Be a Pro Hockey's player development plan to progress players from minor hockey to pro

Be a pro player development model

The biggest challenge our coaches faced growing up in Canmore was the lack of a clear off-season development pathway. There was no structured plan to follow—just piecing things together and hoping it worked. That’s exactly why we built Be a Pro’s player development model.

Our model guides athletes through clear, intentional phases, each with a specific purpose, focus, and standard. Every stage builds on the one before it, creating a progression players can trust. Within each phase, players have access to different program options based on their individual needs, experience, and goals—ensuring they’re training at the right level, at the right time.

The goal is to build confident, accountable athletes who develop the right way, on and off the ice, with long-term growth as the priority.

Developing players is only part of the equation. Coaching is often treated as something separate from development, rather than an extension of it.

That’s why Be a Pro is committed to investing in older athletes to help them grow into coaching roles. By giving back and supporting younger players, they reinforce the standards and habits they’ve learned while strengthening the culture and gaining valuable leadership skills.

Diagram depicting the stages of athlete development from ages 7 to 24 and beyond, including five phases: Foundational Development, High Performance, Elite, Prospect, and Professional, each with specific goals and age ranges.

Phase BreakdownS

  • Improve skating, puck control, and decision-making through fun, high-quality fundamentals.

  • Develop athletic movement, coordination, and bodyweight strength in a fun & positive environment.

    • Skills Development Skates

    • Hockey Camps

Foundational development phase

high performance phase

  • Execute skills at higher speeds while improving awareness, positioning, and competitive habits.

  • Build movement quality, introductory strength, and basic speed and plyometric ability.

    • High Performance On Ice Skills

    • Foundational Gym Sessions

Elite phase

  • Push tempo, decision-making, and competitiveness while refining positional detail.

  • Progress strength, speed, and conditioning alongside recovery and nutrition habits.

    • Elite U18 Summer Program

    • Call up opportunity for Jr-Pro Group

prospect phase

  • Execute at elite pace with advanced situational awareness, deception, and positional mastery.

  • Develop high-performance strength, power, conditioning, and recovery systems used by pros. Track progress with advanced metric

    • Jr-Pro Summer Program

    • Begin Coaching Foundational Dev to High Performance Programs

  • Refine role-specific skills and decision-making while maximizing efficiency and pace.

  • Focus on strength maintenance, mobility, conditioning, and recovery strategies that extend career longevity.

    • Jr-Pro Summer Program

    • Head coaching Foundational to Professional Programs

professional phase