player tips

The 2025 NHL Playoffs have been nothing short of a big shot of inspiration to aspiring hockey players. Action, intensity and incredible talent.

Thomas Edison once said: “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent inspiration.” While Thomas Edison was not a hockey player, he was indeed a brilliant man and his philosophy can easily be translated to sports.

As summer begins and the NHL season winds down with the Stanley Cup on the line, youth hockey players will be watching and dreaming of one day playing on such a grand stage.

There is that old saying that dreams are just dreams without goals. The best hockey players set goals for their summer hockey training, defining areas of their game that need improvement, and then they go out and make it happen.

This is where perspiration meets inspiration. 

We hope that you do dream big and more importantly, we hope that you do something about it. There are many great skills, drills and even thrills that can be accomplished during the summer months. If you are still undecided about how to align your inspiration with perspiration, we invite you to train with us this summer!

We dropped the puck on our 2025 Greg Carter European Summer Hockey Schools and will be training youth hockey players all summer long across 13 states. While many of our camps are sold out with waiting lists, we do have limited space in select camps. Please check out our website for details by clicking here.

Thanks for reading and see you at the rink!

Youth hockey players always start the summer with the best of intentions when it comes to off-season training. Developing a better shot, a better stride and a better all-around game might be on your list. But how can you make sure that when the sun sets this Labor Day that you will have better skills than Memorial Day?

Make a plan. And make a list. Think back to last season and the areas of your game that you needed to improve on. Prioritize the skills that you are going to focus on and then commit to a regular schedule. Post your plan and your list in an area that you will see it every day, and let it be a motivator to get started, and more importantly, to keep going!

Fun Factor. Summer should be about having fun, and there is no reason that your training can’t be fun – along with some sweat and hard work. Turn on some music, dump out a bucket of pucks and start stick handling and shooting. Before you know it, 10 songs will have gone by and your shot will be better for it!

Try Something Different.

At our hockey camp we like to talk about training the CARTER Method: C=Control, A=Agility, R=Reflex, T=Technique, E=Edge, R=Retention. Including a new routine or training method into your schedule will help keep things fresh and motivating.

Everyone loves winter hockey, but here at Greg Carter Hockey Schools we especially love summer hockey and all of the training and growth opportunities that come with it. We have watched so many young athletes blossom over the summer months as they push and challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zone and take their game to the next level.

We invite you to take advantage of the outstanding high performance training opportunities we have available this summer of 2025! For more than three decades our experienced team of coaches has been focused on player development and summer hockey training. We hope to see you at one of our camps and look forward to helping you reach your goals!

Watching the NHL Playoffs compared to the regular season, it’s very obvious that the players are competing at an entirely different level. The speed and quickness of the game is greater. The intensity is higher. It makes you wonder, how do the best players in the world take an ‘A game’ to a whole new level?

There is a quote about leadership and coaching that says if you can raise the level of effort and performance in those around you, you are officially a leader. When it comes to coaching hockey players, especially elite hockey players, finding a way to connect with each player and understanding how to get the most out of them is a key ingredient in the recipe for success.

But when it comes to finding that next level it begins and ends with the individual player. The great Vince Lombardi once said that if you’ll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.

When you watch playoff hockey, these players are not settling for anything less than their best. They lay it on the line for every race to the puck, every shot on goal and every pass. The battles in front of the net and in the corners are their own individual cage matches.

When you break down the game and analyze the amazing individual talent level, it might be compared to an engine in a machine. If the engine is built properly – in the case of hockey players, developed and trained properly – and also cared for properly, there will be a time when you can run that engine at the highest RPM’s and push it to maximum performance.

Youth hockey players who spend the time training and working on skills are doing just that, they are preparing themselves – their engine – for the periods of time (the playoffs) when they are going to need to rely on optimizing their performance at the highest level.

As the run for the Stanley Cup continues, it should serve as inspiration to take your own game to the next level, to shift your engine into the next gear. There is great quote about commitment that says you’re either IN or you’re OUT. There is no such thing as life in-between.

We invite you to join us at one of our hockey schools this summer and with our training, find your very own next level!

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you at the rink!

Watching Alexander Ovechkin recently break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goal scoring record was history in the making. And epic.

Watching Rory McIlroy battle through years of self-doubt at the Masters, and then agonize through final round double bogeys was again, history in the making. And to watch him finally adorn the green jacket, epic.

During his winning remarks McIlroy turned to his daughter and said:

Never give up on your dreams. Never, ever give up on your dreams. Keep coming back, keep working hard, and if you put your mind to it, you can do anything.

Those sage words of advice are also, epic.

We’ve talked in previous articles about the importance of dedication, hard work and perseverance. Whether it’s Ovi or Rory, records and wins are earned far away from the spotlight during summer months training, being the first one at the rink and the last one to leave, and everything inbetween.

We are looking forward to an epic summer training hockey players at locations across 13 states. We invite you to claim a spot in the starting lineup. There is limited space remaining at select locations which you can view by clicking here.

Thanks for reading and this summer, be epic!

When it comes to summer and off-season training for youth hockey players, it’s super important to choose the right training method. While there are plenty of options, after 35 years of running successful hockey schools, we invite you to train the CARTER method this summer, and to train with the best!

What exactly is the CARTER method?

Control

Our hockey camps educate all players on the importance of body control. We have designed a sequence of drills to help players understand and enhance body movements to improve overall balance and body posture. 

Agility

Our unique training methods focus on quick lateral movements and foot work. With proper body control and weight distribution, players will develop evasive techniques, making them more effective hockey players. 

Reflex

Hockey is a read and react game. Reflexes and split second decisions affect the game. Increasing your hockey skills (skating, stick handling, shooting, checking and edge control) helps to improve all aspects of the game. Through the CARTER method we raise the level of play and quicken your reflexes.

Technique

We teach and improve hockey techniques under controlled situations and through repetition. We then incorporate speed once the proper techniques have been mastered. 

Edge

Edges are challenged and enhanced throughout the week using control and overspeed drills. Edges are incorporated into the skating stride through power skating and dynamic skating.

Retention

Individual Skill Development. All of Greg Carter’s European Hockey School Training Camps work on total skill development through the use of European training equipment, parallel bars, and carousels. 

Want to learn more and take your game to the next level? While many of our summer 2025 hockey camps are sold out, we have limited space available at select locations.

To check dates and locations, click HERE.

Thanks for reading!