TPH Student-Athletes Are Making An Impact Off The Ice this Holiday Season
Celebration, selflessness, and reflection – three keywords that mean something different to everyone, but are united through youth athletics and the giving spirit that the holiday season brings. No matter the victories or the defeats you experienced in 2021, we shall turn our hearts and focus to surrounding communities that need help. From coast-to-coast, that is exactly what the TPH Center of Excellence student-athletes have been dedicated to accomplishing off the ice; being a helping hand and making a positive impact within their communities this holiday season.
In St. Louis, the student-athletes and their families teamed up with Angel Arms, a non-profit organization, to adopt a family of seven children with a single mother who is currently battling cancer. With this act of kindness, the TPH Center of Excellence in St. Louis was able to provide clothing, gift cards, and raise nearly $2,000; fulfilling the family’s wish list for the holidays. The hand-written letters from the student-athletes brought joy to the family, as well, during this difficult time.
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The Indiana team took action this December by participating in the WRTV6 Toy Drive. With help from the Red Cross, student-athletes collected and filled a van full of new toys that were gifted to families around the Indianapolis area who needed some holiday cheer. Once the last toy was successfully delivered, the TPH Center of Excellence Director in Indiana, Judi Kremer, recapped the exciting experience by mentioning “What a wonderful experience to see the compassion and energy that the student-athletes brought to the toy drive and getting the information out to collect from family, friends, neighbors, and teammates. The community supported our student-athlete’s efforts and everyone showed what the spirit of giving was truly about”.
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In the south, TPH Center of Excellence student-athletes in Nashville wrote and decorated uplifting holiday letters that brought happiness and a smile to the residents of the Morning Pointe Senior Living facility in Franklin, Tennessee. In the spirit of giving, the Nashville team also collected 1,631 pounds of food and delivered it to the Second Harvest Food Bank. “Our original goal was to collect 500 pounds and our students and their families stepped up in a big way,” said Jen Cubides, Head of Academics.
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Out west, the Phoenix team provided nearly $1,000 in hygiene products for women who recently became homeless. Turning the giving up a notch in December, the student-athletes also adopted a family in need; making Christmas a little happier this year.
These selfless efforts made by TPH Center of Excellence student-athletes and their families go far beyond bringing happiness to others, but rather unite teams, families, and communities. No matter if it’s in the classroom, on the ice, or in the community, each TPH Center of Excellence location has an environment built for growth with a holistic approach of preparing student-athletes for success in the ultimate game, the game of life.
Take a moment to reflect on what worked well for you this year in your hockey journey and where you aspire to be this time next year on and off the ice.
If you’re looking to find a better way to academic and athletic excellence, a great first step would be registering for the upcoming National Virtual Open House on Monday, January 10th. You could also get involved in the TK Scholarship Fund to help aspiring student-athletes.
Let’s study, train, and play more in 2022!
Alan Keeso Named CEO as TPH Looks to Next 20 Years
(Nashville, TN – December 15, 2021) – TPH is excited to announce Alan Keeso as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2022. Having served as Strategic Advisor to TPH over the past 5 years, Keeso brings in-depth knowledge of TPH and its Center of Excellence (CoE) academy model, its team members, and culture.
“We’re so excited to have Al lead our team going into our next 20 years at TPH,” said TPH founder Nathan Bowen, who will move out of the CEO role and into the Chairman role, remaining heavily active in TPH. “Having celebrated TPH turning 20 years old this year, we are absolutely pumped about what’s to come as we strive to lead the world in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes. Al is the leader to help us scale that impact.”
In addition to consulting for TPH in recent years, Keeso has helped dozens of small and medium-sized businesses grow for over a decade as a management consultant, independently, as well as through Grant Thornton and BDC. When asked early in 2021 by Bowen and his Investing Partner Taso Sofikitis to work more closely with TPH, Keeso decided to make the move with his family to Nashville.
