ABOUT PLAYER ACCELERATION
Hockey Development Programs Designed To Create High-Level Hockey Players
Hockey Development Built From the Inside Out
Every player who steps onto the ice has potential. The question was never whether the talent is there, it's whether the right environment exists to bring it out.
Player Acceleration was built to be that environment.
Founded by Josh McEwan in Kelowna, BC, Player Acceleration is a high-performance hockey development program rooted in one belief: the players who make it aren't just the most skilled they're the most developed as human beings. Skill without character has a ceiling. Growth without identity doesn't last.
That's why everything here is built around one philosophy: develop from the inside out.
More Than a Hockey Camp
Most hockey training programs focus on the hands and the feet. We start with awareness of the mind, the body and the power inside.
Through high-performance hockey camps across BC. In Kelowna, Summerland, Lake Country, and Kamloops. Hockey players don't just sharpen their skating, puck handling, and shooting. They develop who they are when the game gets hard. They build emotional intelligence to handle adversity, leadership habits that make a team better, and on-the-spot problem-solving instincts that separate good players from great ones.
We've worked with players at every level, from athletes fighting for ice time to those chasing elite opportunities, and the pattern is always the same: the ones who break through are the ones who grow as people, not just players.
Player Acceleration exists to accelerate that growth.
The Four Foundations of Hockey Training
Everything we do is built around four core areas of development:
Skill & Skating Development: Elite technical training across skating, edges, puck control, shooting, and game intelligence in an environment where players are challenged to their ceiling, not just coached through the motions.
Fitness & Athletic Performance: Strength, conditioning, and sport-specific athleticism built for the physical demands of high-performance hockey at every level.
Mental Performance & Mindset: The mental skills that determine outcomes — focus, resilience, competitive drive, and the ability to perform under real pressure when it counts most.
Character Development: The emotional intelligence, leadership qualities, and integrity that define the kind of athlete and person your player becomes long after the season ends.
Learn More About The Four Player Acceleration Hockey Training Foundations:
PLAYERS INCREASE OVERALL SKILL DEVELOPMENT BY 300%
BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER's CONFIDENCE GAPS IN THIS Free 1-On-1 COACHING SESSION
13+ Years of Experience Working With Thousands of High-Performance Youth Hockey Players
CONNECT WITH US
OUR COACHES
Josh McEwan - Program Director & Head Coach
Josh McEwan has spent his career doing one thing: helping hockey players become the best version of themselves, on the ice and off it.
With years of experience coaching at one of the premier hockey academies in North America, Josh became recognized as one of the top skating and skills coaches in the game. He's coached at the highest levels of youth and amateur hockey, and has worked with players who have gone on to compete in the WHL, college and university programs, and professional hockey.
But what sets Josh apart isn't his experience, it's his philosophy. Josh built Player Acceleration because he saw a gap: most programs develop players. Very few develop people. He believes that the mental, emotional, and character growth of an athlete is what determines how far they go and he's built every camp, every session, and every coaching conversation around that belief.
Josh currently coaches in some of the top High Performance programs in the Okanagan and leads Player Acceleration's camps across BC. He brings the same level of intensity, care, and attention to every player, whether they're chasing a roster spot or a professional contract.
If you want to know whether Player Acceleration is the right fit for your player, start with a free 1-on-1 call with Josh.
Jens Kieling - Head Fitness Trainer
Jens Kieling has trained at the highest levels of sport, working with professional athletes from the Olympics, the NHL, the NBA, and across nearly every level of competitive hockey. He's a professional kinesiologist who brings a rare combination of elite performance science and genuine human understanding to every player he works with.
What makes Jens different is his approach. Rather than generic fitness programming, Jens designs training that puts the body in situations that directly replicate the demands of hockey, the explosive movements, the recovery demands, the body control that separates average athletes from elite ones. He knows exactly what it takes to get a player to their next level, and he's built a reputation for challenging athletes in an environment that's as nurturing as it is demanding.
