RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Ashlea Jones is far removed from her figure skating days. For the past 16 years she’s instructed hockey players on the finer points of skating.
“I saw that there was a bit of a lack of the technical component of skating when it came to hockey and power skating so I jumped into it and it took off from there,” said Jones.
At the Carolina Hurricanes recent Prospects Development Camp, Jones put the young players through different drills designed to work on mobility and activation through the hips, feet and ankles.
“I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to skating so I really, really dive in pretty deep to get the technique out,” said Jones.
Jones focuses on what she calls simply-complex movements designed to help the overall game such as glides, turns and pivots
“We did a lot of focus on that and I think they felt it today for sure,” said Jones.
They certainly did.
“There were definitely some hard drills there but everything made sense what she was talking about, she kind of explained everything and why we were doing it so it was good,” said Hurricanes prospect Michael Emerson.
Sometimes the smallest movements have the largest impact. The game of hockey is all about time and space, one wrong turn or one bad step can lead to disaster. These drills are designed to prevent that from happening.
“It’s a lot about efficiency and efficiency gives that gap, gives that inch of separation, gives that direct line or direct to that open ice or to that puck,” said Jones.
Because in hockey, getting from point A to point B first is the name of the game.
“Again it’s a game of inches and every inch you can gain the better,” said Jones.