“When I met DJ my hockey career was at a all-time low, and on the brink of extinction. Prior to meeting him I had been cut from my local AA team going into the 2020-2021 season and had given up on hockey. I continued to play for my local high school team but did nothing to better myself outside of it. When 2021 rolled around I started working with DJ to give hockey one last shot to try to make a AA team the following year. It was challenging starting behind the competition, and very overwhelming. We began by working 3 days a week on the ice in the mornings. The on-Ice work consisted on skill based work starting with the fundamentals that easily become overlooked, then built upon that as we progressed.

He also designed an off-ice program for me to follow in the afternoons. The off-ice work was personalized for me and where my skill level was at the time. It consisted of workouts designed to work the muscles that focused on hockey movements, and not body builder workouts. The following 5 months that I worked with DJ were very challenging and frustrating at times, but paid off in the end. He broke down the process for me so I could take it day by day, and not be overwhelmed by the big picture. I ended up finding a hockey academy out of Boston that summer and moving away from home for the first time. After that I was accepted to Salisbury Prep school in Connecticut, to play and played for the AAA Buffalo Regals in the split season. I never would have thought that working to make a AA team could take me this far in 2 years. DJ helped me get back on my feet and helped me see the overwhelming journey ahead.”