Testimonials
"Simply the best in the business."
Doug Wilson, 11 time NHL All-Star, NHL Norris Trophy winner (Leagues Best Defenseman), Canada Cup World Champion, President/G.M. San Jose Sharks, NHL
"Hi Graeme,
Peyton had a couple of NE Future star summer league regular season games last weekend and also 2 playoff games this weekend, and his overall game was noticeably improved since his return from your Camp. Not only was his skill level improved but you could also see the confidence he has gained in himself based on plays he was able to make and more importantly the moves he attempted to make which he would not have in the past. So just wanted to pass that along and say thank you to you and the coaches that worked with him.
Let us know if you will be continuing the Sunday night clinics at the NESC, we would like to keep him working through your system.
Best regards,"
John Marshall
"Christopher really enjoyed himself at your camp and had his first game today. He played better then he did last season, but he did tell me that what he learned in camp really helped him! You will definitely see him next year. I was very impressed how the camp was run compared to the camp he attended last summer.
Do you come down to the Nyc/Long Island/queens/nj/ Staten Island area? If u do please let me know
Have a great year"
Christine Gargano
"Graeme has helped make my transition from College hockey to the NHL a smooth one. My skating continues to improve."
Matt Carle, 2 Time NCAA Frozen Four Champion NCAA All-American Hobey Baker Award Winner
"I stated working with Graeme as youngster over 20 years ago. I still rely on the techniques he taught me at Paul Vincent’s Hockey School."
Paul Mara, Boston Bruins
"The Brightest, young Skating and Skills Development Coach in the country."
Paul Vincent, Skating and Skills pioneer, Skills coach, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins
Hey coach Townshend, It's Kyle Shero. I just wanted to let you know that my season ended today in the semi finals of the elite 8 against Milton. It was a tough one, we lost 2-1. Wanted to say thank you for helping me achieve my goals this year. I went from scoring 3 pts last year to 28 this year! I hope to be a big part of the team next year and help us win an elite 8 title. Again, thanks for everything!
Kyle Shero, prep school player and son of an NHL general manager
Graeme
I hope you are surviving this crazy winter.
Jack had a great experience last summer and has been playing really well this season. Many people have commented on the difference that your camp has made in his level of play. He is looking forward to returning this summer to your new location in Maine.
Regards,
Elizabeth
Hi Graeme I hope you and the family had a great Christmas and we wanted to wish you a very happy and continued prosperous 2014.
As you may or may not know Jaz graduates this year. We have spent the past year explororing options for her continued education and over Christmas she decided to accept an offer from Mount Allison University in Sackville New Brunswick.
Mount Allison is the top undergraduate University in Canada, according to McClean's magazine. Jaz has decided to study psychology and English. She hopes to work in the field of sport psychology upon graduation.
Jasmine has found your camps to be of great value over the past number of years! She has gained not only the cutting edge skating skills but also a profound improvement in her confidence. We wanted to pass along our gratitude and appreciation for all you have done.
With appreciation and thanks,
Jasmine, Heather and John Morning
Coach Townshend,
Good afternoon.
I wanted to take a few moments and sincerely thank you for having Michael at your 3 week camp.
The change in him from his mental focus and composure, skating, on ice presence, vision, execution, positioning and his anticipation is nothing short of remarkable.
In his first two game back last night, he had 3 goals and 3 assists. However his positional play offensively and defensively was perfect according to his coach. Always in the right place, coverage and decisions making.
He has an abundance of confidence due to your ability to teach and mentor him!For that sir, Lori and I sincerely and deeply say thank you !
I remember in our first discussion, you made it a point to mention that the student must make the commitment to learn and challenge. I know our son has not only made the commitment but his perspective is level headed, mature and confident. He visualizes a brighter future in the sport he loves.
It is sobering for Lori and I to have the privilege to meet and have a person like yourself deliver everything promised and more !
Thank you just isn’t enough !
So if your ever in Dallas ?
Dinner at The Grotto in Highland Village is on us !You’re a class person and we appreciate you !
Rudy D. Kobus
Hi Graeme,
How have you been? I just recently started my season last weekend. I got my first point by doing a low wrist shot which was tipped like I worked on with you. Going to camp with you and Gally really improved my game vastly. It pushed me to go 110% and now my work ethic in hockey and school is greatly improved after seeing what it really takes to make it to the next level. My speed has increased and I have a better vision of the ice with the puck which was a weakness of mine before I went to camp with you. Off the ice I have been working out with what we were doing at camp and lifting dumbbells. I really am working to make a big impact this season. I really want to make it to the next level and hope that I may have the opportunity to play out of the state of Maine. Again thank you so much for this summer it really made a difference.
Nick Caputo
Have enjoyed skating in your camps and clinics- I often wonder if I am the oldest guy to go through that many camps?? It was a privilege to wear a suit this last go round as well. I appreciate that.
