hey remember when the vibes were so off in plymouth that quentin musty called his dad to come pick him up?? idk what could have possibly tipped him off tbh...
was it greg cronin's underage street fighting classes? is it the fact that your parents have to sign over legal guardianship and power of attorney to billet parents? the same billets who receive monthly checks from USA Hockey and therefore have it in their best interest to keep receiving those checks?
was it when they forced 15- and 16-year-olds to dress and undress in the public hallways of the USA Hockey Arena for a month until they "earned" the right to privacy? you know, those hallways that have security cameras up in the corners? but don't worry about that. the NTDP staff has plenty of experience of storing, editing, and streaming hours and hours of footage of their boys!
not that the kids have anyone to complain to, really! after all, after the Jack Hughes class the NTDP switched to 100% online school instead of regular high schools like Plymouth High or Northville High where there are, oh I don't know, mandated reporters who aren't also paid by USA Hockey, or god forbid other kids they might befriend outside of the hockey bubble.
what could possibly go wrong or unreported in a system like that? ha ha! surely not USA Hockey, who hired Brad Aldrich AFTER his sexual abuse scandal with the Blackhawks! surely not NTDP, which emphasizes "breaking down the individuality" for the incoming 15-year-olds!
(not my own words, of course. words from beloved NTDP founding member and pillar Kirk Culik, the man responsible for team and culture building, player mentoring, and off-ice conditioning for 20+ years, whose only qualifications pre-NTDP seem to be boxing coach/thoroughbred horse trainer/corrections officer, and who was later charged of murdering a 16-year-old boy)
again. i don't know what musty was possibly talking about. this is a totally normal place to make teenagers change
Note: I highly recommend you read my first ntdp post (NTDP primer chapter 1.0, if you will) before reading this one! It will give you important context, and prevent excessive re-explaining in this post.
Breaking down the individual
"We run around the building with logs on our shoulders. That brings us together, because you can never leave somebody behind, we always have to stick together.” x
“They come here and need to learn how to play as a team so you want to break down the individuality." x
"Boot camp situations with log and tire carries, push-ups and intense cross-training workouts. Physically excruciating conditioning challenges players to endure adversity and, in turn, builds teamwork skills as individuals learn discipline and mental toughness." x
“tries to break you down to build you back up to be mentally a lot stronger and tougher than you were.” x
“The team spent all of their time together building muscle and camaraderie” x
“They went through an entire offseason program, which is typically 10-12 weeks of training, in just six weeks. The NTDP has that standard — they are going to work hard and train hard." x
"The head coach of U18 team this year, he comes in the gym every single day to check out what's going on, doesn't say a word. Looks around and says, How the boys looking? I say, They look like crap. He goes, Okay good, hit 'em. And he walks out." x
Will Smith: “The first couple months were like, Get me out of this place. It was just, it was awful. The workouts, everything. The workouts and all that, it just…you’re at the rink for 8 hours a day. I mean, it was army-style.” x
Ryan Leonard: “Countless hours, every single day with them, going through hell with them, countless hours of workouts, skates that are just pissing you off, workouts that just don't end. It's like, Come on, get me out of here.” x
Coaching philosophy
“They’re tired. We grind them. […] Because we are exhausting them, we’re stress inoculating them. So they're using every ounce of energy, physically, emotionally, everything. They’re away from home, their mom and dad aren't there, they’re emotionally drained, they're physically drained, they're challenged by the competition, by us, by their peers. They’re pushed, so when they add one thing or their grades start falling in school, everything falls apart.” x
"Once you see a player can do it, can keep pace, then you demand that from them more. Then, they give you more and you ask for more." x
“They need to be pushed. They’ve never been there [past their limits], they don't know. Any way you can push them, push them.” x
Push/Squeeze/Pull & Constant Demand being one of the core tenets:
“Manipulate emotions” on coaching slide: x
Very…interesting names of video review clips seen when a coach was adjusting his screenshare (this was the 2002s i.e. Brock Faber, Matty Beniers cohort. also note the clips for the incoming 2004s): x
USA U18 POST YT SHIT EFFORT 2-28-20
USA U18 LRF POOR EXECUTION 3-10-20
Training load
"NO OFF DAYS!" (on a slide from Coach Seth Appert) x
"We hammer them in the weight room." x
"At the one-hour mark, the coach blew his whistle and the members of the NTDP skated to the bench and walked off through the open gate in single file - they didn't head to the dressing room, but through a tunnel to another freshly flooded pad in the building. A great convenience: a two-hour practice didn't have to hit pause while a Zamboni circled the rink." x
Also mentioned here: “the team are on the ice at USA Hockey Arena — after the first 60 minutes of practice, the team walks through a tunnel to a second pad, thus not having to wait for the Zamboni to flood the rink. Practice runs a full two hours and it’s high-tempo.” x
Trainer: "We lifted after BU, we lifted after we lost to North Dakota, we lifted after we lost to Wisconsin...we lose a lot." checking the schedule, these were ROAD games, so this was either at the hotel gym, or straight off the bus after driving through the night. x
