So this summer I decided to level up my hockey game at Shattuck St Mary’s camp after hearing crazy stories about their training. Figured I’d document the whole grind since people keep asking what makes their program special.
Getting There and First Shock
Flew into Minnesota thinking I was hot stuff after playing varsity hockey back home. Woke up at 5:30AM that first morning to pouring rain – already knew this wasn’t vacation camp. Coach threw us straight into wind sprints on the track while it was still dark. My lungs were burning by 6:15AM and we hadn’t even touched ice yet. That’s when I realized they strip away your ego real quick here.
The Daily Meat Grinder
- Pre-breakfast punishment: 90 minutes of brutal dryland training where we flipped tractor tires until someone puked (happened twice)
- Skate till you wobble: On-ice drills from 8-10AM focused entirely on weak-hand stickhandling. Fumbled the puck so much my gloves smelled like shame.
- Video torture session: Coaches played slow-mo clips of our morning mistakes while we ate lunch. Never felt worse eating a sandwich.
- Afternoon scrimmages: Full-contact games where coaches would stop play mid-rush to make us do 10 pushups if someone took a lazy stride.
By day three my gear reeked like a dead raccoon and I was falling asleep in my dinner plate. But man did my edgework start getting sharper.
The Mind Game
What surprised me most wasn’t the skating drills but the mental stuff. Had to keep a practice journal tracking every dang puck turnover. Then coaches would make us stand in front of the group and explain why we choked in last period’s 2-on-1. Felt like hockey therapy with shoulder pads on.
Why This Works
- They break everything down to stupid simple parts – spent a whole day just on how to properly tie skates
- Zero tolerance for half-effort. Slack off during bag skate? Congrats, you just earned bonus sprints
- Older players drill younger ones constantly. Got chirped by a 16-year-old till my puck retrievals improved
Left camp 12 pounds lighter with three broken sticks and a notebook full of corrections. Still hear the head coach’s voice in my nightmares yelling “FEET MOVING!” But dang if my snapshot doesn’t zip now. Would I do it again? Ask me after my legs stop aching.
