Rick Ferroni Hockey - Media References

Media Coverage & Player Mentions: Rick Ferroni Hockey Development

● The New York Times – Mac Hollowell (NHL)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/780228/2019/03/08/with-elite-skating-and-unending-drive- 

“Rick Ferroni remembers the 10-year-old kid he coached back with the Niagara Falls Rivermen. He
was smaller than the other kids, and frail. He had a mop-top of red hair. And when he was cut by his
Triple-A team, Ferroni went to bat for him because there was something about Mac Hollowell that
stood out”
“I told the coach, ‘This kid’s got raw talent, he’s got grit and you can just tell he’s got the X-
factor, so we should keep him,'” said Ferroni. “So I made sure we called him up all the time
and then I started working with him like crazy.”“One of the main reasons Hollowell’s hearing less about his size — listed at 5-foot-10, 163
pounds — is because of his elite skating. Ferroni, who has served as Hollowell’s skating coach
for the past decade, figures the 20-year-old has spent close to 3,000 hours — some 300
hours per year — working on perfecting his stride”

● The New York Times - Ben Harpur (NHL)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1106566/2019/07/31/ben-harpurs-path-to-maple-leafs-

“Rick Ferroni, his hockey coach, could see a ceiling on his potential. I noticed that he would take it
from the D-zone, through the neutral zone, and then kind of throw up on it in the offensive zone,” he
said. “He was a sloppy forward who couldn’t really finish,” said Ferroni. “But he worked hard and
he listened. And he was probably one of the smartest kids I’d ever coached.”
Ferroni had an idea. He asked Harpur to move back to the blueline. There was still the option
to carry the puck up the ice, but instead of trying to finish around the net, he was asked to
relay the puck out to one of the forwards. Harpur did not hesitate.
“With Ben, everything I told him was like ‘yes sir, no sir,’” said Ferroni. “He was the most
coachable kid I’ve ever had.”

As owner of Ferroni Hockey Academy — with operations in Port Colborne, Etobicoke and
Hamilton — Ferroni has worked with many young players. Harpur was only 10 or 11 years old
when he started skating with Ferroni, and he played all the way through minor midget.The defenceman sprouted six inches in one calendar year, and other coaches started to
notice. Ferroni made a point of telling a story about what happened next. One of the coaches
asked for permission to recruit Harpur away from Ferroni’s team. The coach was assembling
an elite team, the kind that drew devoted attention from OHL scouts. Ferroni knew what was
coming: “Every other kid in Ontario says yes to opportunities like that.”
Harpur was not any other kid. He declined the offer.
The Guelph Storm took him 43rd overall in the 2011 OHL draft”

● Ottawa Citizen – Ben Harpur (NHL)
https://ottawacitizen.com/sports/hockey/nhl/senatorsextra/at-15-harpur-was-put-on-

“My coach (Rick Ferroni) made the decision to put me back on defence just to touch the puck more.  I wasn’t touching the puck much as a forward — and after he made that move, everything sort of
clicked from there. And then I had a bit of a growth spurt during my (Ontario Hockey League) draft
year and I started to get some confidence.”

“Ferroni, who runs his own hockey skills program, had worked with Harpur going back to when he
was 12, paying special attention to backwards skating drills that Harpur refers to as “Russian figure
skating stuff”. His eventual growth, coupled with his maturity, had Ferroni believing that Harpur
had a legitimate shot to make it all the way to the NHL.
All of it came in a hurry for Harpur.

“I had about two months of experience on defence when I got drafted by Guelph (in the OHL),” he
said. “When I was 15, I barely knew what the OHL was. It kind of took off from there.
”Rick Ferroni was my first real taste of power skating and skills work. He started the groundwork of
my current abilities and let me grow into the player I am today.
Rick was always a lot of fun to work with and always knew how to push me past my limits. He's also
very passionate and dedicated to the work he's done. Whether it be driving once a week for an entire summer or letting me stay with him for an entire week straight to train, he always worked his hardest at making me a better Hockey player. Today, Rick and I still stay in contact for two reasons. The first is to give me tips on the smaller details of my game that sometimes I overlook myself. The second reason is to ask me if my mom made me chicken riggies (that's what he ate whenever he came to my house. Rick is a great friend and I am forever
grateful to have worked with such a great coach.
- Alex Tuch


Testimonials From NHL Alum who have brought their children to programs using the
Ferroni Method

https://ctyouthhockey.com/testimonials
“Youth hockey can be done better. The Ferroni model can help. That is why I put my son into his
program and actively advocate for programs like the Connecticut GC. It is simple math. How long is
your child on the ice? How many shots do they take? How long is the puck on their stick? The beauty
about this model is that the kids see themselves getting better each day and each week and that’s
what motivates them.”

— MATHIEU SCHNEIDER, TORONTO, 1298 NHL GAMES PLAYED, US OLYMPIC TEAM
“I wish we had made the decision sooner to put our son into this kind of a development model. This
approach works.”

— ROB ZAMUNER, TORONTO, 798 NHL GAMES PLAYED, CANADIAN OLYMPIC TEAM
“The skill level I have seen from kids that have been exposed to Rick’s model is unbelievable. There
were 10-year-olds doing things I couldn’t do.”

— BJ CROMBEEN, TORONTO, 445 NHL GAMES PLAYED“I’ve personally seen how bad youth hockey can be for young kids. There has to be a better way. The
approach Rick takes in concert with Duncan’s athlete development expertise makes it a no brainer.”

— JOHN HIERLIHY, GAME CHANGE, NHL/NHLPA CORE PROGRAM

Kevin Bieksa - Rick Ferroni Shout Out - Sports Net
https://youtu.be/sAmEicv9MGA?feature=shared

Berkshire School News – Rick Ferroni  “Berkshire Alumni Hockey Success Stories.