ADM Kids

For players in this age group, staying sharp and building on an existing skill base is both challenging and important during this time.

Brian Galivan, director of sport science for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, works with the best of the best in this age group and has some recommendations.

For workouts, he suggests multi-directional lunges, body weight squat variations, planks, overhead situps, crunches, plyometrics, speed ladder work and cone drills, among other things.

For those with the space, time and resources, online training programs could be beneficial. Galivan’s company, GVN Performance, is doing live workouts on Instagram every weekday at 1 p.m. ET.

“It is a full workout,” Galivan said, noting that each one lasts between 45 minutes and 1 hour. “We use no equipment since we know not everyone has access to it.”

Follow GVN Performance on Instagram to access live workouts at home. The workouts stay on GVN’s Instagram stories for 24 hours and can be accessed for that time period even if you can’t do it while it’s live.

Click here for a short example. 

Like so many hockey players across the country, the NTDP had its season cut short because of the virus outbreak. The team, comprised of 15-17-year-olds, plays in the United States Hockey League and was 25-21-2 when play was halted on March 12.

That sort of sudden loss is difficult physically – but perhaps it is more challenging from a mental and emotional standpoint.

“Emotionally this has been extremely challenging time not just because of losing hockey but losing our social lives and daily routines,” Galivan said. “Playing hockey is definitively a lifestyle and I think most kids that play travel have lost their social lives, which tend to revolve around the game. This includes parents.”

So how do you navigate that? Make sure kids know that it’s okay to miss their teammates and to mourn the loss of the season, says American Development Model regional manager Bob Mancini.

What can players do to stay connected to teammates and their sport?

“Create a group chat with your teammates and friends,” Mancini said. “Challenge each other to do fun stickhandling stuff. Make and share hockey videos.”

Galivan echoes those thoughts, noting that players should try to stay connected to teammates and friends through apps like FaceTime and Zoom while also continuing to “treat your day like you are training for next season.”

GVN Performance has a plan for players to get 5,000 shots and 10,000 puck touches while they are off the ice because of the virus outbreak. You can chart your progress and have it posted on social media.

Download and print these PDFs to participate. 

Also, those aforementioned Instagram videos are great resources for all ages to stay active.

Remember that everyone will deal with this challenging time differently, and that there’s not one correct way to do it. Stay connected with your teammates, give yourself space and do the best you can.