Shoff training with a purpose
Adam Shoff is about to take another step in his hockey career -- and when that's done, he'll be ready to jump forward in life as well.
The Port Dover native will head into his third NCAA season with the Div. III Brockport Golden Eagles this fall, and just a few years after captaining the Junior B Port Colborne Sailors, Shoff will wear a letter on his shoulder south of the boarder.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound centre will serve as an assistant captain on an emerging Brockport club that went on a midseason run that included a 10-game unbeaten streak. The Golden Eagles finished above .500 and are looking even better for next season.
"We're bringing in a lot of guys so right off the bat we've got to get the team together," Shoff explained. "We had a good year last year and I think in these next two years the goal of our team is to try and take it to the next level. Sometimes when you do that you end up taking a step back because everyone puts too much pressure on it, so that's why I'm in here every day, just working hard and that's all I can really do."
When Shoff says "in here," he's referring to what could very well be his job when he graduates. As an exercise physiology major, Shoff has taken to the gym in the off-season, this time in Waterloo at Sports Specific Training (SST).
The facility is owned by Ajay Nagy, who hails from Walsingham. Nagy has trained many local players, including both his brother Kory Nagy and Shoff in recent summers. Ajay has since hired the two to work at SST, helping them learn the business as well as train for the upcoming year.
"This is obviously what I want to do when I'm done school and hockey so it fit right in," the 23-year-old Shoff said. "Ajay has been great, he brought me in and he just kind of threw me in there and lets me train with the younger guys and help with the older guys. The biggest thing that I realized right off the bat was, as much as I've learned at school, I still have a ton to learn."
The gym is tailored to core exercises and helping athletes reach a peak performance. Its members include NHL players and prospects such as Kory Nagy and Paris's Zac Dalpe, as well as a host of NCAA and CIS players. Shoff said the atmosphere the gym provides is what separates it from the rest.
"If you do something wrong, you're going to get chirped for the week, and that kind of atmosphere and the fact too that you have guys here like Kory and Dalps that are right on the cusp of the top level, and you see how hard they push themselves, it only forces you to work harder to try and catch up to that," explained Shoff.
"Those guys are good role models for the younger guys because of their work ethic -- they don't skip drills, (and) they do everything hard."
Shoff is temporarily living with the Nagy brothers, and said he has already felt a difference on the ice thanks to working out and training, as well as paying more attention to the little things like eating right and getting enough sleep.
"I think a lot of people think when you see people like Sidney Crosby and all the top stars that it's natural -- they think he just has it. But they don't realize the amount of hours that all these guys put into the gym every single day," he said. "And it goes beyond the gym, it's how their eating habits are, their lifestyle.
"Every single aspect of their life is geared towards making it to the next level."
Making things tough on Shoff and the new-look Golden Eagles when the season opens is the toughness of their schedule. Knowing that, the former Storm forward said he'll do everything he can for his club.
"I have to come up to camp in either the best shape or one of the best shapes of all the guys and then just go from there," he said. "It's exciting, and I'm excited for the season, I want to get back on the ice playing again."
After that, it's back to the gym.
The Port Dover native will head into his third NCAA season with the Div. III Brockport Golden Eagles this fall, and just a few years after captaining the Junior B Port Colborne Sailors, Shoff will wear a letter on his shoulder south of the boarder.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound centre will serve as an assistant captain on an emerging Brockport club that went on a midseason run that included a 10-game unbeaten streak. The Golden Eagles finished above .500 and are looking even better for next season.
"We're bringing in a lot of guys so right off the bat we've got to get the team together," Shoff explained. "We had a good year last year and I think in these next two years the goal of our team is to try and take it to the next level. Sometimes when you do that you end up taking a step back because everyone puts too much pressure on it, so that's why I'm in here every day, just working hard and that's all I can really do."
When Shoff says "in here," he's referring to what could very well be his job when he graduates. As an exercise physiology major, Shoff has taken to the gym in the off-season, this time in Waterloo at Sports Specific Training (SST).
The facility is owned by Ajay Nagy, who hails from Walsingham. Nagy has trained many local players, including both his brother Kory Nagy and Shoff in recent summers. Ajay has since hired the two to work at SST, helping them learn the business as well as train for the upcoming year.
"This is obviously what I want to do when I'm done school and hockey so it fit right in," the 23-year-old Shoff said. "Ajay has been great, he brought me in and he just kind of threw me in there and lets me train with the younger guys and help with the older guys. The biggest thing that I realized right off the bat was, as much as I've learned at school, I still have a ton to learn."
The gym is tailored to core exercises and helping athletes reach a peak performance. Its members include NHL players and prospects such as Kory Nagy and Paris's Zac Dalpe, as well as a host of NCAA and CIS players. Shoff said the atmosphere the gym provides is what separates it from the rest.
"If you do something wrong, you're going to get chirped for the week, and that kind of atmosphere and the fact too that you have guys here like Kory and Dalps that are right on the cusp of the top level, and you see how hard they push themselves, it only forces you to work harder to try and catch up to that," explained Shoff.
"Those guys are good role models for the younger guys because of their work ethic -- they don't skip drills, (and) they do everything hard."
Shoff is temporarily living with the Nagy brothers, and said he has already felt a difference on the ice thanks to working out and training, as well as paying more attention to the little things like eating right and getting enough sleep.
"I think a lot of people think when you see people like Sidney Crosby and all the top stars that it's natural -- they think he just has it. But they don't realize the amount of hours that all these guys put into the gym every single day," he said. "And it goes beyond the gym, it's how their eating habits are, their lifestyle.
"Every single aspect of their life is geared towards making it to the next level."
Making things tough on Shoff and the new-look Golden Eagles when the season opens is the toughness of their schedule. Knowing that, the former Storm forward said he'll do everything he can for his club.
"I have to come up to camp in either the best shape or one of the best shapes of all the guys and then just go from there," he said. "It's exciting, and I'm excited for the season, I want to get back on the ice playing again."
After that, it's back to the gym.
Source:
http://simcoereformer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2682103
