Tampa Bay Juniors - USPHL

The Tampa Bay Juniors are powered by Hockey International Training & Development.

Hockey International strives to cultivate and nurture the individual talents of each athlete as they discover their path to success. Our programs are designed to start players on the right path to becoming an elite hockey player capable of exceling and achieving their goals. Our developmental techniques train the mind, body, and senses, insuring the player can compete mentally, physically, and instinctively like the great ones of our time.

The Tampa Bay Juniors have teams at the Premier and Elite Divisions of the USPHL.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

The Tampa Bay Juniors Hockey Club is an elite training program that combines team play with player development powered by Hockey Internationals unique training, developmental and testing program.

The program is designed to start players on the right path when it comes to training specifically for hockey at a rate that is faster than your normal progression. Hockey International was developed with the realization that it takes years of training and development to become an elite athlete.

An athlete can expect to endure intense, specifically focused training, anywhere from 7-10 years in order for all skills the elite attributes to come together. Athleticism, speed, strength, muscle endurance, skills, knowledge, mental preparation, senses development and the overall elite mind set are all components that need to be refined and developed in order for one to reach their potential.

The Tampa Bay Juniors are passionate in helping young players get started on the right path in becoming the best they can be in order to one day reach their potential, fulfill their dreams and goals as a hockey player and ultimately prepare them for life. 

The focus of our program is to elevate the performance of each individual player’s capacity to play the game with speed. In order to play at elite levels of hockey, players must posses the ability to make quick decisions and skillfully execute plays at top speed.

By educating players on the importance of speed and assessing each player individually through HI’s testing program, we begin to lay the building blocks from which the foundation of player development arises.

Development is a long-term process that starts with a passion to accomplish a goal, motivating yourself to improve. By holding the athlete to a high level of accountability, sharing in this responsibility to get better, greatness is drawn from the athlete which translates into continual and unlimited improvement. 

“You cannot push greatness into a player; instead you must pull it out of them.” -Herb Brooks

Although there is no exact formula when it comes to the overall development of an athlete, the Tampa Bay Juniors in conjunction with Hockey International constantly evaluate, assess and search for ways to become better. The following is a blueprint that has provided the environment for the success of the program and its players as they continue the journey to become a “Winner”.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Firstly, players striving to reach their potential must come to the conclusion that the “Building Blocks” to reaching their goals come down to having strong character. Improvement can only be achieved through character strength and dedication. A player must develop the passion and desire to become the best he/she can be through hard work, sacrifice and a willingness to learn.

PHYSIOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT

Speed, Power, Strength, Balance, Agility and Coordination are areas that players must continually develop and train to become the best athlete you can be. The Tampa Bay Juniors in-season and off-season training programs are designed to help the player become a better athlete that is transferable to the ice. Training the neuromuscular system to “Fire” at the suitable time and in the correct sequence is a long-term process that requires proper repetitions to develop muscle memory. Athleticism is a common denominator of great athletes of all sports allowing the elite athlete to change directions quickly, accelerate explosively while maintaining overall body control efficiently and effectively through instinctive movements.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT

The mind can be your greatest asset and/or your largest obstacle when it comes to reaching your potential. Developing an “Elite Mindset” requires training just like our physical counterparts. Mental preparation, visualization and positive self-talk are all components that when integrated with strong character, produce an inner toughness that can over come talent and physical short comings. Developing the Right Focus – Right Feelings – Right Attitude gives players that “Competitive Edge”. Once players understand that they and only they are responsible for their thoughts, they can begin down the path of developing an “Elite Mindset”. Coaches should never over estimate their ability to change a players mind; Players should never under estimate their ability to change their own minds.

SENSORY DEVELOPMENT

To most hockey experts, “Hockey Sense” is assumed to be innate – you either have it or you don’t. The notion that “Hockey Sense” is unteachable isn’t because it’s some rare mystical attribute some have and others don’t, but rather because no one tries to understand it and train for it. In order to reach your potential you must develop “Hockey Sense.” The Tampa Bay Juniors Hockey Club incorporates HI’s Sensory Development program which mixes Awareness – Anticipation –Analytics by conditioning the neuromuscular system through sensory experiences. Developing a “Sense” for the game is the fabric that ties all the other components together elevating you to a higher level of play.

“You can not become an elite player if you do not have hockey sense.”
George McPhee – GM Washington Capitals

TESTING

Testing plays a major role in the development process allowing the player to set benchmarks based on where they are today compared to where the player needs to be one year, 3 years or 7 years down the road. HI’s testing program is the replication of renowned hockey physiologist, “Cardiac” Jack Blatherwick.

Cardiac Jack has been involved with testing and training elite athletes for over 30 years including the “Miracle on ice” 1980 Olympic team. Having tested Olympic, Professional, and D-1 players, Jack has gathered immense data where we provide Tampa Bay Juniors players with statistics and graphs comparing their results to those of elite levels.

This allows players to obtain a new perspective along with a plan that outlines the long-term development process. As players see improvement they become more passionate to accomplish the goal of increasing their test scores.

ANAEROBIC INTERVAL TRAINING

The game of hockey requires explosive short sprints shift after shift for an entire game. Although the game is not played at top speed every shift, players striving to become an elite player need to be able to perform at a high level of speed consistently. Training properly for hockey requires a strategic year round plan that advances the anaerobic and aerobic capacities of the athlete as well as expanding lactic acid thresholds. A well planned anaerobic training program incorporating sprint and overload intervals simulates the workload specifically meeting the demands of the players energy system to play the game faster – longer with a quicker recovery rate. Most players fatigue quickly if recovery efficiency is not enhanced which leads to the accumulation of lactic acid and decreased performance.

SKILLS TRAINING

To become a player that can play the game at speed requires specific skill development, enhancing the athlete’s ability to catch passes, make passes, stickhandle & shoot the puck at top speed. Repetition of specific skills using the proper technique both on and off the ice, provide the training to master the skills of hockey, allowing the athlete to play a successful role in a style of play that promotes puck possession and creative play.

TEAM ACHIEVEMENT

The Mission of the Tampa Bay Juniors Hockey Club is to cultivate and nurture the gifts and talents of each student/athlete as they discover their path to success, fulfilling their purpose in life. By maintaining a commitment to moral character development as well as creating an environment that is specifically designed to elevate the performance of its athletes, mentally and physically, the Tampa Bay Juniors strive to help its players to become the best he/she can be. Developing players’ natural instincts of the game, rather than relying totally on a certain system, allows players to tap into their creative abilities from within, positively impacting the team. 

The Tampa Bay Juniors believe that every player has greatness with in them. Does this mean that everybody has the ability to one day play professional hockey or even college D-1? Of course not.

However, the game of hockey is like a train, at some point you’ll have to get off, and if we can help those that have a passion in the sport of hockey understand the greatness that lies within them as they pursue their goals and dreams, then we’ve been successful.