Bruce Fowler is a Canadian hockey enthusiast whose journey in the game began at an early age in Canada. Raised within the hockey culture, Bruce quickly developed a passion for the sport, eventually honing his skills to play for an elite college team based in Toronto, Ontario. With a solid foundation rooted in his own playing experience, he transitioned to training and has since become a respected figure in the hockey community.
Drawing on his wealth of knowledge, Bruce has designed comprehensive programs tailored for both beginners and advanced individuals across all age groups. These programs prioritize the development of fundamental skills such as proper skating techniques, puck movement, and positional play. Bruce firmly believes in instilling these skills from a young age to enhance players' abilities to read and anticipate the play, providing them with a solid foundation for their hockey journey.
More recently Bruce has helped instructors learn techniques on teaching the fundamental skating and hockey drills. Going forward he will continue developing hockey players through his own clinics as well as the New York Rangers Learn to Play and Rookie League clinics.
“I’ve been around hockey my entire life and I can’t say I’ve met anyone more passionate about teaching the game than Bruce. He has an incredible interest in helping each and every student on the ice, and his commitment to their overall development is unparalleled. With deep hockey knowledge and the highest level of honesty, integrity, and compassion, Bruce is a true model for teaching the game. I’m so happy to have my son skating with Bruce and would encourage every aspiring hockey player to do the same.”
David Lehanski,
SVP, Business Development and Global Partnerships at the National Hockey League.
“Buds4Hockey has been an incredible partner in helping grow the game. One of the most important aspects of hockey is its accessibility and our ability to reach new families who have never experienced the sport before. Bruce shares our passion for creating those environments to help kids not only find their passion, but he ensures programs are built for any level of commitment.
Director, Fan Engagement & Alumni Relations New York Rangers
Her mother sent me this photo along with a note:
Hope all is well. We miss seeing you with Ava on the ice. This pic came up on my Facebook memories today of you and Ava 8 years ago. It’s been a crazy but very successful hockey season with Ava & her team winning The Detroit Elite Girls Invite and beating the top teams in the Nation. Ava came out on top in the tournament with points. Then they swept the EJEPL to win that championship and took States, pretty amazing. You’re one of the biggest reason for her success so I wanted to share what was going on and say thank you 😁.
Ava made the varsity hockey team for Paramus Catholic this past season. She played great and was one of the top players in points. We just found out that she made all league honorable mention in the Big North!
Ava will be attending Lawrence Academy. When we visited the campus about a year and a half ago, it’s the school that felt most tight knit, safe, hockey rink is great and the campus is beautiful!
Thank you for always having Ava’s best interests in the forefront and helping her with this long, stressful process. She is over the moon happy and excited, it’s a dream come true for her.
B - Skating is where it all begins!
BASIC skating drills will be taught on proper edges and balance. These drills will result in increased speed and agility. Backward skating will be taught at all levels and transitional drills for all levels of skating.
U - Skating is not enough!
UNDERSTANDING how to anticipate the play and be in the proper position is extremely important. Cross-ice play with stoppages to give instructions during play will be part of each session. Hockey is a cerebral sport and becomes more important as the game speeds up.
D - Our mandate for each clinic.
DEVELOPING all players regardless of level is our commitment to participants of BUDS 4 HOCKEY. Through instruction from our experienced coaches the player will improve in all aspects of playing the game.
S - Playing the greatest game in the world!
SKILLS such as stick-handling, passing and shooting will be taught at all levels. The earlier these skills are taught through repetition the more natural they will become and will translate more easily to game situations. Puck movement will be taught to advanced players as the pace of play speeds up as they continue their development.
GOALIES
Buds 4 Hockey has partnered with Active Goaltending to provide goalie-specific training at Fritz Dietl Ice Rink and Palisades Ice Rink for all ages. The instructors have years of experience in the game at various levels of college and professional hockey. Additionally, we have been working alongside USA Hockey and their goaltending development program both nationally and regionally.
If you would like to book a private or semi-private lesson at Fritz Dietl Ice Rink, please contact us at activegoalies@gmail.com. Space is limited to maintain small student-to-coach ratios.
Don't forget to follow us at @activegoalies on Instagram where we will continue the conversation and provide more insight to our sessions throughout the season!