Our Team
Our top priority is your hockey family.
The Puck Budget Promise
The Puck Budget Promise is a commitment to providing hockey parents with transparent, ethical and continuous expertise; with the goal of helping as many minor hockey players in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and surrounding areas, achieve their hockey dreams.
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I created Puck Budget because I love hockey, strategic planning and genuinely want to see hockey families succeed. The market is littered with options; but few take into consideration the effect on the entire hockey family. Hockey is an extremely expensive sport, so much so, it is putting a large percentage of hockey families in debt. The hockey services market is profiting from the perpetual fear that most hockey parents possess; the fear of their child falling behind.
Having a very comprehensive skill set in the sport, I wanted to utilize my knowledge in a way that gave minor hockey players a legitimate chance at success; while being mindful of the financial restrictions that some families encounter. I consider myself a business man, with a unique hockey background; just like in business, in order to succeed in hockey, you need a plan.
Thus, I created Puck Budget on the premise that I could utilize my overall player development experience, and business acumen, to create long-term, cost-effective strategic plans for minor hockey families. I’ve played with, developed, and trained many NHL draft picks, and players; I have a very good understanding of the commitment it takes, from not only the player, but the entire hockey family as a whole.
The Total Family Development Model I created is the most in-depth performance improvement plan you will see in the Waterloo Region; and it’s affordable. My customized approach gives me the flexibility to tweak our model in a way that can work with any family budget; big or small.
If you are a hockey family in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge or surrounding area, our Free Consultation is something you simply can’t afford to miss. Regardless if you use my model or not, I love talking hockey and may be able to give you some advice that can add to your child’s player development!
John Thiel
Credentials
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Playing:
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Played first junior game at 14 years old
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Drafted North Bay Centennials - OHL
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Waterloo Siskins
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3-Time GOJHL All-Star and Top 10 Scorer
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221 Career Pts in 3.5 seasons.
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Team Captain
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NCAA Scholarship – Union College (ECAC)
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One of the best packages given out to that point
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CIS – Wilfrid Laurier University
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Professional Playing Opportunities in Europe & North America
Skill Development and Coaching:
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10 years elite skill development experience – One on One Hockey
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Helped hundreds of boys and girls minor hockey players reach new levels of
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success; including junior, major junior, college/university and Professional.
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3 years Head Instructor/Director of Elite Development – One on One Hockey
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Dealt with all elite players; aspiring to play junior, college and professional
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Developed many OHL & NHL draft picks and players
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Assistant Coach – University of Oklahoma Men’s Hockey
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Made it to 2nd round of National Tournament
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Took team that wasn’t ranked and finished ranked 15th in the nation
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Highest ranking of the season was 9th
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2nd best Penalty Kill in the country
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Strength and Conditioning:
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12 years experience as a certified personal trainer specializing in hockey specific training.
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Trained, and worked with, many Junior, Major Junior, Professional and NHL players.
Business Career:
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6 years experience as a professional business consultant for multiple 50+ Million dollar
organizations, specializing in strategic planning.
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Record breaking growth for both employers
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Sales, attendance, sponsorship acquisition, operations
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management/productivity