2027 Defensemen Specific
Development Program
New for 2027: video is part of every session
The biggest change to this program is that you no longer just get told what to do differently. You see it first.
Every session opens with twenty minutes of film, and the concept on the screen is the concept you execute on the ice minutes later. Get dressed, come to the video room in gear, see the concept on screen, then walk out and execute it at full speed.
Film before ice is instruction. Film after ice is a debrief. Only one of those changes what you do the following weekend.
Most video programs show you your mistakes in August. This one shows you the decision in June and then puts you in it.
The final week is your own game tape, reviewed against the same framework you trained in all summer.
What a Session Looks Like
Get dressed · 20 min video · 60 min ice · out the door
-
Get dressedGear on, then straight to the video room. Skates and helmet can wait.
-
20 minutes — videoThree or four concepts, six to eight clips. The specific concepts you are about to work on.
-
60 minutes — iceThe same concept at game speed. Small groups, heavy reps, no standing in line.
-
Out the doorEighty minutes at the rink, start to finish.
Fourteen defensemen per group, so nobody is waiting through a drill to get a rep.
What You Will Work On
9 weekly themes · film and ice built together
Nine weeks, each with a defined theme and a stated outcome. The film and the ice work are built together, so nothing on the schedule is filler.
- Skating mechanics, agility, and edgework specific to defending
- Gap control and defending the rush
- Retrievals and escapes under forecheck pressure
- The first pass and clean zone exits
- Reading when to activate and contribute offensively
- Blue line management, net front, and in-zone battles
- Decision-making under pressure in live game scenarios
The final week is individual film — your own game tape, reviewed against everything the summer covered.
Two Groups, One Curriculum
Group A: 7:55 AM · Group B: 10:25 AM · split by level
The program runs as two invitation groups of fourteen, split by level rather than by age. Both work the same nine-week arc with the same staff and the same film, taught at the depth and pace each group is ready for.
| Group | Video Room | On Ice |
|---|---|---|
| Group A | 7:55 – 8:15 AM | 8:15 – 9:15 AM |
| Group B | 10:25 – 10:45 AM | 10:45 – 11:45 AM |
Both groups are $2,065. Your invitation will name the group.
Why This Program
Coach Nguyen · Chris Jandric · guest coaches by level · operate in the green
- Led by Coach Lincoln Nguyen, a former NCAA Division I, Division III, and Junior hockey coach, with a track record of developing defensemen who advance to the NHL, NCAA Division I and III, USHL, NAHL, and other premier leagues.
- On the ice alongside Coach Nguyen is Chris Jandric — an active pro defenseman in Germany’s DEL, a 2025 Kelly Cup champion, and an All-NCHC First Team defenseman at North Dakota — teaching the position he still plays at the professional level.
- Guest coaches from NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III, USHL, and Tier II programs work the group through the summer, bringing what they actually look for at their level.
- Too often players are judged by what they can’t do. This program flips that. You learn to operate in the green — to recognize when you have the light, and to make the productive play that earns a coach’s trust in every situation.
Request your invitation
Rosters are capped at fourteen per group. Send us an inquiry and we will comb through the inquiry list — invitations go out from there. Once invited, a $500 deposit holds your spot, with the balance due before the first session.