Ninety-five delegates will attend the ninth-annual Hockey Canada Skills Academy summer training seminar, taking place July 4-6 in Calgary. The educational event for instructors and operators of skills academies across the country will be hosted out of Hockey Canada’s new facilities at WinSport Canada at Canada Olympic Park.

The highlight of the seminar is a hot stove session featuring Bob Braybrook, a principal in the Saskatoon Public School District and Hockey Canada National Coach Certification Program master course conductor, and Paul Carson, vice-president of hockey development for Hockey Canada, both of whom have spent more than 20 years working in the education system. The session will be moderated by Rob Kerr of Sportsnet 960 The FAN Radio in Calgary.

Other presenters include Dusan Kralik (Athlete Training Centre), Ross McCain (Human Dynamix), Dwayne Roberts (Nike), Brian Shackel (Making Stridz Athlete Development), Kim Thompson (Canada’s National Women’s Program) and Brad Watson (Human Dynamix).

Delegates from Hockey Canada Skills Academy programs across Canada will attend the three-day event, which will include both classroom and practical learning sessions while covering topics such as biomechanics of shooting, puck control, checking skills, Nike training and SPARQ testing, leadership, sport psychology and strength and conditioning.

The Hockey Canada Skills Academy program is a licensed school-based program, which allows students to successfully balance schoolwork and hockey skill development by combining training time with study time, maximizing arena availability during school hours. There are currently 130 licensed Hockey Canada Skills Academy programs across Canada, registering over 4,400 student-athletes in all of Hockey Canada’s 13 branches.

For more information on the Hockey Canada Skills Academy program, please visit http://www.hockeycanada.ca/HCSA.