Skills development instructor Pavel Barber leading a drill on Wednesday in Redcliff (Photo courtesy of Scott Roblin)

By Scott Roblin

Skill Development

YouTube skills star Pavel Barber instructing local hockey talent

Aug 5, 2020 | 6:01 PM

REDCLIFF, AB – Pavel Barber has spent years working on the finer skills of hockey, to the point where he’s been able to mass millions of views online.

But the stick-handling wizard has been turning that skill in instruction, touring across Canada running camps for youth hockey players looking to develop their games as well.

This week, Barber’s cross-country tour made a stop in the Medicine Hat area with four days of lessons at the Rec-Tangle Arena in Redcliff.

“I’m watching eight-year-olds pull off the Datsyuk move, I couldn’t do that when I was 18-years-old,” said Barber. “So, these kids are going to be phenomenal. Seeing the evolution of this game in the past five or six years has been incredible, kids are now working on their stick-handling and skating at the same time.”

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Barber’s YouTube channel has amassed well over 15 million views over the years with over 225,000 subscribers, while also connecting with NHL stars like Aleksander Barkov and Jack Hughes.

The transition to running summer camps has been a welcomed change of pace for the Vancouverite, as he has spent the last four years learning the ropes on how to translate his skills to eager young athletes.

“Seeing the development is the best thing about what I do,” said Barber. “Even just after the first day I definitely saw some improvements, especially in the younger kids. I think at the beginning level there’s always so much improvement to be made.”

Three different age groups have been able to learn from Barber and his team of coaches this week in Redcliff, featuring athletes from all across the region.

Much of the teaching is focused on proper stick-handling techniques and edge work while transitioning up ice, aspects of the game that are becoming more and more important.

“Learning how to align the blade on the ice to keep the puck away from the body, that’s one of the biggest things because that sets up every single thing we do around puck control,” said Barber.

Barber’s camp will run through Friday before he jettisons off to camps in Toronto and Calgary in the coming weeks.

While he appreciates the fundamentals of hockey that most coaches can teach growing players, Barber said learning the speed and skill is something that can turn a player from average to exception.

“We see it with guys like McDavid and the young crop coming into the NHL, the new wave of hockey is here and it’s high skill,” said Barber.