Strength and conditioning is an essential part of the development experience. Dark Horse Performance helps athletes build the physical abilities behind better on-ice performance through individualized programming, regular testing, and professional coaching.
Dark Horse Performance provides strength and conditioning for MAP and FHIT Hockey members. Performance coaches collaborate within the athlete’s broader development environment, connecting off-ice preparation to the physical demands athletes experience in training and competition.
This integrated approach allows athletes to develop more completely:
Rather than treating strength training as an unrelated activity, each component contributes to one connected development process.
Flexible, small-group hockey training designed to accelerate individual skill development one session at a time.
Individualized programming delivered in a motivating small-group environment. Athletes receive personal coaching and an individual plan while benefiting from the energy and accountability of training alongside others.
Testing, individualized programming, and professional coaching for athletes who want a more targeted approach to their physical development.
Customized training options for athletes who cannot consistently train at a Dark Horse Performance facility.
Dark Horse Performance is built around a continuous development process.
Advanced testing establishes an objective picture of the athlete’s current strengths, limitations, and opportunities for improvement.
Athletes are tested bi-weekly throughout the training cycle. Coaches use the new results to measure progress and adjust programming as the athlete develops.
This means a group of athletes may train together while following different workout plans. The environment remains energetic and competitive, but the programming is specific to the individual.
Dark Horse Performance uses state-of-the-art testing technology to measure the physical qualities that influence athletic performance.
Regular testing helps coaches:
The value is not simply collecting data. The value is using that information to make each athlete’s training more precise and effective.
Full MAP and FHIT members receive structured strength and conditioning designed to complement the demands of their hockey development.
Training may address:
Regular testing allows programming to evolve throughout the training cycle. Athletes are not assigned a generic hockey workout; they receive training based on what will most meaningfully support their individual development.
Futures performance training is designed around the developmental needs of younger athletes. The emphasis is not on maximizing weight or specializing too early. It is on teaching athletes how to move well, train correctly, and build a broad athletic foundation.
Training emphasizes:
These abilities support hockey development while also helping young athletes become more capable across multiple sports and physical activities.
As athletes advance, technical ability must be supported by the physical capacity to execute those skills with speed, power, control, and consistency.
Effective performance training can help athletes:
The objective is not simply to make athletes stronger in the gym. It is to develop physical qualities that support how they move, compete, and perform.
Dark Horse Performance athletes train under CSCS-certified coaches in convenient, state-of-the-art facilities equipped with modern performance technology and training equipment.
Small training groups allow coaches to:
The result is the attention of individualized training combined with the energy of a team environment.
Every coach on our floor holds the CSCS. Most families don’t know what that means, so here it is: the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist credential is awarded by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and it’s built for coaches who train athletes — not general fitness clients.
Bachelor’s or higher, verified by transcript
Required to hold the credential
Exercise science and applied coaching
Ongoing continuing education
You cannot hold it without a bachelor’s degree or higher. That’s the part most people miss. Many fitness certifications require no college coursework at all. The CSCS also requires current CPR/AED certification, a proctored two-part exam covering exercise science, program design, and exercise technique, and recertification every three years.
Youth athletes aren’t small adults. What happens in a weight room between twelve and eighteen shapes how a player moves for the rest of their career — and getting it wrong is an injury risk. Requiring the CSCS is how we make sure the person coaching your athlete is qualified to do it.
Dark Horse Performance supports MAP and FHIT members, but its services are not limited to hockey players or program members.
Training opportunities are available for:
Strength and conditioning through Dark Horse Performance is included in applicable MAP and FHIT membership programs. The amount and format of training vary by membership type, age, and program.
No. Futures training is designed specifically for younger athletes and emphasizes movement quality, coordination, speed, agility, foundational strength, and proper training habits. Full Membership training provides more advanced and individualized programming based on the athlete’s testing results and development needs.
No. Dark Horse Performance uses testing and ongoing evaluation to create individualized workout plans. Athletes may train together in a small-group environment while completing different exercises or progressions based on their needs.
Yes. Every instructor holds the CSCS — Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist — from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. It requires a bachelor’s degree or higher, current CPR/AED certification, a proctored two-part exam, and recertification every three years. It’s a higher bar than a general fitness certification, and we require it of everyone who coaches.
Full members are tested bi-weekly throughout the training cycle. This allows coaches to measure progress and adjust each athlete’s programming as their abilities and needs change.
Dark Horse Performance instructors are CSCS-certified, providing athletes with coaching grounded in established strength-and-conditioning principles and professional standards.
Yes. Dark Horse Performance offers small-group, team, and individualized training opportunities beyond MAP and FHIT Membership. Availability varies by program and location.
