Defensive Camps for Ice Hockey

While offensive hockey talents, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby or the Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane, can jump into the National Hockey League as teenagers and make an immediate impact, defensemen traditionally need a little more seasoning and development. Defensemen require not only a lot more strength, but also a lot more aptitude in being able to see the ice and play without the puck. That development usually starts in hockey camps geared specifically for defensemen.

  1. Simply Defense

    • Run by former NAHL and UHL coach Jeff Blum, Simply Defense lives up to its name. Its camps break down a defenseman's game into individual parts and imparts the fundamentals through specially designed drills.

      Unlike most camps, Simply Defense also spends a great deal of time preaching situational defense in a game-like atmosphere.

      Simply Defense is based north of the Detroit area, but runs camps in Minnesota and the Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Chicago regions as well.

      Simply Defense

      4087 Elaine

      Port Huron, MI 48060

      810-985-4529

      www.simplydefense.com

    International Hockey School

    • Located in the wilds of western Minnesota at Detroit Lakes, the International Hockey School complex hosts a defense camp where the primary focus is the mental part of a defenseman's game. Priority is given to drills that teach players about proper positioning, playing angles, backward skating and checking. This camp does not spend time on general hockey skills.

      International Hockey School

      220 East State St., Suite 1-E

      O'Fallon, IL 62269

      1-877-447-1987

      www.incamps.com

    Pro Ambitions Hockey

    • Run by former NHL defenseman Jeff Serowik, Pro Ambitions runs a specialized defensemen camp out of its boarding camps at Boston University and Kents Hill School in Maine. A week in these camps includes 20 hours of on-ice training and 15 hours of off-ice training with a professional instructor for every five campers.

      Pro Ambitions has expanded to allow for a touring camp in the summer, with stops in cities such as Tahoe, California, and Estero, Florida.

      The camp recognizes that the modern game requires more offensive creativity from defensemen, so includes puck battles and puck movement as disciplines.

      Pro Ambitions Hockey

      PO Box 565

      Dover, MA 02030

      508-497-1089

      www.proambitions.com

    Louis Chabot

    • Montreal native Louis Chabot spent 12 years coaching championship professional teams in Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and France. Now he spends his time in North America working on developing youngsters in the United States. Defensemen are instructed in backwards skating, crossovers, pivots, puck protection and angling.

      The camp, like many, is a touring camp with stops throughout New England. In 2010, Louis Chabot hosted camps in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire.

      Chabot Hockey Schools

      44 Acorn Road

      Hampton, NH 03842

      603-929-4967

      www.louischabot.com

    Maximum Performance

    • Hockey has a huge following in the 49th state. The only Division I NCAA teams in the state are the hockey squads at University of Alaska-Fairbanks and University of Alaska-Anchorage. NHL defenseman and former Hobey Baker winner Matt Carle hails from Anchorage, as does NHL goalie Ty Conklin. To keep that pipeline of NHL talent flowing south and east, Maximum Performance hosts a defensemen camp that focuses on specialized skills, such as body checking, covering breakouts and working the point on the power play.

      Maximum Performance runs its camps in Wasilla and Eagle River in July.

      Maximum Performance Hockey Schools

      20726 Jayhawk Drive

      Chugiak, AK 99567

      907-688-9453

      www.mp-hockeyschools.com