BRADFORD Bulldogs Ice Hockey Club have been making the most of the first few days of the summer holidays by guiding their juniors through the club’s annual Summer Hockey School.

Over 30 youngsters enrolled in the club and up to eight coaches have been hitting the ice for four hours each day throughout this week.

In-between, there have also been hockey classroom sessions, as well as off-ice fitness routines - all designed to improve each player’s skillset, strength and confidence in readiness for the eagerly anticipated 2021-22 season.

Due to the pandemic, last year’s hockey school was not able to take place, meaning coaches and players were even more desperate to make sure this year’s event was a successful one.

The school started last Sunday with registration and with each youngster being put through a series of tests to demonstrate their skill levels and fitness.

Throughout the week, on-ice sessions have seen youngsters train in specific bubbles, working on all the skills needed to be successful, whether that be stick-handling, skating drills, shooting and much more.

Head coach Andy Brown said it was a relief to be able to see the return of the hockey school given last year’s postponement.

“With the easing of restrictions, we’ve been back practising at the rink for quite a while now and we were determined to make sure we could put on our hockey school again after the disappointment of not being able to hold it last year,” said Brown.

“We’ve got players as young as six-years-old through to 15 on the camp, all of various sizes and abilities. But the camp is designed to cater for all those different levels, with each kid coming out the other end of it hopefully as a better, more skilled and confident player and having a better understanding of what it takes to be successful on the ice.

“Already this week, we’ve seen huge improvements in every single kid who is here which is great to see.

“Most of all though, it is about ensuring these kids and us coaches too, enjoy what we are doing and, given the past year or so that we’ve all had, that is something we have achieved.”