Today I’ve got a fun and interesting hockey story for you.
It’s the kind of story you hear NHL players talk about after they’ve made it, but today we aren’t talking to an NHL player – we’re talking to a 12-year-old player.
Nate has dreamt of making the NHL ever since he first touched a puck and a stick:
“I’ve devoted my whole life to hockey, and I hope to turn that dream into reality someday.”
His passion for hockey shows any time I talk with him, and his dedication to being the best player he can be is evident. Just take a look at how he found us:
“One day, when I was on the way to hockey practice in Tacoma, Washington, I decided I would listen to a podcast. I looked up hockey training, and the HockeyTraining.com podcast was the one that showed up in the results section.”
How many 12-year-olds are looking for hockey training information over playing a video playing game on their device?
Nate is one step ahead of the game.
When asked why he wanted to start hockey training, he mentioned that he had heard stories from NHL superstars starting to do workouts at age 14. And then added, “So I thought if I start doing workouts at the age of 10, I could get ages ahead of my competition.”
Some look at a 10-year-old kid training and think it’s too much. They say, “ Let kids be kids.” That’s the wrong way to look at it. 🗣 Let kids follow their passions. 🗣
When we first started Hockey Training, we focused solely on teenagers (14+). We began receiving dozens of requests from parents with eager younger kids who wanted to train like the NHL players they watch, so we decided to release a hockey training program for youth athletes.
Now our Youth Training Systems are our bestsellers, and thousands of youth hockey players work through them each year. More often than not, it’s the kid who bugs the parents to sign them up for the program.
If a kid loves hockey, why not let them work towards their dream of playing pro? There are many benefits beyond the physical ones that kids get from sport-specific training.
Can you guess the #1 benefit that youth athletes get from the training?
Strength? As Nate said, “My legs, core, and upper body have gotten twice as strong as they used to be. I can win a lot more puck battles, even as a smaller guy.”
Nope.
Perhaps speed? “The Hockey Training Breakaway Speed System has made me ten times faster. I can blow by almost all of the kids on my team.”
Guess again…
Goal scoring? “My shot has gotten a lot harder than it used to. I can hum the puck in from the top of the circles. I have also scored a lot more goals. I think I am averaging something like two points per game.”
Those are all fantastic by-products that Nate has seen from the hockey training, but the #1 benefit is, in my opinion:
Confidence.
“I am a lot more confident with the puck. I know no one can steal it from me, so I hold on to it and make more poise plays with the puck. I am a lot more confident in my skills and attack the offensive zone. And I am confident in my strength, knowing no one can knock the puck off my stick.”
And with confidence comes persistence.
“My relentlessness or persistence has gone up, and by that, I mean I never give up on a game. For example, one time, my team and I were losing by two goals at the end of one game, and then I scored two goals in the last minute-thirty to tie the game. I just didn’t give up.”
That is a deadly combination and one that makes a winner on and off the ice.
Here’s the thing:
No matter how gifted an athlete they are, players who aren’t fully confident in their skills and themselves won’t reach their true potential.
So, to me, confidence is the #1 factor for making the NHL.
When we hear the best NHL players in the world talk about how they shot 100 pucks a day as a kid, it usually isn’t the accuracy and power benefits from shooting those pucks that lead to success… It’s the confidence they have the next time stepping on the ice, knowing that they can rip it top shelf.
From his quotes above, I do not doubt that Nate will reach his true potential in the sport and, hey, you never know – maybe he will be the next NHL superstar.
Best part:
Every hockey player out there has the opportunity to put the work in and do the dryland work necessary to gain confidence on the ice. This means if YOU do it, you will be on your way to unlocking your real potential out on the ice.
Which brings me to our solution:
After working with thousands of hockey players of all ages over the last 10+ years, we’ve found that three common issues regularly hold players back:
❌ A lack of proper hockey training knowledge
❌ A lack of consistency
❌ A lack of interest and motivation
The sad thing is, these problems are easy to fix, but most players don’t have a framework to overcome them.
That’s why we created a solution.
EVERY hockey player has the potential to make major strides in their game.
It’s just a matter of having the right tool for the job.
Enter Hockey Domination™ – the world’s most efficient and results-based hockey training system designed to help your hockey player accelerate their skill development, 365 days a year.
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Nate is a AAA player who models his game after Nathan MacKinnon and hopes to be as good as him someday. He aims to be drafted into the WHL, but his short-term goal is to keep playing for his AAA team and succeed on the ice.
After talking with him, I know his passion, determination, intelligence, and confidence will help him keep working toward his dreams on and off the ice. Go get it, Nate!
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