Every young hockey player鈥檚 dream is to make the NHL, and there are few better ways to prepare for that dream than to train under current and former NHL pros.
That鈥檚 the opportunity that Okanagan Hockey Camps gave to many young players over four weeks in 91大黄鸭, as former NHLers Josh Gorges and Brett McLean joined current Colorado Avalanche forward Tyson Jost on the ice.
Gorges is a 91大黄鸭-born former defenceman who spent 13 years with the San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres.
McLean is currently an assistant coach for the Minnesota Wild and a specialist in speed and skill.
Jost, who played Junior A with the Penticton Vees, is coming off a 17-point season with the Avalanche.
Our guys have been busy this summer, some of them even helping to grow the game back home!
鈥� Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche)
In honor of , we got a peek into shooting and scoring with for Tyson's camp!
Okanagan Hockey Camps operations manager Mack O鈥橰ourke said each player ran a camp focusing on their specialty: Gorges on defence; McLean on speed and skill; and Jost on shooting.
鈥淣o other camp offers this kind of instruction. It鈥檚 not just a guest appearance, they鈥檙e there all week working with the kids. It鈥檚 their camp, their design,鈥� O鈥橰ourke said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a different feel to how the kids listen and respect the pros. I鈥檓 there every day watching them; the kids listen to every detail.鈥�
O鈥橰ouke added that getting the chance to play and train with NHL players gives the kids a lot of confidence and helps to better prepare them for tryouts at any level.
As a part of the camps, each player got a custom, high-end jersey based on the team their pro represented and a swag bag with assorted hockey accessories and signed pucks.
In a Twitter video by the Colorado Avalanche, Jost said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something I want to do is give back. These kids are awesome and they鈥檙e excited to learn, and the smiles on their faces are pretty fun to watch.鈥�
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