. Perhaps it was a father or a coach with great intentions wanting his son to be better than he was. No crime in that – or is there? With the right levels of encouragement, at the right time, for the right reasons – your son will truly and naturally develop to his maximum potential. With someone breathing down his neck – pushing and pushing and pushing…that’s another story altogether.

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“Parents will inevitably play a critical role in the development of their child’s skills”. It’s more of a common occurrence than you would think, that parents add pressure for their son to play AAA or even up an age group, believing it will be better for his development and long-term goals. What generally happens in this situation is that the child is “up-a-level”, but ends up sitting on the bench and missing out on the ice time that is required to give him the practical experience to maximize and improve his skills. A regular Minor Hockey game runs 30-45 minutes. Out of that time the average player gets an estimated 12 minutes on the ice and gets the puck on their stick for a combined 15 to 20 seconds. If your kid has not been able to work on and develop his power play and penalty killing skills properly, how will he fare during those critical hands-on moments? As your son grows, he will develop at differing rates of speed. To reach his maximum potential, it is extremely important that he continues to develop as an athlete and an individual. This is achieved by ensuring that he progresses through the levels properly.

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In addition to your child’s individual, positional and team skills, is how he feels about the game and about himself along the way. At Powerhouse, we insist on adopting the philosophy that striking the right balance of encouragement, discipline and skill-set is critical in ensuring your sons potential. It’s an achievable goal influenced via reaching each appropriate milestone.

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When considering the selection of a good Hockey School, it is imperative that you consider that your son is training at the right level; that the credentials, background and experience of the trainer is both significant and has a substantial scope of experience to draw from; that the trainer has the ability to motivate in a disciplined environment; and that the school itself is chosen for the right reasons and not due to such things as convenient location. In your decision making process it is incredibly important that you are confident that your son will be trained by an instructor that has all the essential elements required for moving his game forward. At the end-of-the-day, what really matters is the steak – not the sizzle.

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In 1971-72 a 10-year-old Wayne Gretzky scored 378 goals and 116 assists in 69 games as a novice for Brantford, giving him his first taste of national exposure. His father Walter, who was coach of the Niagara League Junior B entry has been quoted saying, “To be very honest, I don’t like to see him out on the ice all the time,” “I’ll leave the coaching up to Bob Hockin. Wayne has always been a good skater, although he’s never had the size. As long as he likes the sport, I won’t complain.”

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Setting the sights of becoming the next Wayne Gretzky may seem like an overwhelming goal to strive for, but if you’re not modeling after excellence, you’re modeling after second-best. Along with inborn talent, Wayne’s father, coach and the people around him inevitably helped to cultivate this great child’s’ gift and sense of worth for what it was he loved most. Wayne’s a classic example of a young player who was progressed through the levels properly.

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Kids at the ages of 14, 15 and 16 are right at the brink of their experience where they could be offered an NCAA Scholarship or be edged towards the OHL. The decisions made in this time period are critical. Four years in an NCAA training school will advance their skills and levels appropriately, give them the opportunity to take advantage of the “big ice”, and to receive an education at the same time. Whereas taking the OHL route requires a whole different set of decisions to consider – mostly having to do with their training and development for over the next few years of their life.

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With 12 years instructing experience and having played eight years professionally at every level in Canada, USA, and Europe, I have had great opportunity to observe and get entrenched in every facet of Hockey imaginable. Every day I’m out there doing what it is I love best, instructing your kids how to play Hockey. Powerhouse hands-down has the strongest team of professional players and teachers in the business. Our instructors have first-rate experience in the NHL, Minor Pro’s, Europe, OHL and NCAA. I personally promise that your son, in our training program, will get the attention he deserves to develop his skills and progress through the levels and reach his full potential.

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For any questions, rates or additional information, feel free to contact Joe Simon at Powerhouse Performance Hockey at 905-849-1776.