"This year...I think the U17's did close to 150 off-ice workouts, about 200 skates. Both teams were in that range. So that's pretty much training every single day." / "[we do] skates every day during the week now" / schedule showing 7 days a week: x
"Half of the 46 players I have do ice baths in the morning at the hotels before games." x
Regular normie trainer who was hired and was at first shocked at the training load, then learned they could 'take a lot' and he could push them even harder than he ever thought possible ("I couldn't believe it, the intensity level was so high" to "I noticed how much these guys could take" to "I realized I've been undertraining kids.") x
“There are no days off with the program,” Hughes said. x
"They're pretty ripe" and the male suppleness chart
The entire rest of the medical/athletic field calls it Flexibility or Mobility. So does USA Hockey do the same? No, they decided to be unique and chart male "suppleness". (Note: I did a lot of digging to see if this was some insane niche term, but all other sources that call it suppleness are merely pulling wording from the original USA Hockey model). x
"This window now between 16-20 is huge for development, when the hormones are kicking in and last couple surges, the recovery is there, it’s a unique time. There’s an opportunity to get bigger, faster, stronger, it’s all about really buying into it." (Coach Wrobo) x
"15-year-old boys who enter the NTDP leave as 18-year-old men." x
Coach: “I love being on the road because we have no veterans. There are no returning players that can show guys the way things are run around here. We get 20 rookies at a time.” x
“He turns boys into men.” x
"Bill Smith recalled sending a boy away to Michigan two years ago. Will Smith came home this spring as a man." x
Ntdp trainer who describes boys at this age as "pretty ripe" x
Very odd rambling quote from a coach about Alex Turcotte: “He’s very respectful but not guarded behind it. Like some kids are respectful to all adults and aren’t willing to kind of cultivate that relationship because of that. He’s not that way. He’s respectful but also is part of the family. I don’t know if that makes any sense but he’s very unique in that regard where just because he and I have a close relationship or he and the other coaches, he doesn’t overstep because of that relationship. It’s like he has figured out what you usually don’t figure out until you’re an adult as far as what line to cross.” x
"The trainer's room sometimes tends to be a hangout as well," Hodges said. "We've got recovery boots and a cold tub." x
Will Smith with trainer Hodges’s dog.
Players as packages and products
“He was a Bambi-looking kid,” Wroblewski said. “But the package looked too good to pass up." x
"We were looked at like pirates and the bounty was the player," Cronin said. x
"He's as good as I've seen come through here in terms of talent, work ethic and being the complete package on and off the ice," said senior director of operations Scott Monaghan. x
No qualms about describing and comparing/contrasting the bodies of literal teenagers...Coach Wrobo: "Jack was tiny, so small, so weak.” x Director of operations Scott Monaghan: "He's more like Patrick because of his skating and shiftiness than Auston, who was really big and strong.” x
USA Hockey-written headline: "Fifteen NTDP Products Will Play for Team USA at World Juniors" x
'Wroblewski calls Hughes "manicured." It's an excellent way to describe him. Hughes doesn't sound like a 17-year-old. He's well-spoken because he's well-groomed, unfazed by the hype.' x
"I feel like it's the best place to be for a 16-year, 17-year-old," Hughes told The Associated Press. "No one trains as hard as us. We skate every day. We lift three days a week. We play a great schedule. I think it's the best place to be to groom yourself to be an NHL player someday." x
"Part of the philosophy here is that it was like a PR show.” x
“It’s become like a factory.” x
On food
"The players know when they’re a pound up or a pound down" x
"[Our coach] was really strict - you couldn't drink pop, he didn't want guys eating dessert, your body is your temple. One night, I go to [my teammate], "Hey, you want to get a McFlurry?" He was like, "Oh, man, that sounds unreal." We went through the drive-thru, looking over our shoulders to make sure nobody saw us, and just crushed those McFlurries. Didn't think anything of it. The next day, we had a team meal and [our coach] says, "Well, gentlemen, two of your teammates decided to be selfish and have some ice cream last night." He asked if anyone wants to own up to it." x
4-5x a year, players undergo a full detailed frame assessment, including measurements of height, seated height, shoulder width, weight, lean mass, bodyfat composition, etc. x
If a player is "slipping" by "not making lean mass gains, or they're gaining fat, or they're overfat and not losing fat" then the trainers can re-assess the individual as often as they want, noting "the numbers don't lie." x
Players must "maintain their desired caloric intake as designated by the team nutritionist" x
Players eat “dinner per the schedule from a nutritionist” x
the looming orthorexia in this Will Smith/Ryan Leonard/Gabe Perreault video
screenshared athlete meal plan with guidelines such as "snack may be protein bar OR a baggie of assorted nuts" (god forbid you have both...?) and "a piece of toast" as part of breakfast (god forbid you have two…) x
screenshared portion control guide that is given to NTDP players, including detailed serving sizes such as “16 grapes”, “10 fries”, “23 almonds”, “12 baby carrots” x
no wonder these boys are OBSESSED with chipotle…they’re hungry!! no wonder auston matthews was getting choked up at the memory of him mom sending $20 to get chipotle with the boys, and will and zeev were spending four hours at Red Lobster!
