With over 40 years of coaching experience, along with a Stanley Cup and an NCAA Championship on his resume, Paul Vincent has crafted a legacy as one of the game’s most elite Skills Coaches.

The secret ingredient to Vincent’s success is his ability to be ahead of the curve in how he sees the game and in how he enhances players’ skill abilities. This can be credited to his ability to constantly evolve and improve his methods for training his players. Vincent has the rare ability to bring the best out of his players. His coaching style is demanding and abrasive, which has resulted in his ability to achieve tremendous success at the highest levels of the game. 

Vincent lives and breathes hockey. His passion for the game is infectious. 

We are thrilled to welcome Vincent to TCS Live this June where he will provide an in-depth look into what makes him one of the best skills coaches in the game.

Vincent’s love for the game began at the age of seven when he first put on skates and was exposed to the speed and excitement of hockey. Vincent played at both the high school and collegiate levels. After his playing days ended, Vincent’s father mentioned to him that the coach of his nephew’s team needed someone to step in and help him coach the team. It was here that his coaching career took root. Despite not having any previous coaching experience, Vincent recalled areas of the game that his coaches focused on. He leaned heavily on his childhood coach Red Foot’s coaching style and techniques. Vincent adopted a coaching style that had a primary focus on visual and auditory training drills. 

Vincent’s primary focus on being a skills coach was kick-started when four parents came up to him and asked if he would be willing to work with their children in a small group setting. He agreed and developed a small group clinic style of coaching that focused on enhancing and developing the skills part of his players’ game. From here, Vincent’s ability to work with players and guide them in an unorthodox training system only grew along with the success of the players he worked with.

An area of the game that Vincent prioritizes that many often don’t is avoiding injuries, especially injuries to the head. Due to the physical nature of the game, hockey can often be violent. Vincent crafts many drills and training exercises that prioritize players keeping their heads up and not looking at the puck. A unique practice that Vincent has established is having his players wear pieces of plastic under their eyes that almost look like eye black. The piece of plastic has an extended layer that prevents players from being able to look down at the ice to see the puck while stick handling. This forces his players to enhance their ability to keep their heads up and scan the ice constantly, which ultimately better protects them from unseen powerful collisions. 

In addition to working with players in a small group setting, Vincent also works in a larger team setting. With his assistance, he helped St. John’s Prep win a Massachusetts High School State Championship. Vincent’s success also carried over at the collegiate level where he played a key role in the player development of the 1985 RPI Men’s hockey team that went on to win the NCAA National Championship. 

Vincent’s ability to connect with and train players at the youth and collegiate levels earned him recognition and led him to an extensive career in the NHL. Throughout his NHL journey, Vincent has worked with five different NHL organizations as a primary skills coach. His greatest accomplishment came in 2010 when he was part of the Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks coaching staff. 

Vincent currently works with the Florida Panthers as their Head Skills Instructor. Along with his work with NHL organizations, Vincent has also worked personally with many of the NHL’s top stars which include the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Adam Oats, and many others. 

With all of his experience at the highest level of the game, Vincent has been able to establish his own skills clinic called PV Hockey. With Vincent at the helm, PV Hockey has gained a reputation as one of the top player development programs in the country. 

Vincent’s ultimate goal is for his players to reflect on their play and know that they gave everything that they had to the game and to be able to walk away with no regrets. His ability to adapt and evolve his player development training has allowed Vincent to be viewed as one of the best in the game at developing players both on and off the ice. 

Get your TCS Live tickets to see Vincent and the rest of the TCS presenters up close and in person!