Over the years, Jens' work has expanded beyond performance training into a deeper understanding of how the body and mind connect. He integrates holistic performance techniques that help players recover, reset, and grow in ways that are sustainable, not just for a season, but for a career. His players don't just get in better shape. They learn to understand their bodies, build real athletic foundations, and develop the kind of physical confidence that carries into every area of their game.
Jens' depth of experience and commitment to each player's growth makes him an invaluable part of the Player Acceleration coaching staff.
SKILLS & SKATING DEVELOPMENT
Great hockey players are built, one rep at a time.
Skill development isn't about doing everything at once. It's about breaking the game down into its core components, isolating each one, and sharpening it until it becomes instinct. At Player Acceleration, every drill, every session, and every piece of feedback is designed with one goal: to make your player a more complete, more dangerous hockey player.
Every athlete has strengths and weaknesses. The ones who make the jump to the next level aren't always the most talented, they're the ones who were honest enough to work on what was holding them back. That's the environment we create here.
Skating Development
Skating is the foundation of everything in hockey. No matter how skilled a player is with the puck, if they can't move efficiently on the ice, their ceiling is limited. At Player Acceleration, skating is broken down into its core technical components. Each one trained deliberately, because every edge, every stride, and every transition directly translates to a player's ability to compete at a higher level.
Edge Work: Edges are everything. A player who truly owns their edges can accelerate, decelerate, cut, and change direction with control and confidence. We train inside and outside edges across a full range of movements, helping players develop the balance and body control that make every other skating skill possible. Better edges mean sharper cuts, quicker adjustments, and the ability to maintain speed through situations where other players slow down or lose their footing.
Forward Stride: The forward stride is the engine of a hockey player's speed. All players skate, very few skate efficiently. We break the stride down into its technical components: knee bend, hip extension, full blade push, arm drive, and recovery mechanics. A properly developed forward stride generates more power with less energy, meaning players who refine it don't just skate faster, they skate faster for longer, which matters enormously late in a period or late in a game.
Backward Stride: Defensive positioning, gap control, and the ability to transition seamlessly all depend on a strong backward stride. We train players to move backward with the same confidence and power they have going forward. Developing the hip mobility, blade engagement, and posture mechanics that allow them to maintain tight gaps on forwards, protect the defensive zone, and set up explosive transitions when the puck changes hands.
Tight Turns: The ability to execute a sharp, powerful tight turn at full speed is one of the most game-changing skating skills a player can develop. Whether it's turning sharply, winning a race to the puck along the boards, or cutting back through the offensive zone, tight turns allow players to maintain momentum in spaces where most players are forced to slow down or straighten out. We work on weight distribution, edge depth, and upper body positioning to help players execute tight turns without losing speed.
Crossovers: Crossovers are how players generate speed and maintain it through curves and around the ice. Clean, powerful crossovers require coordination, edge confidence, and hip mobility. When they're done right, they allow a player to accelerate through turns rather than simply carry their speed through them. This is a skill that separates players who look smooth and effortless on the ice from those who look like they're working too hard to keep up.
Transitions: The ability to transition forward to backward, backward to forward, quickly, fluidly, and without losing speed is one of the most undercoached skills in hockey. Players who transition well can read and react to the play faster than their opponents. They don't telegraph their movements.
They flow between directions naturally, which makes them unpredictable and harder to defend against. We train transitional footwork extensively because in a game that moves as fast as hockey does, every tenth of a second matters.
Explosive Quick Starts: A player's first few strides are one of the most valuable assets a hockey player can have. Whether it's a winger beating a defender to a loose puck, a centre winning a zone battle, or a defenceman closing on a rush, the player who gets there first almost always wins the play. We train explosive starts from a stationary position, from a wide stance, and out of turns, working on weight transfer, initial push mechanics, and stride rate to help players generate maximum acceleration in minimum time.
