Introduction and Philosophy
Victus Academy is a hockey academy for dedicated student-athletes who want to get to the next level. Victus Academy provides structured, integrated and customized programming allowing these athletes the opportunity to reach their full potential.
The athletes are on the ice one hour per day, four days a week, for the complete 10-month school year. They are on the ice in 2-year bands meaning Grades 5 & 6, 7 & 8, 9 & 10, and 11 & 12 will train together.
The Academy will only comprise of rep-quality hockey players, who will continue playing on their rep team throughout the school year. Accordingly the on-ice program is a structured skill-based program focusing on skating, stick handling, game situations and hockey IQ. Repetition, daily coaching, and discipline are the key factors and every athlete will see significant development in skating, shooting, puck handling and their overall game.
The head of hockey operations is Mike Ellis, the Director of Skill Development for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Skill Coach for the Canadian Women’s National Team. Mark Ellis, our head on-ice instructor, has extensive playing, administrative, and skill development experience. His team also includes female instructor Megan Bozek, who has extensive hockey experience and represented the US in the 2014 and 2022 Winter Olympics.
Structured Approach
For all of the programs, Victus Academy provides regular assessments, evaluations and testing to track their progress. This is a completely integrated hockey program, to ensure that all aspects of the hockey player are being developed. The Academy has an excellent coach to player ratio and this allows our coaches to provide individual attention. Goaltenders at Victus Academy will have a goaltender coach for all ice sessions, led by Paul Gibson who is currently the goaltender coach of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack.
Tournaments and Additional Resources
Victus Academy also provides additional resources so the athletes can enjoy the full athletic experience, including nutritional advice and mental skills coaching through regularly scheduled seminars. As well, after the students’ seasons are over (and based on numbers), we may enter spring tournaments to allow the athletes to showcase their talent as a Victus Team and to allow their training to shine.