Sean Skahan on Modern Hockey Strength & Conditioning, Youth Development, and Avoiding Burnout
Host Jason Jacobs interviews Sean Skahan, former NHL strength and conditioning coach (Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks; 2007 Stanley Cup) and owner of Skahan Sports Conditioning. Skahan describes shifting from football into hockey performance, and how training evolved from heavy aerobic work to a year-round emphasis on strength, speed, power, and injury prevention. He argues youth players often overdo offseason ice time, limiting recovery and gains, and outlines an 11-week, four-days-per-week model with alternating high/low intensity sessions, sprint/plyometric/Olympic-style work, and conditioning. Skahan emphasizes coaching technique, choosing safe exercises, and avoiding training-related injuries; he tracks metrics like vertical jump and 10-yard dash but avoids labeling young kids with deficits. He advocates multi-sport participation to prevent burnout, discusses balancing experts with long-term development, shares why he left the NHL to focus on youth advancement, and offers parent advice to stay calm at games and respect referees, plus ways to access his gyms, online programs, and podcast.
Puck Academy · Sean Skahan, Jason Jacobs
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Show Notes
Host Jason Jacobs interviews longtime NHL strength and conditioning coach Sean Skahan, former Minnesota Wild and 2007 Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks coach, now owner of Skahan Sports Conditioning and author of Total Hockey Training. Skahan describes entering hockey after playing football and interning with Mike Boyle, and explains how hockey training shifted from heavy aerobic work to a year-round focus on strength, speed, and power. He argues youth players often overdo summer ice time, limiting recovery and gains, and outlines an offseason model of four sessions per week with alternating high/low intensity, power work twice weekly, and conditioning twice weekly, emphasizing coaching technique and injury prevention. He supports multi-sport participation to avoid burnout, discusses limited but useful performance tracking, critiques overreliance on sports science apps, and shares his move from the NHL to youth development and resources for in-person and online training.
00:00 Show Introduction
00:16 Meet Sean Skahan
02:34 From Football to Hockey
03:48 How Training Evolved
06:48 Building Player Programs
09:04 Youth Offseason Confusion
10:28 FOMO and Summer Priorities
15:22 Four Day Training Blueprint
17:16 Choosing the Right Coach
19:11 What Makes Coaches Great
22:57 Injury Proof Training
24:25 Coaching In The Gym
25:04 Basics Plus Evolution
27:12 Tracking And Testing
29:11 Tech Versus Communication
31:08 Avoiding Early Burnout
35:14 Holistic Athlete Balance
38:53 Dreams And Backup Plans
40:37 From NHL To Youth Training
43:34 State Of The Game
46:44 Work With Sean
48:02 Parent Sideline Advice
49:23 Closing And Signoff
Note: Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).