“TPH to its core is a purpose-driven organization, with an outstanding team of committed professionals,” said Keeso. “It’s an honor to have this kind of confidence from Nathan and Taso to take TPH to new heights, and the responsibility that comes with the CEO role to the TPH team and our student-athletes is something I take very seriously. We’re a team that’s poised for growth through our Center of Excellence Study/Train/Play academy model, association management, camps and clinics, The Prospect Exchange, prospects teams, and events, now featuring Champions League Hockey in partnership with World Hockey Group. All of these efforts and their growth will enable us to positively impact the lives of a greater number of student-athletes, not only at our current locations, but also at many new locations to come. The future is bright at TPH.”
Keeso’s own journey as a student-athlete, and ensuing career, lend perspective to what Bowen believes will continue to differentiate TPH to prospective partners as well as families weighing the incredibly important decision on where to have their children develop as students, athletes, and people.
“Al has not only been an aspiring elite student-athlete, who reached levels in hockey that many TPH student-athletes are working towards daily, but he also exemplifies to our families what the bigger picture can be when lessons learned from sports are applied beyond the game,” said Bowen. “That’s what TPH is all about, and that’s what we feel differentiates us; we prepare our student-athletes not only for the next level in their sport, but also mentor them on habits that will help them experience wild success on the ultimate journey – life. With Al’s leadership, that differentiator will only get stronger. He has lived the ups and downs the game can throw at you and is an incredible role model for young aspiring student-athletes, because he never quit and he has used those tough times as motivation and lessons learned to prepare for the next challenge in life and hit it head on in pursuit of the next success.”
In addition to a successful business career, Keeso has earned two master’s degrees – an MBA and an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management – from the University of Oxford. At Oxford, he also published a working paper, took to the TEDx stage, and was goaltender for the university’s historic ice hockey team, becoming the only men’s player in the club’s history to have earned an Extraordinary Full Blue, the highest honor in sports at Oxford. Keeso also served as an infantry officer in the armed forces reserves and ran in a federal election.
A native of Listowel, Ontario, Keeso played hockey in his hometown before joining the Huron-Perth Lakers AAA organization and continuing on to Jr hockey with the Listowel Cyclones, Strathroy Rockets, and Sarnia Blast of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOHL). He then went to Boston to study at Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he was a goaltender for the varsity NCAA Division III hockey team and graduated with a BSc in Technology Management with honors.
“Having grown up in the game of hockey, I understand the opportunities for growth that youth sports provide for young people, on and off the ice, field, and court,” said Keeso. “Team members at TPH are deeply committed to the holistic development of student-athletes, knowing that the skills and habits learned extend well beyond the game to many other arenas of life. As a result of Nathan’s leadership and an all-star team of people, we have a great foundation in place as we head into ‘The Next 20’ at TPH.”
If you are interested in learning more about our #StudyTrainPlay model at the TPH Center of Excellence, Alan and other key members of our team will be participating in a Nationwide Virtual Open House on January 10th at 8:00 PM EST. Register for free here!
Judi Kremer
A native of Syracuse, NY, Judi has been involved and managed youth sports programs, specifically hockey, for over 20 years. Judi not only serves as the Director for TPH Indianapolis Center of Excellence, but she is also the director for the Tri-State Spartans and program administrator for Indy, Central, and Spartans. She has her degree in psychology. She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and two sons.
TPH Adidas Apparel Store Open Through November 1st
Tri-State Spartans alum commits to SUNY-Oswego
(INDIANAPOLIS, IN – September 11, 2020) – Goaltender Richie Parent has become the first Tri-State Spartan alumnus to commit to play college hockey. Parent will play for the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego this upcoming season. He was one of the original goalies in the first year of the program.
In the 2017-18 season, Parent played for the Tri-State Spartans 18U AAA team. He then went on to guard the crease for the Shreveport Mudbugs in the NAHL where he set a franchise record for consecutive wins at eight. When he joined the Spartans, it was a first year program, but he knew that it would provide a tremendous opportunity to develop as a person and an athlete.
“After going to the tryout, I got to meet some of the players and coach Austin,” said Parent. “Everyone was so nice, and I liked the area. I knew it was a team that would help me develop and get better. It was great because it helped us balance our schoolwork while also getting on the ice. We had dedicated trainers and workout spaces along with tutors to help us study. That’s what I liked when I was there.”
Greg Austin, Director of Hockey-Operation as Total Package Hockey (TPH) in Indianapolis, was honest with Parent when coming to a first-year program. It was about development and ice time, not necessarily wins and losses.
