Robert Gergerich founded the International Hockey College (IHC) as a teenager while playing Junior Hockey in Canada. He realized there was a need for a top quality hockey school, not just a camp where the students attended to see and skate with their favorite NHL players. Now entering its thirty-ninth season, the IHC is known as the number one hockey school in Pennsylvania and has expanded to worldwide status in the hockey instruction and player representation business. The IHC is now in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The IHC is a full time, full service hockey business, dedicated to the development of hockey players.
THE IHC PHILOSOPHY
We believe that young hockey players really don’t care what you know, until they know how much you care. While we realize that we can influence the attitudes and habits of our students both on and off the ice, we try to make this influence a very positive one. We teach all of our skills in progressive steps and put great emphasis on positive reinforcement.
Our best attribute is the way we utilize every inch of the ice and always keep the players moving. There are no waiting in lines, as our drills are designed to keep the players skating, thinking, and working, while having fun. At the IHC, we have found that practice does not make perfect; instead it is “Perfect Practice Makes Perfect”. That is why we insist that all of our students perform each drill with perfect technique.
* “A moving player is a focused player”
* In our thirty-nine year existence, our hockey programs have been known to generate the most rapid rate of progress of any group program.
THE IHC DIFFERENCE
- We utilize proven North American and European training techniques which have direct applicability to hockey game situations.
- European drills and training methods that have not been introduced in this area yet.
- Most schools have 35 to 50 students on the ice at the same time making it very difficult to operate a well organized and disciplined program. At the IHC, schools and clinics have a 20 to 30 player maximum. This system allows us to utilize the entire ice surface and insures that the quality of the program is not compromised by having players standing around.
- Clear, Concise, and Detailed Technique Instruction and demonstration.
- Progressive Teaching Methods
- Proven Highly Effective Curriculum
- A wide variety of programs and services. The IHC offers Specialized Skill Schools, as well as complete Hockey Schools, and Player Placement & Representation, Exposure, and Testing & Evaluation Programs, AAA Camps & Tournament Teams
IHC OTHER SERVICES
Team Practices
IHC Director Robert Gergerich will join your team and conduct an on-ice practice (or multiple practices).. We will meet with the coach prior to the practice and discuss team needs; then, in conjunction with the coach, we will conduct a practice specific to team needs. We can work on skill development and/or team play. We will design the practice so there is constant movement and no wasted ice time like our hockey schools. We will incorporate both European and North American drills and teaching
Coaching Seminars
IHC Hockey will conduct Coaching Seminars for your association. We use many different styles to “teach” coaches the finer points of the game: video, lectures, open discussions and on-ice skills demonstrations. We have a wide variety of topics including positional play, systems, skill development, defensive zone coverage, off-ice training, and many more. We will ask for input from the coaches in attendance regarding some of the topics that they would like us to discuss.
Private Hockey Schools
We will come to your rink during late summer, fall, or Christmas break to operate a hockey school for your team and /or association. You can design your own hockey school or we will design it for you. Schedule Robert Gergerich or Brian Dunford to attend your practice and allow your players to hear a different voice and a different perspective on skills and or team play from professional instructors with forty years of expereience.
Tryout Selection and Evaluations
IHC will come to your rink to run your tryouts and evaluate and rank your players. IHC has done this for many associations over the last forty years. Allow an unbiased professional hockey company run your tryouts and advise the coaches on who to select for the top teams in your association. Take the pressure off of your coaches!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF OUR SERVICES, CONTACT ROBERT GERGERICH AT MARTINJAMEER300@GMAIL.COM.
TESTIMONIALS
“To be honest, I don’t think I would be where I am without the instruction I received from you all those years so thank you.”
Matt Bartkowski
Boston Bruins NHL
Former IHC Student & Instructor
“Bob played for me with the Danville Saints in the AAHL (minor pro). After Bob retired from playing I had the opportunity to work with him many times as a coach. IHC is a great program. Bob has always been an outstanding person, coach, and player. You can find Bob on Facebook at IHC Hockey, Inc.”
Keith McAdams, former Minor League Pro coach and current coach in Erzurum Turkey
IHC ALUMNI
We have had many players that have gone on to playing professional hockey in the NHL as well as minor league pro and European pro. Here is a list of some of our player who moved on to the NHL including where they are from and what IHC school location they attended:
Sash Lakovic (British Columbia; attended IHC in Niagara Falls) NHL Teams: NY Islanders; Calgary Flames; NJ Devils;
RJ Umberger (Pittsburgh, Pa.; Pittsburgh) Philadelphia Flyers; Columbus Blue Jackets;
Matt Bartkowski (Pittsburgh, Pa.; Pittsburgh) Boston Bruins; Dallas Stars
Bobby Ryan (New Jersey; Pennsauken, NJ) Ottawa Senators; Anaheim Ducks; Detroit Redwings
Brandon Saad (Pittsburgh, Pa.; Pittsburgh) Chicago Blackhawks; Colorado Avalanche
Mike Weber (Pittsburgh, Pa.; Pittsburgh) Buffalo Sabres
Bill Thomas (Pittsburgh, Pa.; Pittsburgh) Pittsburgh Penguins
Nate Guenin (Aliquippa, Pa.; Beaver County, PA) Colorado Avalanche; Anaheim Ducks; Pittsburgh Penguins;
John Zeiler (Pittsburgh, Pa.; Pittsburgh) Los Angeles Kings
Vince Trocheck (Pittsburgh, Pa.; Pittsburgh) Florida Panthers; Carolina Hurricanes
“It is not about becoming a professional athlete. It is about the journey and the people you meet along the way, and the life lessons you get while playing this incredible game.”
Mark Messier #11 – Hall of Fame speech