Williams Lake’s Tyrel Lucas is opening one of just six Puckmasters Hockey Training facilities in the province this January.
And, it will be located right here in Williams Lake.
“Teaching kids how to be great hockey players is as old as hockey itself,” Lucas said. “And inspiring kids to learn hockey skills quickly, effectively and with lasting results was a relatively new science. Until now.”
Lucas, a Williams Lake Minor Hockey product and native of Williams Lake, will be the owner and president of Puckmasters in the lakecity, and said he’s eager to share his knowledge and skills with the community.
After playing within the WLMHA Tyrel pursued a career with the Quesnel Millionaires (junior ‘A’), and the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, Prince George Cougars and Calgary Hitmen.
Following his major junior career he pursued an education at the University of Calgary while playing for the University of Calgary Dinos, and then went on to play professional hockey for three seasons with the Bossier-Shrevport Mudbugs of the Central Hockey League.
Following a severe ankle injury in August 2010, he decided he wanted to pursue hockey in a different direction.
“My goal is to provide players in this community the opportunity to achieve their dreams and to give back what I have learned over my years of playing,” he said.
“I could not have done this without the support of my family and friends, as well as this community.”
Lucas said Puckmasters Williams Lake will be a year-round hockey training rink specializing in one-on-one training, hockey clinics and three-on-three leagues.
The facility will be equipped with a two-thirds-size sheet of ice, state of the art skating treadmill and an off-ice dry land training area.
Lucas said current locations offer “positive environments help kids learn.”
“The positive atmosphere created each session helps put students in the best frame of mind for learning,” he said.
Puckmasters, he said, uses more than just an up-beat approach to get the best out of the students.
Hockey skills are taught using state-of-the-art learning methods like end point visualization (EPV) and backward shaping.
“These techniques can accelerate learning 10-fold and at Puckmasters, results to date have been nothing less than extraordinary,” he said.
“Players of all ages, from pint-size shooters and goaltenders to the baby boomer rec set, improve on everything from skating stride to wrist shot technique, from stick handling to blocker control.”
Lucas said in addition to learning hockey and goalie skills, students also learn the mental skills necessary to prepare aspiring players for potential professional careers.
Pete Fry, founder of the Puckmasters franchise, said “It’s not enough to prepare for a game with just skills practicing — you have to prepare mentally, as well.”
The training session encouragement, Fry adds, “makes a difference.”
“You have to believe in yourself, and that’s what we put across to our students.”
Lucas said Puckmasters is helping players of all ages reach their potential through excellence in hockey, and he’s looking forward to beginning working in Williams Lake.
Williams Lake Puckmasters is located at 4535 Cattle Dr.
For more information visit www.puckmasters.com/williamslake or e-mail williamslake@puckmasters.com.