“He recognized that coming to a first-year program was an opportunity for him to face a lot of shots,” said Austin on Parent. “Most first year teams, if you have to be strong, it’ll be between the pipes. It makes it easier to recruit like that. You can promise them that they’ll get lots of shots. When you’re a development guy, you want to be on the ice facing shots. I was honest with him when I recruited him. We had three goaltenders that year, and all three could play. He wasn’t big, but he’s very athletic, good laterally and read the puck well.”
Parent was only able to spend one season in Indianapolis as he aged out of the program, but that one year saw a huge improvement in his skills.
“Towards the end of the season, we really started to see him separate,” said Austin. “He went and trained with the Mudbugs as well and proved his worth. He matured immensely with the experiences he had here. It’s difficult to play on a losing team, but as a goaltender, he found ways to make positives out of negatives. He was a good teammate, and left with a skillset that I think was improved. It was a lot about him in that he worked hard and saw the opportunity.”
The Center of Excellence offers a good balance between academics and athletics. What stood out to Parent was the opportunity to be on the ice and improve.
“The biggest thing about that program is being on the ice all the time,” said Parent. “We’d have a skill skate in the morning and a practice in the afternoon. I had a lot of ice time to develop, and that was huge in helping me get to the next level.”
Austin recognized that the balance and ability to be on the ice twice a day is what opened more opportunities for Parent.
“We’re trying to be a program that implements study, train, play at the Center of Excellence level, which has a lot to do with why Richie got as good as he did,” said Austin. “He was on the ice twice a day. We focus on development, not wins and losses. We focus on individual player development, then it’s up to the student-athlete to embrace that with their own passion for the game. Richie has been one of those success stories, and we’re really proud of him.”
While the college hockey season is currently postponed, Parent is still thrilled at the opportunity to play. He’s enjoying the college life and just hopes that more student-athletes can have the experience that he’s had while developing. As for the future, once Parent has completed his time in college, he hopes to play the sport he loves professionally.
“I’m extremely grateful for every opportunity I’ve had,” said Parent. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do as a little kid. Being able to live the life and be able to play college hockey is just awesome. I hope that every kid that wants this experience gets it. As of right now, I just want to start my season whenever we can and take it year by year. I want to be the best I can be with where I’m at. My goal is to hopefully play pro hockey after my four years at Oswego.”
Learn more about the Tri-State Spartans here.
Interested in attending the Center of Excellence in Indianapolis? Click here.
Hensley, Hirschy, Lacombe, and Singletary Highlight Guest Coaches for the 2020 TPH Indy Girls Camp
UPDATE: Gracen Hirschy will no longer be attending the 2020 TPH Indy Girls camp due to a commitment scouting in Europe.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The 2020 TPH Indianapolis Girls Camp is right around the corner and we are excited to bring an all-star guest coaching team.
Returning will be, 2018 Olympic Gold Medalist for the US Women’s National Team, Nicole Hensley. Hensley played her college hockey at Lindenwood University prior to her success representing the United States at two World Championships where Hensley and USA claimed gold. Presently Hensley is a member of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association. Nicole will be invaluable to our goaltenders at the camp, as well as a resource for the girls to know what it takes to play at the highest level.
This will mark the first year for the other guest coaches coming to the TPH Indy Girls Camp:
Gracen Hirschy, a native of Ft. Wayne, was a member of the US Women’s National Under-18 team as well as a two-time member of the U.S. Women’s Under -22 Select team. She most recently played for MODO Hockey in the SDHL and played NCAA (W) at the University of North Dakota.
Allie LaCombe, a Minnesota native, is coming off a season where she wore multiple hats. LaCombe was the head coach of the Nashville Jr Predators Girls 14U team, assistant coach to the Nashville Jr Predators Girls 19U team, and finished the season competing in the National Women’s Hockey League with the Connecticut Whale. LaCombe’s experience in the game includes time spent playing college hockey at Syracuse University as well as playing overseas for Aisulu Altmaty in the European Women’s Hockey League.
Kahlie Singletary brings over 14 years of Tier I and Tier II Girls hockey. Last season, Singletary was the head coach of the Nashville Jr Predators Girls 19U team and assistant coach to the Nashville Jr Predators Girls 14U team.