I am getting 10-13 minutes every practice with Nic's team which is the 00 jr. preds and i have picked up a high school team too. I am your biggest fan and I am SO passionate about the kids learning how to skate and learning HOW to on skills. I just went through the USAH level 4 training and everything they said totally supports what you are doing. They also pointed out that ages 8-12 are the golden years for absorbing and so with Nicolas just being 12 I am SOOO happy that he has spent the last three years learning your stuff...it is really going to manifest as he grows.
Thanks again Graeme,
Christopher
Graeme:
I just wanted to let you know that Lauren is off to a great start for her hockey team this year. She is the captain of the Vaughan Flames Peewee AA team (currently ranked the # 1 female team in Canada) and leads the team in goals/assists this year.
She has the video of your camp on her I-Pad that she looks at regularly. That is a very good tool that will remind her what she needs to work on this year.
Thanks,
Mike Ianni
Graeme,
I would like to thank you personally for a tremendous hockey camp you had this past week at Nichols High School. The instructional skating system, the dedication and professionalism of your staff could never be matched! My son John enjoyed every minute of this camp, came out smiling every day, and was always eager to get back on the ice to practice until he couldn’t get it wrong. This says a lot about the program you have established, the leadership you exemplify amongst your staff, and the desire you have to give back to what has been given to you. John possesses average hockey skill at age 10, but is a rare individual from the standpoint that he loves to be taught especially when there is someone who shows the dedication and the persistence your staff displays. Each coach within your organization are very talented individuals and have that innate ability to reach their students whom the teach. You have selected a great bunch of guys that show the same passion for the game you have learned to love. These individuals have certainly touched John and I am sure all other girls and boys that attended this recent session.
Thanks for one special camp and we will be looking forward to it again next year.
John Horab
Dear Mr. Townshend,
My son attended your camp this summer at Governor's Academy, and has improved immensely. He is only 9 but has developed amazing technical skating and stick handling skills. He looks great out there! Thank you so much, we'll be back next year!
Kelly
Mr. Townshend,
"I wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you for such an amazing camp you ran over the weekend in St. Louis, for the Golden Griffin hockey club. The improvement in our players was remarkable after only one day of skating with you and applying your technique. Your experience, and exceptional teaching style made the entire day a great experience for the players. Thanks again. I strongly recommend your program to any player that wants to improve and take it to the next level."
Dan Stankey & Coach Vianney Golden Griffins High School Hockey Club, St. Louis
"Hey Graeme its Cam, I wanted to ask you if you have any tryout tips. I have my varsity tryouts on Monday and am a little nervous about them. I was thinking about them and what I have done to prepare for them and the first thing that popped into my head was the skating I did with you this summer, and I thought I would ask you what your approach to your try outs were, because I no you have been through some pretty big tryouts in your career. I think that my biggest strengths are moving the puck and my shot.
I am not the fastest skater but one of the more technically sound because of the work I put in with you. I feel that if I make the varsity team it will have a lot to do with what you have taught me and the stories you have told me of good players who go no wear because of their egos. Thank you so much and i hope the leafs can turn it around."
Cam Patch
"Hey Graeme, its Cam I wanted to keep you updated on my tryout and I made the varsity team!! I was super psyched. My team will be in Toronto over Christmas break and I was wondering if you were going to be in town. Please let me know Because I would like to see you."
Cam Patch
"Hey Graeme how are you doing? I just wanted to let you know that i am doing well in school and am
having a lot of fun here. I have had the chance to go to six preseason skates. Now not trying to be cocky I feel like I have a good chance to make the varsity hockey team.The work I did with you this summer is really paying off so is all of the off ice work you suggested I should have done and i am feeling faster and more in control on my blades than ever before. I hope the Leafs' can pick it up.
Have a good season."
Cam Patch
"Graeme -- Just a quick note to let you know that I think you have hit the nail on the head with
your new combination of skating skills instruction and mental training. Noah and I have been reading selected excerpts from Dr. Cohen's materials (particularly from his youth sports site) for the past two years to help develop Noah's confidence and leadership abilities and to deal with some "interesting"
coaching situations that he has faced.The combination of his skating training and our nightly discussions (we apply all of the learnings to school as well) has really turned him into a much more confident player, team leader, and school student. I smiled when I saw the heading of the "What it Takes to Be the Best" video when it came in last night as I knew exactly where you were heading and Noah watched it just before he went to sleep. It is one thing for Dad to tell him those things but an entirely different matter to come from an experienced pro like you. Having met you in person does not hurt either!
Keep up the great work -- you are obviously putting a lot of time and energy into this. Your honesty and teaching tone really come to life in your videos and I can assure you that you have an 8 year old in Atlanta who really listens to what you have to say."
Brian H.
"Hi Graeme,
I have arrived back in Toronto tonight and I had a chance to speak to my Son Matthew about his week at your camp...and he had all positive things to say both about the camp and you.
