|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Director, European Hockey Connection
Head Coach, Upland Country Day School
Coaching Director, Chester County Skating Club
|
|
|
Court Dunn has been a teacher and hockey coach/instructor at Upland Country Day School for the past 33 years. In addition to his responsibilities at Upland, Court has directed many skating and coaching clinics, coached at all age and ability levels, and has served as hockey chairman at the Chester County Skating Club. As Upland's Varsity Hockey Coach, Court has led his teams and guided others’ on many trips to Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Belgium, Holland, Czechoslovakia (The Czech Republic) Germany and Russia (The Soviet Union), as well as to Canada. In the summer of 1996, he created the European Hockey Connection (EHC) as a way to bring the teaching methods of top European and Olympic hockey coaches to the USA. As the director of EHC, Court has directed camps in the local Tri-State Area, in Portland, Oregon and in Weiden, Germany. In addition, he has assisted former Olympic and World Championship great, Juhani Wahlsten, in Turku, Finland, at the Great Skate Hockey Camp and has worked closely with noted Canadian hockey coach, Tom Molloy, in camps and coaching symposiums. In 1997, Court was presented with the Finnish Central Sport Federation’s Silver Cross, for his “notable work contributing to the athletic life of southwestern Finland”. Today, in consultation and collaboration with noted professional educators, authors and coaches in hockey as well as other sports, Court continues to work to bring about a broader understanding and support of the basic premise of youth hockey taking the game ‘back to the pond’, where it began, to have fun. Many players, having benefited from the instruction and philosophy of this ‘European’ style instruction under Coach Dunn, have gone on to play at higher levels, including New England Prep Schools, Division I and Division III Colleges, as well as in the Finnish Elite and Minor Hockey Leagues and in Minor Professional Hockey. Most importantly, those whose careers end because of jobs, families and other responsibilities, still find time to enjoy the game, either playing or coaching. At Upland, a K-9 school, it is common to get close to 100 players returning to campus for annual alumni games. Now, in addition to EHC, Court acts as a representative for IEMS (International Education Management Systems) and the European Hockey Academy. In his presentations, he continues to support the teaching methods developed and refined by Juhani Wahlsten and Tom Molloy the ABC’s of International Ice Hockey as the only ‘real’ way to learn to play the game. He credits the influence of European coaches, philosophies, and practices on much of his success as a hockey coach. He also credits hockey giant, Jack Cleveland, with providing the guidance and inspiration to work with young people through coaching, particularly ice hockey.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Tom has been involved in hockey from his youth. He played minor hockey in Calgary, Alberta and then college hockey at Bemidji State University in Minnesota. After college he played in the United States Hockey League, before returning to his home town to begin his teaching career. He is certified at the Advanced Level and has instructed up to the Intermediate Level for the CHA. Tom has coached hockey at almost all levels, including the university level at the University of Calgary from 1988 to 1996. In addition to his wide coaching experiences, Tom has been the head instructor at hockey schools for many years. In 1988, 1989, 1994, and 1995 he was a guest coach for university, high school and professional hockey teams from South Korea at which time he introduced his teaching system with great success. Tom was taken to Seoul with his son as a guest of the teams in the spring of 1995. He was the head instructor of the hockey school in Hamar, Norway, one summer, and twice in Vierumaki, Finland and has done numerous international presentations along with his partner, Juhani Wahlsten, a notable Finnish Olympic and National Team player and coach, and Vladimir Jursinov, the current Russian Olympic Coach. He is co-author of a progressive hockey teaching program called Hockey Coaching: The ABC's of International Hockey. This coaching method was introduced at the World Hockey Championship coaching seminar in Helsinki, Finland, May 1997. He has been to the tri-state area many times in the last few years to run local clinics. And, as part of The European Hockey Connection, boys from this area have traveled to Calgary to train with him. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Matt has been involved with hockey from his youth, growing up and playing in the Boston, MA area. Matt played his high school hockey at the Milton Academy in Milton, MA, a school known for developing skilled players, and then continued at Colby College in Maine, an elite Division III hockey institution. Matt began his coaching career at the Chester County Skating Club a few years ago and, almost immediately, was recruited by Planet Hockey, an organization specializing in skating instruction for the elite athlete. While with Planet Hockey, Matt traveled throughout the United States, running clinics and camps specializing in power skating and skill development. At present, Matt is now the Hockey Director at The Sherwood Ice Arena in the Portland, Oregon area.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
A hockey coach and educator, Juhani (Juuso) played for the Finnish National Team for eleven years, participating in three Olympic Games and five World Championships. Captain of the team for many years, he was named to the Finnish Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. In charge of International Coaching Development for the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, Juuso has had a successful coaching career at the professional level in Finland, Germany and Switzerland, and at the international level with the Finnish Under-20 National Team. He was the first European coach to be offered a coaching position in the NHL, by Scotty Bowman, then General Manager of the Buffalo Sabres. Juuso’s vision for international sports cooperation and communication has resulted in his involvement in international exchanges, symposiums and the production of books and video material.
|
|
|