WELCOME!

Welcome!

Hi everyone! My name is Danny Perez and I am the coach behind PHD (Perez Hockey Development).

Thank you for signing up for my weekly newsletter. This newsletter aims to educate and inform on all things hockey.

If you grew up in a hockey family, fantastic you’re already ahead of the game. But, if you are anything like me, you probably didn’t and that’s okay. Do not feel like you are behind the 8 ball because you’re not.

I was born and raised in New Jersey but my parents cannot say the same. My mom was born in Cuba and my dad was born in Portugal so it would be safe to say that my parents didn’t know a thing about hockey. So much so that I remember throughout the early part of my life and hockey journey, I would walk into my parent’s room at night and see my dad with his night light on reading books titled, “Hockey for Dummies” and “So You Want To Play in the NHL” by long time NHL coach and player, Dan Bylsma.

We were truly starting from square one.

I only got into hockey because my mom got 2 free tickets to a New York Rangers game from her boss and told my dad to take me when I was 3 years old.

My parents have learned a lot throughout my time in hockey and still are with my brother as he navigates the ranks playing college hockey at Skidmore College (Division III, NEHC) in Saratoga Spring, New York.

My parents felt lost a lot of the time, as did I, and we really had to rely on and trust the coaches who helped me become the player I am today. My family and I are extremely grateful for the many on-ice and off-ice coaches and mentors who have helped shape me into the hockey player I eventually became but more importantly, the person I am.

It truly does take a village to help an athlete realize their true potential and without the support of my family, it is without question that I would not have made it as far as I did in hockey.

There were days when it was stressful both mentally and financially for my family who constantly wondered, “Are the early morning skill sessions worth our time, energy, and money?”, “Is Danny developing as a player?”, “If we don’t put him in this camp coming up will he miss out and fall behind?”.

Hockey is not a cheap sport and when you don’t have a hockey background, it can be tough to trust where you spend your hard-earned money. But my parents did their absolute best to afford my brother and I every opportunity to go to Robby Glantz Power Skating camps, Turcotte Stickhandling schools, and all the other showcase camps and early morning skill development sessions in between.

As I mentioned at the start, my aim for this newsletter is to educate and inform both the player and the family on all things hockey. For right now, each newsletter will be designed to go over one specific hockey topic/skill. I will go in-depth on the skill and how to develop that part of your game. There will be visuals that you can see to gain a better understanding.

I will also be adding a “Drill of the Week” section in most of my newsletters that discuss specific skill sets. This section will have an explanation of the drill as well as footage of the drill so you can immediately take it with you and use it in your next session.

From questions regarding equipment, skill development, and everything in between, I hope to be a valued resource and relay the do’s and don’ts of the many things I’ve learned and continue to learn.

Well, that’s all I have for today. I wanted to kick off this newsletter by giving you all an inside look at my family and our hockey journey. I look forward to continuing to develop the next generation of hockey players and easing the process for both players and parents along the way.

Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, but more importantly, it’s supposed to be fun.

See you all soon!

— Danny Perez