Steve Richardson, owner of Valley Pro Sports, unpacks the sweaters which will be worn by up to 150  boys and girls  when they hit the ice next week as part of the 5^th Annual Pro Players Hockey School to be held at the Ray Plourde Arena in Val Caron. For two weeks, beginning on August 13,  boys and girls from the age of 8 to 16 will take to the ice as they hone up on their individual skills under the guidance of local professional hockey players.

Richardson, a former European pro player and coach, as well as a former coach of the Valley East ‘AAA’ Midget Cobras, is under contract as a scout with the O.H.L. Windsor Spitfires. He knows the importance of developing solid basic fundamentals as a young player and this is why he has spent the past ten or eleven years providing an opportunity for hockey players to develop these fundamentals.

“The program includes all elements of the game,” explained Richardson. “We work on skating to increase speed, improve balance, strengthen a person’s stride and develop power turns - all skills which will help a person perform on the ice.”

The program also includes skill development in areas such as stick handling, passing, puck control, shooting and body contact.

Andrew Brunette, one of the leading scorers of the N.H.L.’s Atlanta Thrashers last year who recently signed a three-year agreement with the Minnesota Wild, will be heading up the crew of professional instructors.

Week One of the two-week program will begin on August 13. The second week begins on August 20. All participants  will receive one and a half hours of ice time per day for a fee of only $115 per week. Sessions will run from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.

Various professional players will be in attendance to provide the instruction to the boys and girls, who will be placed in groups of no larger than 28 in order to keep the ratio of players to instructors as low as possible. It is expected that there will be seven instructors on the ice at any given time.

All of the instructors themselves will be taking part in a special conditioning camp run by Richardson every morning from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Richardson puts the group of 15 to 20 professionals through a session which prepares them for training camps which are scheduled to open in early September. The professional school is open to the public. It is an excellent chance to catch a glimpse of some of the pros you will read about this coming winter.

Valley East has produced some excellent hockey players in the past and many of them will be appearing at the hockey school. Besides Brunette, Darryl Lafrance, who played with Hershey and New Orleans is still the all-time leading scorer in Oshawa Generals history. Neil Martin, a former Assistant Captain and top defenseman of the Sudbury Wolves is now  a European Professional. Scott Cameron, a leading player with the North Bay Centennials of the O.H.L. will be trying to break the line-up of the N.H.L.’s New Jersey Devils in the fall. As well, Rob Murdoch, Matthew Pagnutti, Brock McGillis, Joel Prpic and Derek MacKenzie will be helping out with the instruction.

It promises to be a very rewarding experience for local boys and girls interested in developing their full potential.