Our program centered on an annual Prospects Camp held each spring in Indianapolis, IN. The camp was designed to help players ages 15-19 create opportunities for themselves in the world of junior hockey and to help educate players and parents on what it takes to be successful beyond youth hockey. During this time the US junior system was strengthening and growing considerably from one year to the next. The camp quickly grew to the point that we had players attending from across the US, Canada, and even Europe and it gained a reputation among many junior coaches and scouts as a must attend event as part of their annual recruiting trips. Throughout the 10 years we ran this camp we saw a variety of talented and driven players come through it and we were able to help them gain quality, appropriate options at the next level. As a result, we saw an extremely high success rate for our players as well for the coaches and scouts that attended. Each year upwards of 95% of the players in the camp were receiving options from multiple junior teams and we saw them go on to play junior, college, and professional hockey. We are thankful for the great friendships, experience, and reputation that was built during these years.

Over the years as our lives changed, our family grew, and the hockey world evolved our program evolved our programs adapted. We began our annual summer Future Stars program as a way to keep a small group of 6- & 7-year old’s learning skills and having fun on the ice in the off season. The program quickly grew to the point that in 2018, it covered mites through U16 midgets. Throughout the years this program was very worthwhile to us, and a lot of fun to run. It has proven to be a great vehicle to focusing on skill and hockey sense development with players helping to develop and learn to apply the tools that, too many times, get overlooked during the season. Our focus was always on development and it is evident be seeing some of these young players advancing to the Tier 1 AAA level.

As the hockey world continues to evolve, so has our organization. It became evident to us that the model we developed with our annual Prospects Camp was successful, so much so, that the market became diluted. Additionally, we were seeing the compete level and commitment level of the average players decline over time. As a result, we decided to head in a new direction while keeping our development and advancement focus. Team Five Hole Hockey (Spring Hockey Teams) is our vehicle to really dial it all in: identify talented, driven, committed players that show upward potential and provide both players and parents with the on and off ice tools and knowledge, and networking contacts that will position them to pursue their hockey dreams beyond youth levels. Through our first 5 years, we have seen the program grow quickly in size, in accomplishments and expand its footprint going from a “local” team initially to a team and program that is very much national in scope. We look to continue that trend in 2024 and are excited to see what new successes our players find.