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ProHybrid Training Gets Write up in Hometown Newspaper
Former E-G Golden Bear Sikich founder of ProHybrid Training to develop goalies
By MIKE HAUTAMAKI
Staff Writer
Sikich, a 1999 graduate of Eveleth-Gilbert High School and a member of the Golden Bears state title-winning team the previous year, is the founder of ProHybrid Training, which he started in 2004 during his junior year of college at St. Thomas University. According to Sikich, his mission with PHT is “to develop intelligent athletes who are consistent goaltenders with a passion and pride for the position.”
Sikich and his staff of up to eight goalie instructors provide training for goalies of ages 8 to adult and have worked with professional as well as even recreational adult netminders. In addition to the training, Sikich has also produced a popular DVD series entitled, “The ProHybrid Goaltending System.” There are currently two volumes in the series, with a third installment on the way in March.
“The DVD series is currently the top-selling DVD set on the market being carried in hockey shops across the globe, as well as in (top shops) Goalie Monkey and Total Hockey,” Sikich said.
That kind of popularity has led to him holding goalie camps across North America and Europe. Sikich is currently running a camp in Vancouver and has held previous camps there as well as in New York this year. In March, two Austrian goalie coaches traveled to the U.S. to train with Sikich for two weeks and learn the ProHybrid system. They purchased franchise rights to PHT in Europe and currently run goalie training in Austria year-round.
Sikich and his staff will be quite busy next summer, holding three one-week camps in Minneapolis, one in Vancouver and weekend camps in Chicago, Green Bay and New York. Sikich himself has been heavily involved in hockey since he graduated from Eveleth-Gilbert.
He played two years in the United States Hockey League for the Sioux Falls Stampede and graduated from St. Thomas in 2005 with a degree in marketing and psychology. He then went on to play four seasons of minor league pro hockey throughout North America, totaling over 95 games played with a 3.35 goals against average and a .905 save percentage.
Sikich’s final year of pro hockey was spent with the China Sharks during the 2007-08 season.
“I lived in Beijing and played against Japanese and Korean teams,” he said.
Sikich currently serves as the goaltending coach for Apple Valley and Stillwater High Schools and also consults with the Sioux Falls Stampede six days a month. With Apple Valley, Stillwater and seven other Minnesota schools on board, ProHybrid Training has more association contracts than any other goalie training business in the state.
Sikich held a free one-hour PHT training session last Monday at the Hippodrome in Eveleth.
“The goal of the Eveleth camp was to expose the goaltenders to professional goalie instruction. I also wanted to give back to the community that I grew up in,” Sikich said.
Sikich praised Golden Bears head coach Todd Kreibich for getting involved with the clinic. According to Krebich, all but one of the goaltenders in the Eveleth-Gilbert and Mesabi East hockey programs took part in it.
“I think it was a different concept for the goaltenders, and it’s good for them to get exposed to as many different styles as they can,” Kreibich said. “I mentioned to all the kids that if you take at least one thing away with you that Zach brought to the table, you’ll be a better goaltender.”
Kreibich said Sikich’s style is all about “visual imagination” and anticipating where the puck is going to be.
“I don’t think that style is for everybody; each goalie has to adjust his game based on his strengths and weaknesses, but it was good for the kids to get exposed to that,” said Kreibich, who met Sikich for the first time last week. “It was awesome to get a chance to meet Zach and talk to him. He’s kind of living the dream right now, coaching in a sport that he loves, and I know he was happy to come back to Eveleth and give back to the community.”
Each clinic participant received a free copy of Sikich’s DVD series.
“My aim was to establish the foundation for efficient and detailed crease movement through two series of drills: “Own your Edges” and the “Hybrid Progressions Series,” Sikich said. “The “Own Your Edges” drills focus on teaching the goalie to both push and stop hard. Each push must generate power, and balance is required to stop. The “Hybrid Progression Series” allows the goalies to practice the most efficient way to move out of the butterfly.
“For the final 20 minutes, the goalies were in the net working on the techniques they learned in the first part of the camp.”
For more information on ProHybrid Training, log on towww.prohybridtraining.com or call 612-396-0758. Also keep an eye out for Sikich’s upcoming book “Consistent Confidence,” which he said is based on his studies of psychology, economics and marketing, coupled with his experience in coaching and mentoring athletes. The book is scheduled to be released in August.
ProHybrid Instructor Joe Schraeder Gets Write Up in the Pocono Record
Joe Schraeder clearly remembers his first encounter with hockey.
He became enamored with the sport as a young boy watching the New York Rangers with his father.
The 22-year-old East Stroudsburg native is now a junior and the starting goaltender for the University of St. Thomas hockey team in St. Paul, Minn.
Because of the popularity of hockey in Minnesota, the competition is tough for starting positions for the Tommies.
"When I was a freshman I was one of only two guys who came from outside the state of Minnesota," Schraeder said. "Hockey really is the main sport up here."
Hockey may be king in the winter, but football could grab the spotlight this year because St. Thomas is in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III football playoffs. The Tommies (11-1) play at Linfield (12-0) this Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Poconos is not exactly a breeding ground for hockey players, so Schraeder had to travel at a young age to find the competition he needed to hone his skills.
His youth hockey roots go back to roller hockey at Big Wheel in Stroudsburg and pee wee hockey at the Mennen Ice Arena in Moorestown, N.J.
St. Thomas' reputation for winning brings in a lot of top recruits from Minnesota and surrounding states. It ranks first in all-time wins among 68 Division III schools.
"Our school doesn't do a whole lot of recruiting because kids sort of come to them," said Schraeder. "I believe it's the winningest Division III program in history."
Schraeder (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) is a business management major at St. Thomas and a 2006 graduate of the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass. He played hockey, soccer and tennis at the Berkshire school.
He is currently 4-2-2 as a starter and has started eight and played in nine of St. Thomas' 11 games this season. He has a 2.28 goals-against average.
If Schraeder could change anything about his development as a player, he would have played junior hockey before attending college.
I didn't play junior hockey," said Schraeder. "I think I'd be that much better if I did. The guys are all bigger and faster after playing junior hockey."
Coming out Berkshire, Schraeder had a unique style and enough skill to be considered for a roster spot at St. Thomas. Over the past few years, he has been working with Zack Sikich, a former St. Thomas goaltender and the owner of a company called Pro Hybrid Training.
"My freshman year I had my own style," said Schraeder. "I was all over the place. He helped me out a lot. I've gotten used to the speed at this level and I've picked up on a lot of his teaching."
Through his work with ProHybrid Training, Schraeder has assisted Sikich in camps that have reached as far as New York and New Jersey.
Schraeder, who is a lead instructor with ProHybrid, hopes to continue his work with the company through college and after graduation.
The two common styles of goaltending are stand-up and butterfly. Schraeder describes his style as somewhere in the middle.
"It's a mix between stand-up and butterfly," said Scraeder. "I'm big on positioning because if you're in the right position, it's hard to get beat."
