About

Every uncommon athlete has a unique journey. No matter where you are in that journey, the right strategy is THE #1 REASON you will reach your goals and fulfill your dream.

To BE an NCAA/Pro Player you must BECOME one by training like a Pro or NCAA player today, elevating your daily habits and actions to align with receiving the dream you want in your future. It requires you to become an uncommon athlete right now. It is essential to know what your dream requires of you each and every day to achieve it, which requires training and fostering the 6 essential pillars of hockey player development:

Skill Development (on-ice & off-ice)
Hockey IQ
Strength & Speed Training
Peak Performance Mindset
Nutrition
Advisory/Agency, Education & Guidance

JCHD was founded to put all 6 essential pillars of player development into one program, under one umbrella, all at one agency. To educate, encourage, and guide players and families away from wishful thinking that focusing on only 1/6 or 2/6 of the pillars of player development is enough to become an outlier that achieves their dream. It isn't enough and is unrealistic to expect a 6/6 outcome with a 2/6 commitment level.

These 6 essential pillars of development are paramount to your success. You must foster and train them appropriately to ensure a virtuous compounding effect. If you are ignoring one of the pillars of player development that your dreams require of you, we will shine a spotlight on it. You can't hide or slack off when your accountability team at JCHD is on top of every aspect of your development. However, for the rare player and parent(s) who understands these 6 essential pillars of development, the sad reality is that in the vast majority of cases the player/parent(s) are left to their own devices, hiring training for each pillar of development from independent sources. The result is that "your development team" is scattered, is not on the same page, doesn't communicate with one another, may overlap in training causing diminishing returns, and leaves you wondering if they are adding maximum value. The result - They aren't. It's impossible to maximize development when every aspect of your training is outsourced and no one centralized authority is ensuring professional intensity and quality control.

This is what separates us from the pack, and this is what will separate you from the pack.

NICE TO MEET YOU

JC Westerlund

Hi, I'm Coach JC. I grew up in Baudette, MN, a small hockey town in Northern Minnesota along the Canadian border and was a 4 sport high school athlete (Hockey, Football, Golf, and Track). I played 4 years of Minnesota high school hockey for Lake of the Woods where I was 3-time All-Conference selection and 2-time team captain. In 2007, I was selected to the USA Select 15 National Development Camp as a top 12 forward from the State of Minnesota. I then went on to play at Russell Stover Tier 1 U18 AAA, Chicago Hitmen NAHL, and Dallas Ice Jets WSHL where I was a top 5 league scorer and league All-Star. I then played 4 years NCAA Div. III at Gustavus Adolphus College, graduating Cum Laude in 2017 with a financial economics degree.

I developed a passion for coaching, mentoring, and developing youth hockey players during the Summer off-seasons of my playing career. I have been a skill development and power skating coach for 17 years, 6 years of which I was the head coach for U18, U16, U14, and U12 summer hockey development at the Lake of the Woods Summer Hockey School from 2012 - 2017, growing the camp into one of the premier Minnesota hockey development camps and the #1 most desired Northern Minnesota hockey camp by the end of my tenure, selling out year after year. I have a deep passion for coaching and a keen ability to break down the developmental details of skill, skating, and hockey IQ for players, while igniting their inner confidence.

Since graduating college in 2017, I have been training, developing, and advising players through the junior and college hockey ranks, and have scouted and/or consulted for teams and coaches in professional hockey, NCAA, USHL, NAHL, NCDC, and several Tier 3 junior hockey leagues. During this time I have operated several small businesses and worked in a technology incubator/accelerator for start-up companies, surrounded by some of the most innovative technology of the modern day. I recently moved to Dallas and decided to get behind the bench in 2021 and quickly helped transform players games to the next level, sending more 18AA players to AAA and junior hockey than the rest of the DFW AA hockey market combined.

