\u201cWe are a team, much like in Formula 1. There are a lot of us behind the scenes all working for the success of one person. The thing is, nothing we do will work if that player doesn\u2019t put the effort in. Adam has done that since day one. Now, it\u2019s time to reap the rewards.\u201d<\/p>\n
For three-quarters of the year, hockey players are thrust in the limelight, their every move scrutinized by coaches, management, media, and the fans. Then the summer arrives, and everyone vanishes. While there are expectations that a player maintains some sort of summer training regimen, it\u2019s all under the radar, with minimal input from the team and little to no visibility for the public. For Adam Engstr\u00f6m, the summer means a return to his native Sweden and several months of intense work with one of the nation\u2019s best athletic trainers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not easy to get to Mr. B. The man has clients in many different sports and therefore likes to stay in the background. In fact, reaching him takes up all of my banked goodwill from members of the Swedish hockey community, including Engstr\u00f6m himself. It all pays off though, as Mr. B\u2019s first words to me when I finally get in touch with him are, \u201cYou come very highly recommended,\u201d to which I reply, \u201cLikewise.\u201d<\/p>\n
The interview is set under one condition: that the audience will not be given enough details to identify him. So dear readers, the best I can do is to assure you that Mr. B\u2019s track record is second-to-none and his insights are worth this unusual measure. Mr. B refers to himself as an \u201cassistant,\u201d avoiding the term \u201cconsultant.\u201d He doesn\u2019t talk about the stature of his clientele nor the compensation that he receives. He sees himself as a helper, a facilitator, more than anything else.<\/p>\n
First steps<\/p>\n
Mr. B has worked with Engstr\u00f6m since his mid-teens, after he had joined the Djurg\u00e5rdens IF academy system alongside attending a hockey gymnasium in Stockholm.<\/p>\n
[In Sweden, after completing nine years of compulsory education, students can attend a gymnasium for three years (typically between the ages of 16 to 18) in order to prepare them for university, the trades, or other career pursuits. Hockey gymnasia add practices before and after a typical school day where students work on on-ice and off-ice training. Most hockey gymnasia are connected to SHL or HockeyAllsvenskan clubs. Similar schools also exist for other sports such as soccer or athletics.]<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was already practising really hard with physio early in the morning, skating at noon, and so on,\u201d Mr. B explained. \u201cTherefore, our focus turned largely to movement and making sure the body can do what it is supposed to handle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing we do is set up a list of demands [on the body] so that it can produce enough power to skate. On top of that, we aim to develop the mobility in specific sets of joints necessary to play 82 games plus a deep playoff run in the best league in the world. Then you need to be able to handle the lactic acid built up throughout all these games. You can\u2019t do intervals at 45-45 [like the shifts in hockey] because then you just keep doing the same movements, and that won\u2019t be good long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n
Balancing speed, stamina, and bulk<\/p>\n
One of the biggest questions for most Junior players is whether they have the frame to play at the senior level. Mr. B approaches this from a different perspective. \u201cThe foundation for any sport is the heart and lungs. If we don\u2019t work there, a player will never get better. During our first meeting with an athlete, we usually ask, \u2018what do you think it takes to become one of the best athletes in the world?\u2019 If the answer is working out five to six days a week, with some days being double days, you need a [VO2max score] over 60 to handle that. It won\u2019t necessarily show up on the ice, but it will show up between games when it comes to recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. B remembers that when MMA started to become popular, wrestling became all the rage. \u201cI had guys who wrestled for their summer training. They came into camp looking like Greek gods, but they were used to handling how lactic acid built up during wrestling, not skating. At that point, we had to start all over again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also prizes technique over raw power. \u201cTo get faster, you need power and explosiveness. To get that, you need agility and technique. There is no shortcut here, no easy way. You need to put the work in, and doubly so because you have to translate the motions learned in the gym to the mechanics of skating on ice.\u201d But he casts doubt on undirected work: \u201cHow does a player get faster? Well, they go to YouTube and get told to jump. So they jump \u2014 a lot. On stairs, over hurdles, jump, jump, jump. The problem is that while everyone can jump, not everyone is strong enough to land properly. Landing is an overlooked repetitive heavy impact on the knees, the back, the butt. As lactic acid builds up from jumping, landing form progressively breaks down \u2014 knees start going inward, the back becomes round, everything bad starts happening. Once this occurs, you lose any benefit from the session.