Post-NTDP quotes:
Will Smith: “My food schedule is pretty intense. It is kind of about what you're eating but the timing of it, too. You got to plan how your day is more.” x
“For me, it's getting bigger, stronger and enhancing my skills," Hughes said. "Maybe like two or three pounds, nothing crazy though. I don't want to get too big to where I can't move out there." x
“Hughes said he had some food after the game, but after he found out he wasn’t playing Saturday, he dialed back his typical recovery and hydration routine.” x
Special mention: NTDP slop philosophy x
ntdp figured out that soft foods (shall we say, SLOP) are easier for the players’ (young, exhausted) bodies to digest
so when they cater food to hotels for road games, they order chicken, rice, and then a BUNCH of soup. to pour all over the food. I am not kidding.
related anecdote, when the U17’s were at an international tournament:
Coach Wrobo had this belief that “you CAN out-eat your opponent” so they had a huge breakfast at the hotel
then the trainer went back to the kitchen and ordered seconds of everything and had the hotel keep bringing out more food
Team Finland was witness to this entire slop fest and looked on with something akin to fear
and then USA lost to Russia
Playing up
NTDP trainer: "They're away from home and they're getting their ass kicked every weekend because they're playing up. So it's somewhat of a trial. It's not for everybody, I guess." x
"They are 17 year olds paying against 18, 19 and 20 year olds,” says Jim Hughes. “The first year is turbulent and it’s rocky because they’re playing against older competition on a daily basis." x
"punching up a weight class against a lot of 19- and 20-year-olds in the USHL, or punching way, way up against collegians who might be four or five years older." x
"People seem to forget that when you're playing at the NTDP, it's the hardest schedule in minor hockey," said Jim Hughes, Jack's father. "You're playing against Division I colleges, a difficult USHL schedule against kids three to four years older.” x
“The crucible of competition against older teams means players have to develop quickly. And we’ve found—through experience—that they do improve at a rapid pace when playing against older, more experienced players.” (NTDP FAQ)
Will Smith: "17 [under] year was brutal. The first couple months were like, Get me out of this place. Cause we would just go out to Youngstown and lose 10-1, you couldn’t - it was just, it was awful." x
Trevor Zegras: "We were pretty nervous going into our first USHL game because we had heard a lot of stuff from the 2000 group on how hard it was and everything." x
"I played 100 games my senior year or something like that. You're playing junior, you're playing out of your comfort zone. You go from playing 45 games at prep school to anywhere between 80 to 95 games." x
The Program regimen
NTDP trainer: "When I got here, I've seen it firsthand now, and I think part of that is the regimen, we have a regimen: the sleep, the eating, skating, the lifting, they're scheduled for two years, so regimented. These guys are getting a two-year head start on that and they're coming out just machines." x
"An all-consuming environment with daily practices, off-ice conditioning, strength training" x
“Players realize committing to the program means much more than working hard on the ice. There also is schooling and a strict weight-training program.” x
“If you don’t go to bed early, this place will eat you alive,” Jim Hughes said. x
NTDP trainer: “It’s not enough to just put the sweater on. It’s just not enough. You’ve got to go to bed at a certain time, you have to eat right, you have to do off-ice work, or you will not survive - not the way we practice. And if you don't buy into the nutrition, if you don't buy into the regimen, you're gonna have a very, very hard time.” x
“Wroblewski said the NTDP has a rather regimented setup and that going to college will allow Zegras to take more ownership of certain aspects of his life such as picking his classes and balancing coursework.” x
“[Jack] eats a dinner per the schedule from a nutritionist. After dinner he does his homework and if the stars line up, has an hour at liberty. He’s in bed at 9:30. Though living at home, he follows the schedule laid out by the NTDP staff for all players.” x
Will Smith: “The two years at The Program flew by. Everyone says it does... And there’s some days where you’re like Oh my god, get me out of here.” x
"I didn't realize how hard it was going to be. We practiced almost every day or did something. You try to have a social life, but you don't have much of one." x
Practices and competitiveness within the team
"You're fighting for spots on the roster every day. You're trying to move up the depth chart, get certain positions on the penalty kill or power play. We're good friends off the ice, but on the ice ... Let's just say it's really competitive." - Jack Hughes x (Example: Wrobo taking Alex Turcotte off the half-wall on the power play to give that preferable spot to Trevor Zegras x)
Getting into scrums in practice: "Tempers flared midway through the drill when Zegras was cross-checked by McCarthy. Zegras returned the favor, and a twisting bear hug ensued as teammates converged to separate the two." x
