Brian Daccord
President | Stop It Goaltending
Daccord’s Stop It Goaltending programs have trained 25 NHL draftees and more than 100 collegians and professionals since 1999. The game first took the Merrimack College alum overseas for seven pro seasons in Switzerland and onto the Boston Bruins’ coaching staff, and he now serves as a consultant for the Toronto Maple Leafs and is a goaltending development coordinator for USA Hockey.
Greg Carter
Owner | Greg Carter European Hockey School
Carter (Framingham, Mass.) played at New Hampton School and UMass-Lowell and enjoyed a brief pro career but has shifted to running renowned hockey camps in 10 states nationwide — including Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont — that focus on the "European method" of individual skill development.
Paul Vincent
Owner | PV Hockey
Vincent is one of the most renowned skating and skills instructors in hockey and most recently served as lead skills instructor for the NHL’s Florida Panthers. The Beverly, Mass., native’s roots are still at home though as he trains players from the youth to pro levels at camps around Boston, most notably at HockeyTown USA in Saugus, Mass., and Falmouth Ice Arena. He earned a Stanley Cup ring, courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ben Prentiss
Owner | Prentiss Hockey Performance
The day after Ben Prentiss graduated college, many of his friends embarked on a celebratory trip to Costa Rica. Prentiss trained 14 different athletes. That was the start of Prentiss’ steady climb to the top of the profession of strength and conditioning in New England. Prentiss opened his own facility in Connecticut — about 40 miles north of New York City — in 2000 and has spent the last 17 years training some of the top NHL players, including Jeremy Roenick, Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards, Chris Pronger, Keith Tkachuk and Al MacInnis.
"I’m always trying to be better," Prentiss said. "I don’t sit back and say, ‘Wow, that’s great.’"
Prentiss’ continued drive to achieve was evident in 2016 when he moved Prentiss Hockey Performance to Stamford, Conn., expanding from 2,000 to 8,000 square feet. The new space, which has a rink, a turf field and seven medical offices, has opened new doors for Prentiss in the strength training world. He has trained five Stanley Cup champions, an Olympic gold medalist, a Hart Trophy winner, Art Ross winner, Conn Smythe winner and Hobey Baker finalists.
Two of his most crowning achievements include training former University of Vermont star St. Louis during the 2012-13 season in which the forward became the oldest player in NHL history to lead the league in points, and helping Max Pacioretty return from a broken neck to win the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2012.
"Nobody thought Max Pacioretty could come back as strong," Prentiss said. "He showed up at my gym with a broken neck and a brace, and I rehabbed him all the way back. That was a big one."
Prentiss’ staff now includes 17 coaches who direct more than 500 workouts per week. Prentiss is also the director of performance for the Boston University men’s hockey program, a strength and conditioning consultant for the New York Rangers and works with Selects Academy at South Kent School.
"The training part is absolutely the part I still love," Prentiss said. "I don’t think you could be successful and have athletes move locally and change their lives — putting their livelihood and trust in you — unless it’s a passion. You have to be progressive and get better every day." — DAN GUTTENPLAN
Mike Boyle
Owner | Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning
A leading behind-the-scenes influencer to not only the game of hockey but all sports in New England, Boyle has served as a strength and conditioning coach for the Boston Bruins, Red Sox and Boston University and worked with athletes ranging from youth to the pros and U.S. women’s hockey Olympians as the founder of Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning, which operates in Woburn, Mass., and Middleton, Mass.
Brian McDonough
Owner | Edge Performance Systems
McDonough left the education world to found Edge Performance Systems out of the Foxboro (Mass.) Sports Center and has trained hundreds of pro and college athletes. He’s an assistant for the South Shore Kings and helps direct the popular Foxboro Pro League, which stars the likes of Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and Kevin Hayes every Wednesday during the summertime.
Jeff Serowik
Owner | Pro Ambitions Hockey
From Manchester, N.H., Serowik played at Providence and 10 years as a pro, but his greatest contribution has been as owner of Pro Ambitions. Founded in 1990, today it coaches more than 4,000 youth players as the largest hockey camp in North America.
