Total Package Hockey set to open second year-round hockey school in Troy
By @MichaelCaples –
Due to the success of their first Center of Excellence program, Total Package Hockey is introducing a second location in Troy.
Scheduled to open for the 2016-17 school year, the TPH Center of Excellence in Troy will be housed within the Troy Sports Center, and it will offer daily hockey training to go with students’ online educational classes.
“The facility has everything to offer a player who wants to get better,” said Total Package Hockey President and Managing Partner Nathan Bowen. “Troy Sports Center is one of the nicest facilities in the country. We’ve been going there for years for various AAA showcases and we’re excited to become partners.
“After the development and growth we have seen academically and athletically in the student-athletes who have attended Canton the past two years, there is no doubt this will help players take advantage of the same opportunities in the Detroit area that reside close to Troy.”
The TPH Center of Excellence blends academics and athletics, offering on-ice instruction during the day while providing students with tutors to go along with an online education curriculum that keeps them on the path to high school graduation.
The TPH students, ranging from grade six through 12, take classes via Connections Academy in the hybrid classroom environment, which allows for flexible schedules that accommodate daily training and a player’s individual hockey schedule with his or her own team.
The Connections Academy platform is an excellent opportunity for the kids,” said Director of Education and Recruitment Kevin Hess. “It’s a great education, it’s flexible, goes at their pace and it allows the kids to do their lessons while they’re on the road with hockey.”
Jim McGroarty, a former USHL head coach and GM, will serve as the director of hockey operations at the new TPH Center of Excellence location in Troy. McGroarty has worked with more than 200 Division 1 student-athletes and 50 NHL draft picks.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with Brandon (Naurato) and the rest of the TPH staff,” McGroarty said. “We want to find the right student-athletes for our program in the classroom as well as on the ice. We are interested in good people with an elite mindset and the drive to get better every single day.”
Naurato said that the progress seen at the original Center of Excellence in Canton has allowed for TPH to expand their program.
“The success of the Canton location is directly related to these student-athletes growing as individuals off the ice and developing as hockey players on the ice,” said Naurato, TPH Detroit director of hockey operations. “(The Troy location) opens up the opportunity for players who live out that way to join the program and be a part of what TPH is trying to build. Our goal for these young men is to help them open up doors and future opportunities in life through elite hockey training and overall academic success.”
Applications for enrollment to the Troy Center of Excellence are now being accepted for the 2016-17 school year. Those who are interested in joining the elite program can apply online here: http://www.tphdetroit.com/coe/
Total Package Hockey is one of the largest hockey service providers in the country, offering youth and adult programs from Detroit to Atlanta. TPH provides programs, which are staffed by highly qualified elite hockey coaches and professionals, to more than 4,000 players each year. With programs in 18 total U.S. cities, including teams in the NA3HL and T1EHL, TPH specializes in skill-based player development and has a track record of moving players to junior or college hockey.