We are excited to bring such an experienced and dedicated coaching staff to this clinic!
The 2020 TPH Indy Girls Camp starts July 31st and will run through August 2nd. The camp is open to girls of all skill levels and will have two age groups: 11U for ’13-’08 birth years and 17U for ’07-’02 birth years. Players will receive TPH’s proven training of relevant skills and drills to improve their skating, shooting, and passing, as well as apply these skills and make decisions under pressure.
The girls will be on the ice for at least 5 hours of skill work and will end the clinic with a scrimmage. The camp will also include off-ice workouts, video sessions, team building session, and an informational session.
Be sure to reserve your spot today before the camp fills up! Click here to register.
One Team… We still got this!
Dear TPH Student-Athletes, Coaches, Volunteers and Parents,
All of us are itching to get back on the ice, in the performance training rooms and back to the game we all love. At TPH we have been spending a lot of time planning for this; what it will look like depending on what state, city and county we are in and how we best ensure it’s as safe as possible for you and our team members. We have been so fortunate to have strong relationships with all of the facilities we work with. We are consistently in touch with them and understanding what their protocol is or will be when they open up. We will adhere to all policy and protocol in each facility. We are so thankful for all the work that they are putting into this preparation, training staff and implementing a new normal for all of us to come back to the rink safely.
We are grateful to the Nashville Predators organization and the entire coaching staff led by John Hynes, Dan Lambert, Dan Muse, Ben Vanderklok, Lawrence Feloney and David Good who spent time with our coaches, sharing insight and providing some continuing education over the course of a few weeks to the group. Our coaches have been using this time to learn, improve and get ready for the upcoming training opportunities, along with how we can maximize training and development this summer and in our TPH Center of Excellence to support the student-athletes if we have a delay in full training and games.
TPH Colorado Director of Hockey Operations Jordan Pietrus created “Shield Our Communities” along with TPH team members and student-athletes raised over $10,000, thanks to a generous match from our partner Maynard’s Industries, to provide face masks for local healthcare providers in Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Huntsville, Indianapolis and Nashville. Mentoring and messaging to our student-athletes that when times get tough, we get tougher and we help those who need help and take care of others. This is deep in the fabric and culture of our game, and is part of what makes hockey so special.
Special thank you to our COO Francis Anzalone and Frank Anzalone, along with the rest of our TPH Team members who quickly built out the TPH Virtual Hockey Development platform so players at our CoEs and across the country could continue to train and put the necessary work in at home. We are now prepared for any future potential closures or pauses that may come up when school starts back this fall, to ensure our student-athletes can continue their development and be mentored at home.
We have seen an increase in parent participation at home and support on academics and virtual training which is great. Thank you for your patience, many of you have sent in emails of encouragement and support for coaches, academic leaders and we really appreciate your positive notes.
We have experienced some unique support from many friends in the NHL. Several positive role models have taken time via Zoom calls with our CoE student-athletes including Quinn and Jack Hughes, Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Aaron Volpatti, Scott Laughton, Brandon Naurato, Angelo Ricci, Eric Lacroix, Colton Parayko and Torey Krug. We are so grateful for their time and what an amazing opportunity for our aspiring elite student-athletes to learn from each of them.
Finally, a HUGE thank you to our Academic Directors and additional education team members who never missed a beat supporting and holding the student-athletes accountable over the past 2 months. Just over 70% of TPH Student-Athletes will have all A’s and B’s, as the Edmentum platform allowed them to quickly transition from the classroom to home without interruption. Although our physical CoE locations have been closed, our academic progress, mentorship and off ice training never missed a beat. Our 5th grade class in Nashville finished up two weeks early and graduated into middle school and we have seen a number of students finish their studies for the semester 2-6 weeks early. We are so grateful for the incredible support from EdOptions Academy, Michigan International Prep School, Brighton Area Schools, GlobalEd, Mount Vernon, Athens Renaissance School, McNairy County Schools and especially our academic partner Edmentum who have provided the platform and support team to keep our student-athletes on track and able to successfully complete the semester and school year during this crisis with no interruption. Lastly, we want to congratulate the TPH CoE senior class of 2020 as we celebrate the graduation of 41 student-athletes across all 7 CoEs as they take their next step in their academic and hockey marathon!