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, that doesn\u2019t mean that Mr. B ignores the value of bulk altogether. \u201cWe try to teach players to \u2018play their weight,\u2019\u201d he says, explaining that players have to be comfortable in their bodies rather than aiming for specific numerical targets. \u201cYou have to trust your gut feelings. Adam is up to 90 kilograms (198 pounds) now, but you can\u2019t tell from the way he skates \u2014 he looks so light on his skates.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is a right way and a wrong way to build bulk, according to Mr. B: \u201c[Without active support], a player will go to their friend, the biggest guy at the gym, or YouTube, for the quickest way to gain 10 kilograms in order to go pro. That doesn\u2019t work.\u201d He notes that Adam hasn\u2019t stressed himself to reach his current weight, and he credits two things for that. The first is a woman named Monica who looks after Engstr\u00f6m\u2019s diet. \u201cEveryone overemphasizes protein and fat and downplays carbohydrates, but it\u2019s the carbs that supply energy over the long haul \u2014 that get you through a season. [Monica] gets Adam to write a food diary, and then we evaluate and grade each food. Then Monica, as the professional, helps me translate this information back to the athlete. A pro needs to work with pros.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second is Engstr\u00f6m\u2019s meticulousness, because it\u2019s not just about what one eats, but when they eat it. \u201cYou need food immediately after a practice,\u201d Mr. B explains. \u201cIf you come home from practice and only then start to plan what you\u2019ll eat, it\u2019s too late. But you can\u2019t go online and order it, so you need to plan in advance. You need good produce already at home and ready.\u201d Being part of the R\u00f6gle BK program has apparently forced Engstr\u00f6m to take all of these things to heart. Still, Mr. B is concerned about the North American schedule: \u201cWhen players go overseas, things are fine after practices because the team provides food. But evenings at home, after games, are trickier. They also get later and later [since North American games finish later], and there are problems that come when players eat too late in the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
So what does Mr. B plan for Engstr\u00f6m? \u201cIn Adam\u2019s case, to challenge his body, we use a lot of Olympic lifts \u2014 snatch and clean-and-jerk,\u201d Mr. B explains. \u201dThese lifts generate a lot of power, and we can see that he jumps better because of them. We also think that these complex movements, which engage different sets of joints, muscles, and the brain, make things interesting. We do them in an environment without mirrors, windows, or phones. We barely use music \u2014 the point is on mastering the technique itself without any distractions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Adam improves his agility and strength, then we add more weight. This strategy will be his backbone for the next 15-20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adjusting to changes in scenery<\/p>\n
Being drafted by an NHL team marks the fulfillment of a young hockey player\u2019s journey, a single event that vindicates all of the years leading up to it. But it is also the first step of a new and chaotic journey into North American professional hockey. \u201cIt\u2019s a messy year, in general.\u201d Mr. B starts. \u201cFirst, they go over to development camp, where they meet the organization and get evaluated on absolutely everything they do. Then some of them have to go straight to national team duties as soon as they get sent home, then immediately join their [European] club teams afterward. There\u2019s also a pressure that comes after someone is drafted, where the thought process is that they should always be promoted to the senior team regardless of their prior history. It\u2019s chaos.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur intentions are to develop as good an athlete as possible, but to do it over time.\u201d Mr. B continued. \u201cThey are only 18 years old, and are locked in for four years to an organization. Our thought process is that we want a player to take steps all through those four years, but the first summer is not an issue. The important thing is to not go backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cEngstr\u00f6m was lucky to be drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. Their staff focuses on hockey but also branches out to other parts of development. They understood the importance of time, so Adam and I didn\u2019t do a lot together in that first year. Rather, we were careful and left him in a good environment with [then U20 head coach and current senior assistant coach] Max Bohlin and the R\u00f6gle BK team. For example, one time he was up in Stockholm to visit his parents, we had a chance to do some work, but we just focused on sorting out techniques as he lifted weights; we weren\u2019t concerned with how heavy the lifts were.\u201d<\/p>\n
How development camp complicates things<\/p>\n
