About us

20 years of Unlocking Potential

Core Hockey was built by a Thunder Bay family who received a great deal from the game and set out to give it back — with a curriculum that works for beginners and professionals alike.

Mission

Strive for personal excellence

The goal of our program is to inspire our players to strive for personal excellence. It has been our experience that through hard work and determination comes skill development and improvement. Improvement brings self-confidence, which in turn leads to a greater enjoyment of the game.

Our formula to reach our goal of striving for personal excellence is comparable to architectural design. All development begins with a solid foundation. In our camps, we strongly emphasize the fundamentals of skating. A player who has a better grasp of edge work and body control will be a better player when it comes to skills with the puck and physical play. Maximizing the stride through power skating and improvement of one's speed and coordination through quick feet and agility drills are staples of the CORE Hockey experience.

With a strong foundation of skating, we can continue to build the necessary puck, passing and shooting skills. We break down the skills and techniques to their basics, so that when we implement our over-speed drills, the player can focus on maintaining proper form. Our over-speed concepts force players to work and play outside of their personal comfort zones. Accelerated skating, puck handling, passing and shooting drills increase mental awareness. The recall from these drills allows game play to be more reactionary, decreasing the need to over think.

Utilizing our playing and coaching experiences, we form a curriculum to accommodate all age groups and skill levels. Beginner or Professional, 5 years old or 55, we are dedicated to providing all of our students the necessary tools to help solidify their game. To us, the success of a camp is determined by the success of our students.

Core Hockey on-ice instructionCore Hockey skills session

Staff

Our coaching staff

Core Hockey Families, we are honored and excited to be approaching the 20th anniversary of our first Core Hockey Training Camp. Over that time we have worked with many players, coaches, and communities from the most northern areas of Ontario, to large city centers in both Canada and the US. We are grateful to call Thunder Bay home and take pride in our service to our Core Hockey Families.

Since our retirement from playing professionally we have been coaching and training players, from the newest skaters, to some of the most elite in the NHL. Core Hockey Coaches have the experience to accommodate all levels and abilities, accredited at the highest levels of coaching for both Hockey Canada and USA Hockey.

Between our two founding Head Coaches, we have competed in almost 600 Junior A and Collegiate games as well as close to 1000 professional games.

  • Gary Ricciardi, Founding Head Coach & Lead Instructor at Core Hockey

    Gary Ricciardi

    Founding Head Coach & Lead Instructor

    Professional (2000–2004)

    • Fort Wayne Komets (True Komet Award)
    • Roanoke Express
    • Charlotte Checkers
    • Muskegon Fury (+/- Award)
    • HC Alleghe · HC Varese
    • Rockford IceHogs

    Ferris State Bulldogs / NCAA D1 (1996–2000)

    • CCHA All Academic Team
    • Team Captain
    • Most Competitive Award
    • Scholar Athlete
    • +/- Award

    International / Amateur

    • USHL All-Star
    • Thunder Bay Flyers Captain
    • Thunder Bay Flyers Team MVP
    • Thunder Bay Flyers Iron Man Award
    • Thunder Bay Flyers Community Service Award
  • Jeff Ricciardi, Founding Head Coach & Lead Instructor at Core Hockey

    Jeff Ricciardi

    Founding Head Coach & Lead Instructor

    Professional (1992–2005)

    • Drafted NHL — Winnipeg Jets (#159)
    • Providence Bruins / Johnstown Chiefs (Boston Bruins)
    • Indianapolis Ice (Chicago Blackhawks)
    • Las Vegas Thunder (+/- Award)
    • Manitoba Moose (MV Defenseman)
    • Kassel Huskies · Kölner Haie · Frankfurt Lions
    • HC Bolzano · HC Asiago · HC Alleghe

    Ottawa 67's / OHL (1988–1992)

    • OHL All-Star
    • Team Captain
    • Owner's Award

    International / Amateur

    • Team Canada Captain, Pannon Cup (MV Defenseman)
    • Thunder Bay Bombers Captain
    • Thunder Bay Bombers — Allan Cup Champions
Core Hockey in the community

Giving back

Rooted in Northwestern Ontario

CORE Hockey was established by a family who was blessed to have received so much from the sport of hockey. In recognizing the many gifts that hockey has bestowed upon us, we felt compelled to return to our community, Northwestern Ontario, all of the knowledge and experience we have gained over the past 35 years. Not only do we want the youth of the area to reach all of their hockey goals, but we want them to pursue all of their life dreams with determination and a good heart.

Northwestern Ontario has a solid reputation for developing players who are hard working, talented and gritty. We want to be a part of keeping that tradition strong for years to come.

CORE Hockey lead instructors have been keynote speakers for numerous youth groups, schools and organizations over the years. We stress education, self respect, respect of others, and a healthy lifestyle both physically and mentally. CORE Hockey wants to help everyone UNLOCK THEIR POTENTIAL.

Alumni

Core Hockey alumni

Throughout the summer local NHL, Professional, University and Junior players took to the ice to sharpen their skills in preparation for the upcoming season. We are fortunate to have a tremendous alumnus at Core Hockey that spans more than 20 years of High Performance Training Camps.

We also want to recognize our next generation of up and comers currently playing at LU and in the CIS, NCAA, OHL, as well as other Canadian and American Junior Programs.

Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to the game. Best of luck this season and thank you for trusting us to assist in reaching your goals. — Gary and Jeff

  • Trevor Letowski
  • Ryan Johnson
  • The Pyatt Family
  • The Staal Family
  • Jeff Heerema
  • Jason Jaspers
  • Alex Auld
  • Patrick Sharp
  • Rob Bortuzzo
  • Carter Hutton
Core Hockey alumni on the ice
Two decades of Core Hockey camps

History

A history of excellence

Core Hockey has run programming in the city of Thunder Bay for two decades. We are fortunate to have worked with many talented players and coaches over that time, and we have formed lasting relationships with wonderful kids and parents.

Core Hockey would like to say a heartfelt thank you for all of the support over the years. We are truly very grateful. — Jeff and Gary