Ice Dogs Spring Travel

Spring is one of the most important - and often misunderstood - development windows in youth hockey.

When done intentionally, spring hockey becomes a powerful opportunity for players to develop skills, habits, and confidence that carry forward not just into the next season, but for years to come.

Ice Dogs Spring Travel Hockey is designed for families who value long-term growth and who want their players to arrive at the fall season ready to succeed alongside their teammates.



Mite Level

• Mite 1: Doug Placko & Jake Pfeiffer
• Mite 2: Geoff Shewmake
• Mite 3: Bobby Scott
• Mite 4: Cam Schneider

Squirt Level

• Squirt Major (2016): Jake Pfeiffer
• Squirt A1: Enijs Gruzinskis
• Squirt A2: Cole Schneider
• Squirt A3: Michael Goldfine

Peewee Level

• Peewee AA: Enijs Gruzinskis
• Peewee Minor (2015): Ralph Menotti
• Peewee A1: Eric Skaleski
• Peewee A2: John Harris

Bantam Level

• Bantam AA: Steve Holeczy
• Bantam Minor (2013): Ralph Menotti
• Bantam A1: Ian Sheppard

Midget Level

• Chad Himley

“If you put in the work when nobody’s watching, the results show up when it matters.”

– Michael Jordan

Unlike traditional spring hockey models that prioritize games and results, our spring program is intentionally different. It's a purposeful, skills-driven development season intentionally designed to accelerate individual skill growth and build individual player confidence.

As a club, we’re incredibly fortunate to have a best-in-class, dedicated Ice Dogs coaching staff. Day in and day out, our head and assistant coaches show up with the passion, knowledge, and leadership required to drive team development, compete, and maximize player potential during the long fall season.

Our Ice Dogs Spring Travel Hockey session will place a deliberate, focused emphasis on individual skill growth. To support this initiative, we’re bringing in professional skills coaches to work alongside our teams and Ice Dogs coaching staff at no additional cost to families.

Our goal is to accelerate player confidence with every player leaving the spring season more skilled and better prepared for the next stage of their hockey journey.

Here’s what makes our spring program intentionally different:

The Ice Dogs has made a significant investment in bringing in diverse, high-level professional skills coaches to workalongside our teams and Ice Dogs coaching staff at no additional cost to families.

Exposure to different teaching styles, new coaching voices, and novel instructional perspectives helps players learn in a fresh way, accelerate breakthroughs, and build a deeper understanding of the game.

This year's professional skills coaching lineup includes Matthew Ford, Kevin Delaney, Justin Nelson, Scott Herbster, and Roger Holeczy. Check out their bios below!

While player development is and will remain to be a core pillar of our club’s mission, individual skill development is the foundation of our spring program. Our exclusive skills sessions will focus on power skating, puck control, shooting, passing, and hockey IQ. All of these are areas that tend to compete in priority during a team-focused, game-heavy fall/winter hockey season.

Players will benefit from meaningful reps during these skills sessions, which are designed to maximize puck touches, increase coaching feedback, and drive progress towards mastery of skills.



While individual development is the priority, players will continue to develop within a team environment. This includes:

• Weekly team practices
• Participation in one or more away tournaments, at the discretion of the Head Coach
• Participation in the Glacier Invitational Tournament (May 14–18)



Rather than chasing results, spring games and tournaments are secondary to skill development. They serve as opportunities for players to apply newly developed skills in real game situations, reinforcing learning and nurturing confidence.

Players aren’t just playing more: they’re playing better.



We believe multi-sport athletes become better hockey players. Our spring program is designed to provide flexibility for multi-sport athletes while still delivering a consistent, high-quality hockey experience.



The Ice Dogs 2026 Spring focus is not a standalone concept. This investment is part of our broader Ice Dogs Development Cycle:

FALL SEASON (Games) Primarily focused on team play/growth, competition, and pursuit of playoffs. Inclusive of individual player development, but often prioritizing the development of the team as a unit, and learning to play and overcome adversity together.

SPRING SEASON (Skills) Primarily focused on individual skill growth, individual development, and individual confidence-building. Inclusive of select team tournaments, prioritizing individual skill growth over team practices, and creating opportunities for athletes to participate in multiple sports (without feeling like they are letting their team down or missing out on team practices).

SUMMER PROGRAMMING (Growth) IDHA and Glacier offerings will continue to focus on individual skill development, age-appropriate strength training and speed/agility training, and continued encouragement of multi-sport athletic pursuits.

This intentional development cycle allows players to continue their growth year-over-year, build skills and confidence, and apply them within team structures when it matters most.



Placko

Pfeiffer

Shewmake

Gruzinskis

Skaleski

Menotti

Harris

Scott

Holeczy