Bronko Hockey head instructors Dan Del Monte and Dion Del Monte organized a successful week-long camp for youth players near Hannover, Germany in April, 2010.

Together with German pro coach Craig Streu and a handful of pro German players, the Bronko instructors led two groups, totalling over 50 players aged 6-12, through a challenging progression of skating and puck skills empasizing correct technique and building proper movement patterns.

"Skating is such an important part of the game," Dan Del Monte remarked. "It's important for young players in particular to learn the fundamentals correctly. If they've developed bad habits when they're young, those habits can be difficult to correct when they are older. We made it a priority to include a lot of skating in the program."

Puck skills and individaul tactics were a large part of the program as well. "These are things that can and should be worked on during both on- and off-ice sessions," Del Monte said.

Players were split into 2 groups that alternated between on- and off- ice training. Besides puck handling and puck protection skills, the off-ice training included work on balance, co-ordination and core strength.

"We want to help these young players become better athletes and help them learn to move efficiently," Del Monte said. "At this age though, you have to keep it fun."

In order to make the camp a memorable experience for the players, careful attention was paid to a number of small details that went over well with all the players. For example, each player received a game-quality camp jersey sporting their name across the back, player names were printed and hung on dressing room stalls, snacks, like fruit and granola bars, were made available in the dressing room between sessions and at the end of each day players ate a meal together in the arena restaurant.

"We wanted to make it a first class experience all the way," Del Monte said. "The parents were very happy with the results of the camp and the kids had a lot of fun. Most importantly, watching them on the ice, you could see the improvement from the start of the week."