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5+ Free Off-Ice Training Resources

By Minnesota Hockey, 07/16/21, 4:15PM CDT

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The innate competitiveness of American culture and athletic spirit has created an ever-evolving world of leagues, tournaments, private training, etc. Many of them are designed to support players in their quest to achieve various athletic goals and dreams, which is great.

The downside is youth sports has become a $20 billion “industry” in the U.S. which has led many to believe that success in sports requires significant financial resources and participating in all the “can’t miss” events or programs.

The truth is there’s also never been more FREE and easily accessible training resources in the history of sports, thanks to the explosive growth of technology and social media. With that in mind, here is a list of free hockey training resources that can help your son or daughter improve their off-ice training this summer and ultimately reach their hockey goals.

Hockey Training Websites

There are a number of hockey training websites that produce an extensive number of videos and articles regarding drills, skill technique and even entire training routines. Many of them have subscription options, but they frequently offer impressive free resources too. Below are a few popular websites to check out:

USA Hockey

As the national governing body for hockey in the U.S. and the organization which oversees U.S. Olympic teams, USA Hockey has devoted decades researching and creating resources designed to maximize player development.

USA Hockey’s resources include a library of stick handling videos, featuring NHL stars like Patrick Kane, a series of age-appropriate dryland exercises with videos, and in-depth training at home workout plans for ages 8-12, 13-14 and 15+.

YouTube

Remember that time you yelled at your kid(s) to stop watching YouTube and go outside and play? Well… maybe they can do both?

Seriously though, YouTube is a gold mine for hockey development resources. Many of the top hockey trainers across the U.S. and Canada have used YouTube to promote their services and expertise, and collectively, you now have access to almost any type of training exercise or tutorial you need. Here are three channels to get your player started:

Minnesota Hockey

Wondering what to focus on at a certain age or how you can maximize skill transfer? Minnesota Hockey has an extensive list of articles with expert insight from high level coaches and trainers. Here are five of our most read off-ice training articles:

Instagram

Despite the rise of TikTok, Instagram is still the primary social media platforms for teenagers. It is a great place to find some of the game’s best coaches sharing drills and training tips. It also happens to be one of the best places to find hockey highlight videos, like Pavel Barber has made famous, that help refuel the motivation and inspiration tanks. After all, hockey is a game, and if kids don’t enjoy training, they won’t do it for long.

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