Playing Experience:

2013-2017 - Gustavus Adolphus College (NCAA Div. III)

2012-2013 - Dallas Ice Jets (WSHL - League All-Star)

2011-2012 - Chicago Hitmen (NAHL)

2010-2011 - Russell Stover (Tier 1 U18 AAA)

2006-2010 - Minnesota High School Hockey (3-Time All-Conference Selection)

2007 - Team USA Select 15 National Development Camp (USA)

Coaching & Scouting Experience:

2023-Present - AAA Coach at Dallas Stars Elite Hockey Club

2017-Present - Scout/Consultant for several Professional, NCAA, USHL, NAHL, NCDC, and Tier 3 Junior hockey programs.

2021-2023 - Head Coach 18AA McKinney North Stars

2007-2017 - Lake of the Woods Hockey School (MN) - Head Coach of U18, U16, U14, & U12 Summer development from 2012-2017

2011-Present - Off-Ice and On-Ice Skill Development Training (Private)

"Working with Coach JC has changed my son's life. There are no words to describe how much he means to me as a mother and our family. It is a gift and a blessing to have him in our lives. We are so grateful. My son has had 20+ coaches, and there is no one like Coach JC. He is THE BEST!"

- Evan Lee

"Every goal Joshua scored he would say, 'JC taught me that.' The skills and technique are one thing, but the biggest thing you taught my son was confidence; the power of the mind. Thank You!"

- Sun Park, Mother of the 23'-24' DSTHL 18AA season #1 points leader Joshua Park.

"Owen didn't score a goal at 16AA. His confidence was shot; all time low. Training with Coach JC was the right decision!"

- Brian Webb, Father of Owen Webb who went from 0 goals at 16AA to scoring 23 goals by Christmas at 18AA.

My Story

When my playing career came to an abrupt end, my passion for the game seemed to fade into the dawns of time. A moment that inevitably comes for all of us who play sport. My playing career was driven by a deep love and passion for the game, which was quickly replaced with a deep hole of sadness and pain when it was all over. A lifelong passion, gone.

Fortunately, years later after several surgeries and living the mundane of everyday life, I rekindled my fire and passion for the game through coaching; developing players to achieve their dreams and goals, and to be the advisor and mentor that I wish I had during my playing days. Hockey is a beautiful sport, and since 2021 I have taken a far more active role in my passion and the game of hockey. My passion and love for the game is the driving force to accelerating players to their highest potential, and will no doubt be reflected and transferred into the athletes I work with; a passionate fire that is hard to find in a coach. I want nothing more than the athletes that I work with to transform their lives and have that phone call one day where they say, "Coach, I made it. You changed my life." I live for your success. Your success is my success, and I live vicariously through the athletes I work with.

Why I Do It

It's okay to not know how to help your child or which opportunities to accept or avoid in youth, junior, college, and pro hockey. That is why I'm here and our team at JCHD is here. Our knowledge, experience, wisdom, and network runs deep, providing you peace of mind along your journey with a clear roadmap of the hockey world that will avoid landmines and dead ends, while lighting the path forward on the road to your dreams.

My parents didn't always know what decisions to make nor how to help me as an athlete physically, mentally, and spiritually. I have come to understand as I have gotten older that it is stressful as a parent; you want to provide your child with all the resources and answers but you don't know who to trust nor where to find them. This is why I created JCHD, to fill that void and walk with you and your family on this journey. Our knowledge, experience, and wisdom at JCHD will melt that stress away and put you in a mindset of, "we got this." We provide a roadmap of the hockey world, avoiding land mines and lighting the path forward with all the resources, training, mentorship, and advice required on the road to your dream or your child's dream.

JC HOCKEY DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Get Advice on Development, Junior & College Hockey Landscape, & Player News

Learn and understand the symbiotic relationship of the 6 Pillars of Hockey Player Development and the importance of how they relate to each other to maximize the compounding development impact they have on each other in relation to your dreams and goals. Your hockey career is a journey rot with landmines to avoid, opportunities to accept, and unavoidable realities. We’ll educate and guide you to the finish line with proper advice. Follow along for player news and success stories.

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