Kids in Prince George will have the opportunity to learn a few stick-handling tricks from former Vancouver Canuck Jeff Tambellini when he visits the city Wednesday.
Tambellini will be teaching a stick-handling seminar to youngsters between seven and 12 years old along with his business partner, former Prince George Spruce King Troy Dalton.
The Vancouver-based Factory Hockey Training business Dalton and Tambellini co-own trains hockey players during the off-season in Prince George, Castlegar, Powell River and Kamloops in addition to Vancouver.
The business partnership was formed after Tambellini started spending his summers in Vancouver and joined Dalton's gym three years ago.
Currently, there are nine players from Prince George listed as clients, including Derek Bulmer, younger brother of the Minnesota Wild's Brett. Other Prince George players include bantams Markus Plamondon, Jordan Low, Truman Singleton, and peewees Talia and Tanner Nahulak, McKenzie Muir, Broden Norman and Tyler Carpendale.
In addition to Tambellini, who played in the Swiss A League last season, the Winnipeg Jets' Tanner Glass is among the professional hockey players involved in the program.
Dalton, who played for the Spruce Kings from 1993-96 during the club's final years in the now-defunct Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League, said mastering the basics of stick-handling at a young age is crucial for future development.
"There's different progressions that you can go through like any sport," said Dalton. "Once you learn the basics and fundamentals you can start to do some of the more complex stuff. I think it's really important for young kids to get the basics down in stick-handling and in footwork."
Dalton said by introducing kids under 12 to the training program now they'll hopefully return when they're older and ready to train more seriously.
"The kids from seven to 12 don't train with us during the off season, they're too young for that," said the 37 year old. "I just want them to get an opportunity to meet Jeff and see what he does and when they get a bit older and they want to start lifting weights and [training] more like a hockey player they'll think about us."
The stick-handling seminar Wednesday is free and will be held at On the Move Personal Fitness (1839 1st Ave.) between 6-7 p.m.
