Podcast: How should young hockey players train in the offseason?

Canton boys high school hockey before playing in the MIAA D2 championship. (Brian Kelly/NEHJ)

For thousands of hockey players around the region, and even more around the country, the season is wrapping up. Tryouts will come if they haven’t already and then comes … the offseason.

It can be a confusing time for parents and players. There are tons of on-ice and off-ice training programs to choose from, leaving parents with lots of questions. Which ones should I send my son or daughter to? Should they play another sport? Should they rest? Should they keep playing? How can they turn into Patrice Bergeron in one single summer?

That last one’s easy. Who hasn’t read How to Turn into Patrice Bergeron For Dummies? 

On the latest RinkWise podcast, New England Hockey Journal editor Evan Marinofsky picks host Stephanie Wood’s brain regarding her thoughts on how players across all ages should approach the offseason, what they should be doing and when they should be resting.

This will be the first of many podcasts giving advice and guidance to players on the best things to do throughout the offseason.

Taking breaks

Wood: “After you finish your season, you get to your tryouts. Then it’s time for a break. Just to get a break physically, mentally and emotionally. Just to basically shut it down and give your body rest from hockey. With most people, if you’re (playing in) high school, you’re on the ice six days a week. If you’re in youth (hockey), these days it can be four or five days a week, but that’s a long time. Spring is a time for breaks. Regardless if you choose to train, and a lot of people do, your top priority should be to take a break and do other activities.”

The importance of improving skating

Wood: “I’m always focused on power skating. For me, that was the number one focus of my offseason — to become a better skater than I was when I finished the season. So if I had to kind of wave a magic wand, what’s the perfect scenario for a younger player? Starting in the summer, I do think it’s good to train once a week or twice a week. You have to really, I think, keep an eye on your kids too, right? They’re young. They should still be doing a lot of different activities in the summer.”