It’s not often that youth athletes can learn some skills from a handful of coaches and former professionals, but that’s exactly what the Twin Ports Hockey Camp offers, as they hit the ice in Superior for day one of camp.

“I think the biggest thing is that this area has a lot of pride in their hockey tradition and it’s a small hockey hotbed which has produced a lot of good players throughout the years that have gone on to play at elite levels,” said Brett Olson, the founder and head instructor, as well as former professional hockey player. “With the UMD Bulldogs nearby and then UWS and St. Scholastica having hockey at higher levels at the fingertips to these players it’s something that I think is definitely encouraging and motivating for players at the young age to do.

A UMD Bulldog also shared his support for the camp.

“I know I was in all these camps growing up, so I did all of them,” said Aaron Pionk. “There’s a lot of those kids from those camps that you don’t think it as the time, but as they get older and stuff they progress more, and they become college and pro hockey players. I can be playing against these kids someday in professional hockey, so that’d be really funny.”

The Twin Ports Hockey Camp runs all the way until Thursday, and then moves to Iowa for week two of camp and activities.