Pro Hockey Players Launch New Training Program in Canmore

A new hockey training program led by professional players Noah Philp and Sam Jones is launching in Canmore this summer, building on their previously successful pilot program to expand athletic development opportunities in the Bow Valley.

Both of the program’s founders grew up playing hockey in the Bow Valley and have since brought their professional playing experience back to the community. Philp’s career has included time in the Western Hockey League and multiple stints with the Edmonton Oilers, including his NHL debut in 2024. He is currently a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. Jones has played professionally in the United Kingdom’s Elite Ice Hockey League, where he currently skates with the Belfast Giants, and has represented Great Britain at several International Ice Hockey Federation world championships.

After conducting its program with older athletes last year, Be a Pro Hockey Training is opening its offerings up to younger age groups. The founders say the business is designed to address longstanding gaps in local training that have forced young players to travel outside the Bow Valley to pursue higher-level opportunities.

“I grew up playing hockey here until I was 13, but we had to travel to Cochrane for everything,” said Sam Jones, co-founder of Be a Pro Hockey Training.

Eventually, Jones’s family relocated to the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton so he could continue developing as a player.

“I've always loved the Bow Valley. I wished I could have stayed here growing up and kept playing. The problem was that in both the season and the summer, there were never really any development opportunities available locally,” said Jones. “That's a big reason why we started Be a Pro. We don't want players to have to travel to Cochrane, Airdrie, or Calgary in the summers when they're already doing it all year.”

The founders identify the biggest barrier facing Bow Valley hockey families is the time and energy lost to travel.

“The biggest gap is the travel burden. Players in the Bow Valley are travelling 45 minutes each way, an hour and a half a day, four or five days a week during the season. When you're doing that, you don't have the same opportunities to recover, rest, get your homework done, or get to the gym,” said Jones.

This led the pair to design a program that better served the local hockey community by deconstructing these travel-based barriers.

“For families, the goal is to provide a structured, trustworthy development environment right here in the Bow Valley so they're not scrambling to find programs elsewhere or trying to piece things together on their own,” said Jones.

Be a Pro’s training model places a strong emphasis on mindset development alongside the cultivation of on-ice skills.

“We want players to reach the point where they're taking full accountability for their own development. How they show up, their daily habits, how they recover, their attitude walking into the rink,” said Jones. “The on-ice skill work matters, but without the right habits and mindset behind it, it doesn't stick.”

Additionally, the program’s curriculum is centered around age-specific advancement.

“When players are younger, they're on the ice two to three days a week. As they progress through U18, junior, college, and pro, the intensity and volume ramps up based on their needs,” said Jones.

The business first tested its approach in 2024 with a pilot program focused on professional-level athletes.

“Our pilot program ran in 2024 with our pro group, and it went very well. We knew exactly what that older age group needed because we were in that age group ourselves,” said Jones.

However, expanding to younger age groups revealed new challenges.

“There are both age gaps and skill gaps within Canmore. Different players at the same age range who are at very different stages of development and need very different things. Adjusting to that range of ability and maturity within a single group was something we had to work through,” said Jones.

The program has since been redeveloped to address those challenges by introducing clearer pathways between training groups.

“Now, U15 athletes are competing to earn training time with the U18 group, and U18 athletes are competing for ice time with the junior-to-pro group. Players can move up and down based on performance, which keeps the level competitive within each group,” said Jones.

This summer, Be a Pro will offer one-week U11 and U13 camps beginning July 6, alongside longer-term U15, U18 and junior-to-pro programs.

Looking ahead, Jones said the long-term vision is to establish their organization as a permanent development hub for hockey in the Bow Valley.

“The goal is to be the development home for hockey in the Bow Valley, twelve months a year,” said Jones.