For today's young hockey players, development rarely stops when practice ends. Between early morning skates, evening team practices, dryland sessions and homework, finding the right balance has become one of the biggest challenges for families trying to help their children pursue the game they love.
At Winnipeg's RINK Training Centre, the R1 Hockey Academy was designed to ease that balancing act. Rather than asking student-athletes to squeeze additional training into already packed schedules, the academy integrates hockey development, strength training and academics into a single school day — creating an environment where players can grow both on and off the ice.
For R1 Program Lead and Coach Mentor Dwayne Gylywoychuk, that's exactly the point.
"It's really about giving kids that added development while surrounding them with like-minded student-athletes," he said. "We wanted to create an opportunity where they could continue developing their hockey while also receiving a strong education and learning the habits they'll need to be successful in life."
From Morning Program to Full Academy: The Growth of R1 Hockey
Originally launched as a morning hockey development program for Grades 7 and 8, R1 has continued to evolve. As demand increased, the academy partnered with St. Ignatius School to establish dedicated classrooms inside the RINK Training Centre.
This fall marks another step forward with the addition of a Grade 6 program, allowing the academy to serve student-athletes through three pivotal years of their development while continuing to let them compete for their community, AA or AAA teams during the season.
Meet Coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk: From the WHL to Hockey Canada
For Gylywoychuk, the academy represents the next chapter in a hockey career that has taken him from the Western Hockey League to the international stage with Hockey Canada. After coaching the Brandon Wheat Kings and spending time behind the bench with Canada's national women's program — including the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang — he was looking for an opportunity that would allow him to remain in hockey while spending more time at home with his young family.
"I still wanted to coach. I still wanted to give back to the game and teach young athletes about a sport that had been so good to me as both a coach and a player," he said.
Today, that same philosophy shapes every aspect of the R1 Hockey Academy.
Building Good People First: The R1 Coaching Philosophy
"If we create good people, we're going to create even better athletes," Gylywoychuk said. "That's really become our model."
It's a belief that stretches well beyond skating technique or stickhandling. Leadership, coachability, accountability and respect are woven into the daily routine just as intentionally as time on the ice.
"We're big believers in teaching them about being good people, good individuals, being coachable and making sure they respect the game," Gylywoychuk said. "If we can check all those boxes at this age, we feel we're giving them a pretty strong foundation."
Rather than beginning at the high school level, R1 focuses on middle-years students during what staff believe is one of the most influential stages of athletic and personal development. Some graduates continue into RINK Hockey Academy's U15 and older programs, while others return to community hockey carrying with them a stronger foundation, both as players and as people.
A Typical Day at R1 Hockey Academy
A typical day reflects that philosophy:
- 8:00 a.m. — Students arrive, often gathering to discuss games from the previous evening before beginning classroom instruction. Those conversations can lead to lessons about leadership, teamwork and sportsmanship before anyone even steps onto the ice.
- Mid-morning — Students move between academics, on-ice development and strength training at Testify Performance.
- Afternoon — Students return to the classroom for the remainder of the school day.
"It's all integrated," Gylywoychuk said. "They're getting their education, their hockey development and their off-ice training all within the regular school day."
Cross-Training for Better Hockey Players
The development doesn't stop with hockey. Students also participate in activities designed to improve overall athleticism through sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, badminton and ultimate frisbee.
"We want them to be functional athletes," Gylywoychuk said. "If they're throwing footballs, playing basketball, volleyball or badminton, we believe that helps them become even better hockey players because they're simply becoming better athletes."
One Team, One Roof: R1's Coaching and Education Staff
Supporting that approach is a staff of full-time coaches, player development specialists, goalie instructors and performance coaches — all working under one roof alongside the academy's educational partner, St. Ignatius School.
That collaborative environment, Gylywoychuk believes, is what truly separates R1.
"When you walk through the door, you're going to get everything you need," he said.
For families, that means less time driving from school to the rink, then to the gym and back again. Instead, the pieces fit together as part of one coordinated school day, allowing student-athletes to focus on their education while continuing to pursue their passion for hockey.
What's Next for R1 Hockey Academy
Looking ahead, Gylywoychuk sees opportunities to continue growing the academy, potentially expanding into additional grades and even introducing similar models for other sports.
But growth, he says, isn't the ultimate objective. For Gylywoychuk, success won't be measured by championships, scholarships or professional contracts. It will be the students who return years later remembering the lessons they learned both on and off the ice.
"We know everybody who comes through here isn't going to play professional hockey," he said. "But if, 10 years from now, they're graduating from university, they're proud they came through this academy and maybe they come back to help the next generation, then we've done our job. We want them to become strong student-athletes, but more importantly, strong people in the community."