The Canadiens annually hold a development camp for their prospects in July. It\u2019s an opportunity for players to showcase themselves for management, but it\u2019s not all sunshine and roses, especially for European prospects. \u201cConsider this,\u201d Mr. B begins, \u201cYou play a season with R\u00f6gle, and maybe you make the playoffs, maybe not. Maybe you join the U20s for their playoffs. Either way, you\u2019ve tried to time your physical peak for the post-season [April\/May]. Now, you have to try to hold that peak until July, or generate a new mini peak, because you\u2019re going to go up against North American players who have been on the ice during that gap.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s also an immense amount of pressure. The players are showcasing their skills in unfamiliar situations: three-on-threes, four-on-fours, special teams, and so on. Then you factor in how this event might be the only time management sees a European player in person all season, as well as the presence of the media \u2014 especially in Montreal. Furthermore, you get two weeks off when you get back from North America, but then August arrives and it\u2019s time for heavy pre-season training with your SHL team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team Adam<\/p>\n
In past interviews, Engstr\u00f6m highlighted how important Bohlin was for his early development. Even today, the two still link up for individual training sessions throughout the summer. Bohlin\u2019s player development philosophy centres on a desire to learn rather than adherence to set regimens. \u201cI look at it from a holistic approach,\u201d Bohlin explained. \u201cAll four aspects \u2014 mental, tactical, technical, and physical \u2014 are important. When I am able to work on all four areas, it shows that I care about the player, both on and off the ice, and that enhances the player\u2019s development.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. B concurs with Bohlin\u2019s assessment of himself: \u201cMax is so damn good,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cHe is so keen to learn, and sharp enough to realize the importance of understanding. Despite being so young, he\u2019s already grasped the importance of things beyond \u2018just hockey.\u2019 That it takes a team effort to make these players better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. B recalls one specific instance where Bohlin came up to Stockholm to learn more about what he and Engstr\u00f6m were doing together. \u201cMax spent three days here and he could see how the work I did here translated to on-ice stuff, how general exercises translated to hockey-specific development.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the same way, Mr. B adjusted his training regimen based on what Bohlin wanted from Engstr\u00f6m. \u201cThe first thing we worked on was movement, in order to benefit [Adam\u2019s] skating. I did that because Max was doing a lot of technical sessions in \u00c4ngelholm to push Adam to get better on the outside. We needed to do specific exercises so that Adam could perform the movements that Max wanted him to do. This didn\u2019t start the first day after the draft, but rather was something we built up throughout that first season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a team: Max, the Montreal development group and myself,\u201d Mr. B says, but adds that \u201c100% of the work is done by Adam. We are the tools, but without Adam we are nothing. Mr. [Rob] Ramage and Mr. [Lauri] Korpikoski, all of us want to push Adam forward \u2014 but again it\u2019s Adam\u2019s work ethic and his willingness to learn that is the key.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps that Adam is extremely interested and curious, that he asks and he wants to understand, \u2018Why?\u2019 Mr. B highlights one specific conversation between Engstr\u00f6m and Ramage. \u201cOne of the key things that Adam really took to heart was when we were in \u00c4ngelholm with Mr. Ramage and he said \u2018defence starts with a D, if you don\u2019t like it, you have to start thinking about doing something else. You have to become a defensive player.\u2019 It was important for Adam to have the stamina to work hard defensively \u2014 to be on the right side, shift after shift, and maintain the mental clarity to make a great pass out of his own zone and go for a change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, as Mr. B has repeatedly said, it all comes down to the player. \u201cGrit is necessary to be there at eight every morning. My job is to harness that grit and make sure they channel it correctly.\u201d In this case, Engstr\u00f6m is a special individual. Not only has he shown a willingness to sacrifice, he has also displayed a great deal of patience. \u201cAdam has been great,\u201d Mr. B explains. \u201cHe has made slow and steady progress over time. He has been engaged, he has been curious, and he has never taken his eyes off his goal of being an NHL player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. B downplays his own importance in Engstr\u00f6m\u2019s progress. \u201cI am just the wall that Adam bounces ideas off of. If everything is good, then we don\u2019t change anything.\u201d However, a member of the Canadiens\u2019 staff summed up the role he plays in the development story. \u201cMr. B doesn\u2019t build hockey players. He builds athletes that can play hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n
As usual there are a lot of people to thank for their help in writing this article, some of whom can\u2019t be named because they want anonymity, but I really want to thank Nathan Ni for his invaluable help with editing and being someone to bounce questions off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWe are a team, much like in Formula 1. There are a lot of us behind the scenes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":144118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-310118","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}