Earn a PhD on the ice

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/10/2014 (4216 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thought you’d have to wait for your child to head off to college before getting their PhD? Think again, as two former pro hockey players have a program designed to attain that goal on the ice.

Justin Kurtz, who was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the fourth round in 1995, and Brad Purdie, a former Manitoba Moose forward, are offering a new skating and skills camp calledProfessional Hockey Development, or PhD.

“I knew Brad before a little, we both played pro hockey, but we were on the same team for the

Allan Cup this past summer,” Kurtz said. “We were roommates and that is kind of where we drummed it up.

“I’m a defenceman, he’s a forward, so we figured we have quite a bit of experience playing the game and we could help younger players out.”

The camp, which will be help at Charles A. Barbour Arena (500 Nathaniel St.) every second Sunday between 5 and 8:30 p.m., starts on Oct. 12 and finishes up next year on March 15.

Each 45-minute session is aimed at further development and enhancing a player’s skating and speed. Kurtz and Purdie will concentrate on developing stride maintenance and improvement, edge work, turns, quick starts, over speed training and puck control.

“It’s mostly geared towards skating,” said Kurtz. “Brad and I liked the idea of running it during the season, which is when kids are on the ice the most and where they improve the most. We run it every second Sunday, we feel that parents are often busy enough, maybe too much. We figure if you do skating for too long, kids get disinterested.”

For an additional fee, players can participate in what is called TESTify skate testing, a separate session that uses techniques used at the Western Hockey League’s Scouting Combine to measure a player’s performance. Players will be able to compare their results to others across the country and will be given an outline as to how to go about improving skills they feel need improvement.

“It measures speed, agility, the first six strides over specific space,” Purdie said. “Each kid gets a bracelet and they can check their scores, which are compared to other scores across North America. It’s a good measuring stick to see where kids are. Everyone has hopes of playing at a high level, if there is any kind of advantage to help him or her get there. I think it’s good.”

With over 30 years of combined playing experience at every level of the game, Kurtz and Purdie feel they are more than capable of sharing their wealth of knowledge with today’s young hockey crop.

“I would hope so,” Kurtz said. “If I was to put my kid in a program, I’d want someone who has played the game. I’ve played the game my whole life and I’ve learned from some of the best, including Randy Carlyle. He taught me a lot of little things. So I hope I can pass those along to the kids.”

The cost for the program is $300 for 12 sessions, with an extra $50 tacked on if an individual wants to participate in TESTify skate testing. The duo stress that space is limited and that spots will be claimed on a first come, first-served basis.

For more information on the camp, email phdhockeycamps@hotmail.com