June 19, 2008, Fargo, ND: New Jersey Devils defenseman Paul Martin provides a typical case study in the career path of a player selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Martin, the 62nd player drafted in 2000, played for the University of Minnesota for three years, helping the Golden Gophers win the NCAA Division I National Championships in 2002 and 2003, then played 70 games for the Devils in 2003-04. After playing for the Swiss team Fribourg-Gotteron in 2004-05, Martin returned to the Devils, where he has played 80, 82 and 73 games respectively over the past three seasons.

Unlike their counterparts in basketball and football, NHL draftees are nowhere near being on the verge of stardom and wealth. Instead, most find themselves like Martin did, heading for a Division I program or Major Junior Hockey League team. Indeed, the typical NHL draftee is three to five years away from making an NHL roster—if they ever make it at all.

Hearing his name called in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft was a dream come true for Matt Jones of the Phoenix Coyotes. “It’s a moment I’ll never forget,” said Jones. “It was something I imagined when I was a 14 year-old boy training on the Hockey Treadmill at Get Fast. It represented a culmination of everything I’d ever done on or off the ice to prepare myself for a career in the NHL.”

Like Paul Martin, Matt’s draft status did little to change his lifestyle in the short term. Jones finished his college career at the University of North Dakota before signing a contract with the Coyotes in 2005. That will likely be the case for players drafted this coming weekend—a few more years playing college or major junior hockey before they ever step on the ice to play for the NHL teams that draft them. And, for many of this year’s draftees, the next few years will also be devoted to off-ice, hockey-specific training—Athletic Republic style.

Martin was first exposed to Athletic Republic’s Acceleration Training while in high school, and continued his training on the Hockey Treadmill while playing for the University of Minnesota. “If you’re looking to take your game to the next level, Acceleration Training is an efficient and effective way to do it. With a knowledgeable training staff and top of the line equipment you will be a step ahead of the competition,” says Martin.

Jones first started working with Dave Dever of Get Fast, Inc., in Willowbrook, Illinois when he was 14 years old. When Matt was drafted in the third round of the NHL Entry Draft in 2002, Dever knew Jones had the work ethic necessary to make it in the NHL: “Matt is every coach’s dream to work with. I clearly remember Matt and his brother Zach waiting for me to open in the morning, just so they could be on time for the warm-up.”

Some of the players in this year’s NHL Entry Draft will share more than just the elation of hearing their name called on draft day with Martin and Jones. As many as nine players chosen in the early rounds will have trained at Athletic Republic centers or play for universities that incorporate Athletic Republic’s Hockey Treadmill and training protocols into their skill development and conditioning regime.

About Athletic Republic:

Athletic Republic is the industry leader in performance sports training, with programs appropriate for athletes of all ages. Founded in 1990 on the continuing research of exercise physiologist John Frappier, M.S., and Stephen C. Swanson, M.S., Athletic Republic’s training programs are available at more than 160 facilities throughout North America, the United Kingdom and Japan. 

Players who train on the Athletic Republic’s Hockey Treadmill increase their stride length and stride frequency through systematic training protocols specifically designed to increase metabolic conditioning for hockey. The Hockey Treadmill’s ice-like polymer surface allows players to train in their skates instead of a pair of running shoes. In addition, players improve core strength, agility and first-step quickness by stretching their limits on the Plyo Floor and the Plyo Press. Additionally, Athletic Republic’s Cord technologies train the athlete’s lower body for a more explosive stride and their upper body for more powerful and more accurate shots on goal.

To date, 472 former or current NHL players have used Athletic Republic’s systematic approach to hockey training to enhance or extend their careers.