Elite hockey players have learned to use their edges to maintain skating speed, while gliding and coming out of turns.

There is no question the game of hockey played today is several gears faster than the one we grew up playing.

There are a number of contributing factors. Equipment is better. Player training is tailored to the physical demands of the sport. And the coaching, particularly the evolution of specialists who focus on specific skills, has equipped players with tools that allow them to play at an accelerated pace.

In Sweden, many of the country’s top players have turned to Joachim Ahlgren-Bloom to assist them with mastering the skating and edge work that is now a prerequisite to play at an elite level. While the game has gotten faster, it’s not a result of players sprinting all over the ice. Players have learned to use their edges to maintain speed, while gliding and coming out of turns.

At TCS Live in 2022, Ahlgren-Bloom (and his colleagues from JRM Skates & Skills) provided an on-ice demonstration at historic Yost Arena on Free Speed: Using Your Glide to Gain Speed. This was a unique opportunity for coaches in attendance to pick up the drills and details that have earned Ahlgren-Bloom the trust of NHL stars, such as William Nylander, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Noah Dobson, just to name a few.

This 21-minute presentation comes complete with its own soundtrack because as Mikael Andersson, Director at JRM Skates & Skills, puts it: “Music is rhythm and hockey is rhythm.”