Coach Dan Muse (coach of Will Smith/Ryan Leonard/Gabe Perreault et al cohort): "Guys have to have their heads up [...] and they go until there's a whistle, on the whistle. A lot of times we'll make this a little competition, there'd probably be like three push-ups on the line for the player that doesn't have a puck." x
"Every day having a highly competitive environment. We keep score in a lot of the things that we do... having weekly or monthly winners, just really creating that highly competitive environment." x
"Put players in positions that compete constantly throughout our practices. So as many ways as you can, whether that's physical competition, whether that's competition and the scoreboard, keeping score of a drill, a game, whatever it is - we want to foster competitiveness." x
Coaches aim to “create chaos” by design x
"You want everybody to be fighting every day to try to be the best player on the ice. We do post it [for the players to see]." x
Alex Turcotte: "You’re really competitive with each other. It makes you compete against one another. No one wants to look bad. You face the best." x
Constant monitoring / lack of privacy
Recruitment process: “The NTDP players are tracked and evaluated for two years prior to coming to the NTDP.” x
"About the program, I noticed they're the most overanalyzed group of players on the planet." x
"They watch how these guys go over and back over the boards. They watch everything. Somebody asked me about one of our players, saying 'he looks like he walks around [with] shoulders internally rolled'. You're sitting in a chair like this, you're not gonna make that team. They're not just looking at how good you are as a player, [it's] body posture, body language." x
Phone confiscation at USA Hockey Arena / hotels: "how we do it at The Program - one of the things for cell phones, we have a bag and when you come in the building, your phone goes in that bag. You do not have that bag while you're in the building, period. We bring it on the road. We have, at the hotel, we have a technology check-in. They have to check in at like nine o'clock usually or maybe a little earlier, you know, depending on the game, they have to turn in their cell phone, computer, iPads, no technology." x
"Within a couple hours of a game, a member of the NTDP staff will edit together videos for the players - general team footage, but also packages specific to individuals, readied for the coaches to review. The coaches will probably wait until the next day to screen it, but Hughes and a lot of his teammates won't. As soon as that video is up for sharing and streaming, Hughes will be all over it." x
"Jack Hughes has to arrive at school shortly after 7 a.m. and if he's tardy or misses a class, USA Hockey has a staff member who knows it and there are consequences." x
Trainers check players' lock screens x
Coaches keeping tabs on the boys' dating lives ("You know, we had one kid that just went through his third girlfriend.") x
Coach asking players to write down if they have a girlfriend, and if so, how much time are they spending with that girlfriend instead of on hockey x
and even getting teammates to call each other out for it ("After the kids get to know each other, beginning of the second year, I'll have them write their priority list on a big whiteboard just like this, and then I'll have their teammates grade him, say 'nope no no way you're with your girlfriend all the time')
“Intern coaches perform location checks of each player by conducting random curfew calls during the season” visiting the players at their billet homes as late as after 11:30pm….. x
Trainers were looking at the heartrate monitoring data and noticed some of their players’ heartrates were ‘through the roof’ as early as the national anthem of a game. This was a surprise to them, because the players had never shared that they had any issues, i.e. the players must have been telling them they were fine. Do you see where I am going with this? Through the heartrate monitors, they even knew when they were being lied to. x
Special mention:
Coach Muse forcing 15- (in Zeev's case) and 16-year-olds (Will, Ryan, Gabe, et al) to dress and undress in the public hallways of the USA Hockey Arena for a month until they "earned" the right to privacy
Also for your consideration: in Bardown’s puff piece NTDP locker room tour, the hosts show the lavish locker room, showers, sauna, cold tub, etc. but when they get to the private changing room, it’s full of boxes and clearly unused. x
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE
“One of the things we say at NTDP is take responsibility for your own development. The goal for them is to be professional athletes." x
"Your priorities as a player, you need to evaluate that. You need to take responsibility for your development." x
You might be wondering, how does all of this get normalized? Well, it's simple. Because they are taught that everything that happens to them, they are responsible for it.
And if they ever forget it, all they have to do is look up in the hallway they walk through every single day:
I’ve reached the link limit, so yet to be covered: billets with legal guardianship, how they go to school (both before / after their transition to online classes), NTDP origins, noted crimes and coverups, and any other facts I can think of. It will be another long post!
