By Mike Beasley /
Bill Bowker knows a couple of things about developing hockey players.
As the GM and head coach of the CJHL Smiths Falls Bears, that’s what he does on a daily basis during the season.
And as the owner of an international hockey school, that’s what he does during the summer months.
Improving young player’s skills and fine tuning them to the point they can move on to the next level of hockey is the connection between the Junior ’A’ team and his school in Carleton Place, Ont.
Bowker graduated a bumper crop of players last season sending seven Bears to play Division 1 hockey in the NCAA this year.
The NHL recognized Bowker’s work as well with three of those players being drafted at last summer’s Amateur Entry Draft.
The coaching guru relishes the opportunity to work with and enhance his players’ and student’s abilities; he also feels that any youngster’s development can blossom with a good trustworthy hockey school.
“Time spent at a proven school should have an immediate impact on a player by the end of their stay,” said Bowker, who is in 12th year as the Founder and Owner of Tec Tac International Hockey School.
“At our school, a student will get an entire year’s worth of practice in one week. They will be on the ice for 25 hours of instruction which most kids don’t receive in an entire season.”
Bowker recommends that parents find a hockey school that offers and conducts their business in a safe environment that is well-respected and has been around for many years.
“Find a hockey school with a strong reputation that is sold by word of mouth through people that went to it, rather than by advertising that you see posted in an arena,” explained Bowker.
“I know that if a parent is happy or unhappy they will always tell you, their friends and anybody else who is considering attending, what the school was like for their child. You can conduct a million dollar advertising campaign but it will only last so long if the product isn’t any good.”
Hockey schools have changed dramatically over the years with different ideas, gimmicks and themes being offered at camps throughout North America.
Nowadays, budding hockey players can attend specialty clinics offering stick-handling and power skating lessons as well as other individual skills and tactics sessions which Bowker doesn’t necessarily agree with.
“My opinion is that an individual should enroll in a school that works on all the skills necessary to improve as a hockey player. If they work on one or two skills then that’s all they know at the end of their stay. I feel that it’s considerably better to do a random practice where we will cover a whole lot of skills that will improve them as a complete player rather than making them like a robot.”
Bowker stresses the importance of having a variety of different drills that always challenges and demands a maximum effort from the kids.
“We have six- and seven-year-old kids that have no problems lasting five hours a day on the ice because we’re always changing the program. The kids are always getting something new.
We have a limited amount of repetition in our drills which keeps them interested and motivated to become better players which is why they’re there.” |