The youth hockey series Hit The Ice will return to APTN for its fifth season on February 2nd at 4:30pm.
The youth series witnesses the ins and outs of an elite training camp as the best young Indigenous hockey players of the country try to earn invites from some of the top junior teams in Canada and scholarships to schools in the U.S. The players come from various Indigenous communities from across the country. Ex-NHL coach and player John Chabot will return as head coach of the camp and has called on a slew of professionals to come in to offer a hand. In his hockey career, Chabot played with the Canadiens, Red Wings and Penguins and has coached & assistant-coached for the Islanders as well as in the QMJHL. He is backed up by some of the top current coaches and trainers in the NHL and established health and training professionals and elite hockey specialists to give the kids in the series the chance to experience a real NHL training camp experience.
His team includes Assistant Coach/Goalie Coach Alfie Michaud, Assistant Coach Denny Lambert (Ducks, Senators, Predators, Thrashers) and Off-Ice Trainer Giulia De Leo, whose clients include NHL and CFL players. Guest coaches include Mark Stone (Senators player), Ryan Garbutt (former Ducks, Stars, Blackhawks player, current San Diego Gulls player), Cody McLeod (current Predators, former Avalanche player), Cody McCormick (former Avalanche, Sabres, Wild player), Gerard Gallant (former coach/assistant coach Panthers, Canadiens, Team Canada 2007), Benjamin Guité (former player Bruins, Avalanche, Predators, current assistant coach University of Maine), J.P. Vigier (former player Thrashers), Kent Hawley (professional scout, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Oilers) and University of Manitoba sports psychologists Dr. Leslie Toogood and Dr. Leisha Strachan.
This year’s edition of the series was shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba and is available in both English and Cree.
The series will run for a total of thirteen weeks on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.
Photo: Hit The Ice