We still have a long road ahead of us, but it is key we focus on the positives, celebrate the wins, even when they are not back up on the scoreboard yet. It’s been awesome to see so many people, programs, teams and players from all across the country step up in their own way to contribute to staying positive, the hockey community is ONE team and we still got this!
Enjoy your memorial day weekend, please take a moment to remember all our service men and women who gave their lives while serving and please thank those that have served and are currently protecting our freedom.
Take care,
Nathan Bowen
Chief Executive Officer
Total Package Hockey, LLC
Goal Achieved.
Total Package Hockey is excited to announce, with the support of 75 donations, we achieved our goal of $10,000 to Shield Our Communities. In surpassing our goal, Maynard’s will be providing their promised match of $2,000 and the bonus of $5000. Combined we reached a total of $12,570 which will be utilize to produce and ship face shields from Sparx Hockey. The order has been placed and Sparx Hockey will completing production of over 1,000 masks to be evenly distributed and shipped to the following locations:
- Atlanta | Emory University Department of Public Safety
- Colorado | Elizabeth Fire Station 271
- Detroit | Dearborn Heights Police Department
- Grand Rapids | Emergency Care Specialists and Life EMS
- Huntsville | Huntsville Hospital System
- Indianapolis | Eskenzie Health of Indianapolis
- Nashville | Metro Nashville Office of Emergency Management
We would like to thank Sparx for this partnership and Maynard’s for their generous match. Most of all we would like to that those who shared this campaign and donated to help support front line workers in our local communities. Thank you to the following donors:
Tom Winkler
Tony Diganci
Jeffrey Peterson
Jordan Pietrus
Sergio Gasperoni
Aaron Stewardson
R Scott Jentz
Tph Nationwide Family
Sheldon Wolitski
Mario Mazzuca
Taso Sofikitis
Chris And Mandy Lipsett
Karen Pease
Seven Cooper
Sunsea W.
Martin Kubaliak
Tr Mason
Indy Center Of Excellence
Alan Loewenstein
Mike Suzuki
Francis Kearney
Emily Bourgeois
Jeff Miller
John Coots
Judi Kremer
Steven Mattes
Thomas Elsensohn
Tara Shaikh
Mike Mcintosh
Candice Neisen
Dominic Vincent
Randy B
Jay Henry
Scott Truchan
Nichelle Simon
Adam House
Tom Stenglein
Devin Timberlake
Scott Van Der Linden
Tamme Mellenthin
Finn Kilbride
Heather Lambert
Henry Wineman
Michael O’neil
Sheina Dixon
Larena Burnett
Cassie Ramsay
Cameron Shaw
L’kita Smith
Dyron Givens
Emily Keller
Kristin Nabozny
Nicole Koring
Tiernan Keith Grandmother
Anthony Golio
Jared Bussard
Jordan Pietrus
Rich Mackanos
Denise Schmidt
Tiernan Keith
Phyllis Long
Annie Malafa
Audrey Forman
Dean Gartelos
Michael Mcever Family
Max Lacroix
Taylor Keyworth
Jamie Lynn Frank
Leah S
Paul Evans
Hanna Hill
Mac And Bailey Bowen
Tiffany Silverberg
Tri-State Spartans Join the NAPHL for the 2020-2021 Season
Shield Our Communities goes into Overtime
We are excited to say that we are over a quarter of the way to our Shield Our Communities goal. With the support of our many donations as well as the match from Maynards we have a current total of $2,643.
Our lofty goal of $10,000 dollars would supply 1,500 face shields, provided by Sparx, to front line workers in our local communities and we are not there yet. There is still time to donate. We recognize the importance of distributing these shield in a timely manner and we will be closing donations on Friday May 15th at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Help us send shields, distributed evenly, to the following local organizations:
- Atlanta | Emory University Department of Public Safety
- Colorado | Elizabeth Fire Station 271
- Detroit | Dearborn Heights Police Department
- Grand Rapids | Emergency Care Specialists and Life EMS
- Huntsville | Huntsville Hospital System
- Indianapolis | Eskenzie Health of Indianapolis
- Nashville | Metro Nashville Office of Emergency Management