Summer Skating Break: Why Less Ice Means More Progress

Why Too Much Summer Skating Can Hurt More Than It Helps

Simply put, the human body wasn’t designed for skating. From a biomechanical standpoint, skating is an unnatural movement—especially when it comes to the hips and groin. The repetitive stress on these areas throughout the year can lead to overuse injuries, tightness, and muscular imbalances.

Taking a break from skating gives your body the chance to heal, rebuild, and reset. Yes, some players are blessed with favorable body mechanics and can skate year-round without issue. However, most of us need offseason recovery time to avoid set-backs or major issues down the road.

Maximize Your Gains in the Gym

The offseason is the perfect opportunity to make serious progress in the gym—getting stronger, faster, and more resilient to injuries. To truly get the most out of your training, the gym needs to be your top priority. It’s nearly impossible to maximize gym performance while grinding on the ice 2–3 times a week.

Ironically, less ice time and more gym time often lead to better results on the ice. As I like to say: you need to grind in the gym to put on the “body armor” for the rigors of the hockey season.

 Reset Mentally, Too

Let’s not forget the mental side of things. Skating year-round with no real break can lead to burnout and fatigue—especially in younger players. A few months away from the ice can help you reset and recharge, keeping your passion for the game alive year after year.

Rink rat or not, we can all benefit from a break during the early summer months. Take advantage of the warm weather and step away from the rink when you can!

Does Summer Skating Ever Make Sense?

It depends. Unless you’re working through significant technique issues, skating a few times a week probably won’t be a net positive. In fact, I’d argue that skating 2–3 times a week during the summer could sabotage your offseason training and increase your risk of injury when the season starts.

Of course, if you have an important tournament or tryout coming up, ramping up your ice time makes sense. But when you have the opportunity to take time off and focus on strength training, that’s almost always the better long-term play.

It’s amazing what a dedicated summer of off-ice training can do for a player’s skating ability and—more importantly—durability. However, if you do choose to skate, make sure it’s with a deliberate purpose.

🇸🇪 The Swedish Way

Sweden develops more elite hockey talent per capita than any other country in the world. You might be surprised to learn that Swedes put very little emphasis on ice time during the offseason.

I arrived in Sweden almost a year ago and was shocked to find that most players had only been on the ice a handful of times before the start of training camp. When they do skate in the summer, the focus is typically on skill development and speed work. These on-ice sessions usually occur just once a week and begin toward the end of the offseason.

After nearly a year in Sweden, I’ve seen far more gym rats than rink rats—something to think about, especially considering how well-known the Swedes are for their exceptional skating ability.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, it’s up to each player to decide what’s best for their development. However, I’d be hard-pressed to find an elite NHL player who doesn’t prioritize gym time in the summer. The few who prioritize ice time over gym time tend to be the ones constantly battling injuries.

And at the end of the day, injuries are the biggest obstacle to progress. The offseason is your one real chance to bulletproof your body and build your engine, so be smart—prioritize the gym.

Brian O'Neill is about to begin his fifteenth year of professional hockey with Lulea Hockey Club in Sweden's top league (SHL). He previously played for the LA Kings, where he was named AHL MVP and won the Calder Cup, as well as for the New Jersey Devils. After his NHL career, O'Neill signed with the Finnish club Jokerit. O'Neill was selected for the US Men's Olympic Team in both 2018 and 2022. He ranks third all-time in KHL scoring among US-born players.