Photo credit: RocketFAN

By Regan Bartel

Off-season spent training athletes

Dylan Hood; still playing the game and helping others succeed

Jul 16, 2024 | 9:41 AM

Dylan Hood has his hands full during the summer. 

The former Kelowna Rockets forward is not only trying to keep himself in tip-top shape as he prepares for another pro season in Europe, but he owns and operates Hood Athletic Edge, which is designed to train pro and minor hockey players so they too can excel on the ice when their seasons start. 

“Working out was something I was really into at a young age,” Hood told RocketFAN. “I was from Osoyoos, a small town, so there wasn’t a ton of things going on, so I spent a lot of time in the gym.” 

That practice of getting up early in the off-season has changed slightly for Hood over the last few years, where he is now tasked with instructing and motivating others who attend his workout sessions. 

“I learned at a young age about training, and it is something I fell in love with,” he added. “Now I can give back that knowledge to younger players, so it’s been rewarding.” 

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Hood works with primarily smaller groups, which results in more one-on-one time with clients to not only improve their conditioning, but work on things specifically designed for today’s high level hockey player. 

“You don’t want to train like a body builder,” Hood said with a chuckle. “You lose mobility and become slower. I have devised a program where you can still train to get stronger, but in a way where it is functional, explosive, so it translates into better on-ice performance.” 

High level hockey players from across Western Canada converge on Kelowna in the summer for the lifestyle, allowing them to train harder in the morning before finding time away from the arena for an afternoon tee-time or a dip in Okanagan Lake.  

“There are tons of options for players to train here with Kelowna being a hub for hockey players,” he added. “Because I am still playing, that is a huge benefit for my clientele. I am still seeing what works, seeing how to change certain aspects of my own game, and I am still finding answers to get better. I have done all the heavy lifting to find out what works, and the players benefit from that.” 

While players use Hood’s expertise in an effort to get better, the now 34-year-old doesn’t use a cookie-cutter approach to his training. 

“With everyone’s body, the physiology is unique with everyone,” he admitted. “Everyone faces certain limitations. Whether it is a hip joint or a knee joint, or even lower back pain, I run a full assessment on all my clients at the start of the off-season, and then we set up an individualized program for them to attack their specific needs.  

The great debate still exists over how much time a competitive hockey player should take off once the season has come to an end. While the body needs to recover from a stressful season, many are choosing little downtime before hopping back into the gym in an effort to make themselves better. 

“It all depends on how deep and long a player went into the playoffs,” he said. “How much was a guy playing during the season? If they are logging a lot of minutes, that player is going to need more time off. At the end of the day, the athlete has to listen to their bodies. I personally take three or four weeks where I am not doing anything structured. I am active. I am going for a bike ride, so it is not like I am not doing anything, but even from the mental health side of it, getting away from any structure, you are refreshed mentally and hungrier to train again and get the most out of what they are doing in the gym.” 

Hood, who is now married with two children, is preparing to head overseas again this winter to play his fourth full season in Germany. 

“I have been married for nine years, and we just had our second son in Germany,” he said proudly. “My first boy will be four in October. Playing overseas, if you have the opportunity, do it. In Germany, the clubs look after you. If you have a family, the medical system is amazing. It also gives you a chance to see the world. Travel is so cheap while you are over there. We are obsessed with going over there.” 

Hood is part of a Kelowna Rockets trivia question. What player was he traded to Moose Jaw for in the 2008-2009 WHL championship season? The answer is Riley Grantham. 

“In the moment, it was a tough one to swallow,” Hood reflecting on the trade. “When I went to Moose Jaw, we weren’t an amazingly good team, but I go to play on the top line and those last two-and-a-half seasons I really developed and came into my own as a player.” 

Hood also had the chance to play in Moose Jaw’s iconic ‘Crushed Can’, which was eventually demolished in 2012. 

“My last season, we closed down the ‘Crushed Can,’ he added about an arena that was built in 1959 and was the home of the Warriors when they relocated from Winnipeg for the start of the 1985 WHL season. “When I was traded to Moose Jaw, it was about –50, so the ice in that place was rock hard. 

“You could absolutely fly, so the game happened so fast. When you were the home team, and practiced on it every day, you had an advantage. In Moose Jaw, they had such great fans there, we would pack that building every night. It was crazy loud. It was electric. I loved my years playing in Moose Jaw.”