Hockey Skating
Hockey Skills
Shot Power & Accuracy
Puck Protection
Stickhandling
Hockey Sense
Game Knowledge
Shooting Mechanics
A powerful shot means nothing without accuracy. An accurate shot means nothing without the ability to release it under pressure. At Player Acceleration, we break shooting down into the mechanics that actually move the needle: weight transfer, blade contact, wrist snap, and body positioning. Players develop the ability to generate real power from both their forehand and backhand, hit their spots consistently, and release quickly in game situations before a defender closes the gap.
Stickhandling & Puck Control
Stickhandling isn't just about moving the puck. It's about moving the puck with your head up, at full speed, under pressure, in tight spaces. We train players to develop soft hands and a wide range of motion so they can protect the puck, create separation, and make plays in situations where other players would lose possession. The players who can stickhandle confidently in traffic are the ones who get more puck time and more opportunities to make things happen.
Game Sense & Hockey IQ
Hockey sense is often described as something you either have or you don't. We disagree. While some players pick it up faster than others, game sense is absolutely trainable and it's what separates players who react to the game from players who read it. At Player Acceleration, we develop hockey sense through video, repetition, and deliberate in-game decision making practice.
Players learn to anticipate plays before they develop, understand where to be without the puck, and make faster, smarter decisions under pressure.
FITNESS TRAINING
Hockey is one of the most physically demanding sports on the planet and the standard keeps rising every year.
Generic gym work no longer cuts it. Today's high-performance hockey player needs a training program built specifically around the demands of the game: explosive acceleration, edge-to-edge agility, the endurance to compete at full intensity from the first shift to the last, and the physical resilience to stay healthy through a full season.
At Player Acceleration, fitness training isn't an afterthought it's a pillar. Jens Kieling and the coaching staff design every training block to replicate the real physical demands of hockey, building athletes who aren't just strong but hockey-ready.
Hockey training is growing and evolving every year. Gone are the days when you can go to the gym pick up weights and call that your "training". Now more than ever, players are required to have a hockey-specific training regiment. If they don't they will fall behind.
Physical development areas include:
Explosiveness & Power
Power & Agility
Core-stability
Strength & Endurance
Balance & Coordination
Flexibility
Focus & Confidence
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Leadership isn't a trait you're born with. It's a skill you build through self-awareness, consistency, and the deliberate choice to show up a certain way every single day.
The mental and emotional demands of competitive hockey are significant. Players face pressure from coaches, teammates, parents, and their own expectations. The ones who navigate that pressure well, who lift a room when it's hard, who compete with composure, who lead by example, aren't just valuable on the ice. They're the players teams fight to keep.
Hockey needs more leaders and this comes through intention enhancement of the individual. At Player Acceleration, leadership development is woven into everything we do. We help players understand themselves, strengthen their mindset, and build the emotional intelligence that separates good teammates from great leaders.
Leadership skills developed through Player Acceleration's camps and programs include:
Mindset Training
Enhancing Beliefs
Emotional Intelligence
Character Development
Confidence Building
Self-Actualization
Expanding Creativity
Player Personal Development
The best players in the world don't just train hard. They take care of themselves and they've learned that true performance starts with balance. The game is demanding, mentally, physically and emotionally. It can take a toll on most individuals. That's why it's incredibly important to include a wellness routine in your life. Being able to find balance and have tools and processes when things feel out of balance are vital for moving through difficult moments and coming out the other side stronger.
Hockey takes a real toll. Mentally, physically, emotionally. The grind of a season, the pressure of tryouts, the weight of expectations, without the right tools and practices, it catches up to every player eventually. That's why the world's top athletes, from NHL pros to Olympic competitors, have embraced wellness practices like meditation, visualization, breathwork, and mindfulness as core parts of their performance routine.
This is essential to enhance the quality of anyone's life and especially in hockey. Mental health is becoming more openly talked about and we all need resources to support our path in life.
Player Acceleration includes a comprehensive, integrated approach to your development. Players are shown things they do and perspective to take one which create a lasting effect on their life. Some of these are included in the items listed below.
Personal development practices include:
Breath Work
Nutrition
Mindfulness
Personal Wellness
Visualization & Meditation
Creative Flow Activation
Mind, Body, Spirit Connection