September All-Star – First Skater!
Michael Clarke – Forward – Peterborough Petes – Ontario Hockey League
This month’s Hockey Training Pro All Star was pretty easy to choose, he is the first forward ever to get the honor. He is one of our HockeyStrong athletes who does his off-ice training with us from May thru August in the Revolution studio. He is a great kid with awesome parents who never push him. They support his desire to play hockey at the highest level, but he plays because he loves to play – and he is pretty awesome!
He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and was to have his first taste of an NHL rookie camp last fall – – but we all remember what happened last fall with the strike, so it was straight back to junior and the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.
Last year a mid-season trade moved him from the Spits to the Peterborough Petes, which is pretty far from his hometown here in London, Ontario.
This spring, as soon as the Petes season ended, Michael was gearing up for this season. I had a great email from him with a sample shopping list with foods that most teenage boys cannot even pronounce, let alone look forward to eating – quinoa is one that stands out.
He was learning that he was in control of his body and ready to have an outstanding summer.
13lbs of Muscle In 16-weeks
So I watch Michael through the summer going about his training and his eating – like it was his job, because it is. He ended the summer 13lbs heavier in the muscle department. He could not have done that without focusing on proper nutrition.
Check out the video to see some of the ways we helped get him there – –
When he finally got his chance to hit NHL Rookie Camp with the Colorado Avalanche he was ready to go and he did a great job, so he was invited to stay for main camp, which is an awesome achievement!
He is back with his Peterborough Petes for the season now and ready to use the tools he developed this summer.
As you read this it sounds like a pretty straight and simple path, but I can tell you there have been bumps along the way and injuries, but just like his nutrition this summer, Mike asks ‘what is the best thing I can be doing right now to get better’ and then he goes out and does it. So that is the lesson you should take from this month’s HockeyTrainingPro.com All-Star.
I always try to find videos of these guys scoring goals, but all that ever seems to pop up is video of them fighting! Anyway, I found this one of him getting a bit of a funny goal, but funny or not, it still counts on the scoreboard….
Congratulations Michael!
M
PS – if you want to see a program like the one Michael used to pack on 13lbs of muscle in only 16-weeks, check this out – CLICK HERE.