Matthew told me he was honoured to be asked to demonstrate some of the drills this week and was also
thankful of your appreciation for his hard work, efforts on the ice, and determination to improve during the camp. I know Matthew works hard to improve his skills at anything he does such as hockey, soccer and school...and is happy when someone of your knowledge of hockey provides the positive feedback on his efforts as you did this week...and as a parent I too thank you. Thanks again Graeme for all your
efforts...if there is something you would like to discuss regarding Matthew feel free to contact me either by cell or e-mail.Graeme, best of luck with your future hockey endeavours not sure what you have planned for the
remainder of this year...but hopefully we can stay in touch."Ernesto P.
"Graeme,
Just want to Thank You for offering your camp in Buffalo. Yesterday at practice I noticed a longer more powerful stride from Tibor. In fact, while we “coaches” were discussing the practice plan he was
working on skating at center ice. I hope that gets contagious!The good news, at least for me, I was able to change our head coach’s mind about more emphasis on skating and dedicated time to that each practice. So during September I get the first thirty minutes of each practice! He wants to “see how it goes” then will decide if we continue. If you don’t mind I will send you updates and let you know how it is working. First, I am going to sit down with the coaches and show them what we will teach and reinforce."
Tim
"Hi Graeme
Well, what can I say...Matthew was on Cloud 9 he could not stop talking about his experience this morning and he is more determined then ever to improve his skills and to do better.
Also, Matthew's coach was in the stands and now we are at practice and guess what he is teach...yup the Lemon drill!!
Thank you again and see u in November sessions..."
Doug Ernesto P.
I retired from the Army as a 45 yr. old Colonel who never played hockey or even ice-skated earlier in life. Of the things I missed most about being in the Army, at the top were the numerous opportunities to participate in competitive sports and the comradery of being a member of an elite team. Around that time, I was inspired when I saw a guy older than I was playing in the NHL. His name was Chris Chelios and what I took from his example was that being a hockey player, more than most other sports, seemed to involve skills that were in some way balanced with the attributes associated with more youthful athletes. I surmised that, if that were true, I could learn those skills with hard work and that I could at least play with guys my own age. However, soon wanted more than just to play in a "beer league." Those leagues are fine, fun, and had many players better than I was for sure, but they were too casual for my tastes. I felt like I was just starting my hockey life and thought it a depressing prospect to coast into oblivion with the hockey skills I had. I wanted to get much better and it wasn't too long before I came across Graeme.
Most people, and maybe not without good reason, attributed my intense desire to play hockey as a manifestation of some mid-life crises or inability to adapt to civilian life after 28 years in the Army, but Graeme took me seriously and perhaps as his own challenge. I started with some private lessons, but I also began attending his Summer Camp, which surrounded me with people who were serious about being good hockey players at the highest of levels, including many that already were and those well on their way. If I never played hockey again, that experience itself would have been worth all the hard work. At my first camp, Townshend Hockey Systems took me from a "new skater" playing in "beer leagues" to a perpetual contributor on the National Capital Region's Joint Military Hockey Team playing in the Public Service Hockey League. I went from the slowest most unskilled person on any team to one more than holding my own against teams representing Fire Departments, Law Enforcement Agencies, and Military Organizations from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. While these players weren't professionals, some once were and all took it seriously enough to travel across several state boundaries to play the game. For me, being able to hang with those guys was a big deal. I was also a member of the Noble Eagle Division Championship team at the 2014 Armed Forces Hockey Association's Annual Tournament in Las Vegas. One of Graeme's Junior Instructors also played for that team, as he happened to be an eligible military dependent. So there I was like Chelios, playing with kids less than half my age, and when we beat a team representing Kaiserslautern, Germany in that final game, I was able to once again experience that precious triumphant thrill. In essence, I was again living and not just talking about my "Glory Days." That year, however, I failed to achieve one goal when I tried out for the Georgetown University Hockey team, but was let go at the first cut. However, the following year and after a second camp with Graeme, I survived all cuts and made the Georgetown team. Even my 77 year old mother now gets a kick out of receiving the Georgetown Hockey Booster Club's weekly newsletter to parents. She too thought those days were long behind her. None of this would have happened without Townshend Hockey.
Russ
Clinic Testimonial
"Philip's speed skating improved dramatically, just by a few simple techniques in the way he positioned his feet in skating and the position of his stick"
In regards to the Graeme Townshend's Hockey Clinic that was held from 12/26 through 12/28th, I wanted to thank Graeme and his staff, for the great work that was done during the Clinic. Philip's speed skating improved dramatically, just by a few simple techniques in the way he positioned his feet in skating and the position of his stick. In fact, Philip had a game the following day, and he did great! Once again thanks for the great work! Philip is looking forward to joining the March Clinic.
Thank you.
Dorothy