APX Hockey is proud to announce that Sadie Gibbs has joined the organization as Director of Skating Development.

In this newly created position, Gibbs will lead the continued expansion of APX Hockey’s skating curriculum, with an emphasis on edge control, acceleration, lateral movement, speed, agility, balance, transition efficiency, and overall skating mechanics.

The Minnesota native brings an exceptional combination of competitive skating experience, technical knowledge, and instructional expertise to APX Hockey. She is a professional figure skater who has toured with Holiday on Ice and is a USFSA double Gold Medalist in Senior Moves in the Field and Free Skate, with both tests passed with honors.

Gibbs has instructed skaters at the International Ice Academy of Colorado, the St. Paul Figure Skating Club, and the Dakotah! Ice Center (Prior Lake, MN), where she has worked with both hockey players and figure skaters at various stages of their development.

"At APX Hockey, skating instruction has always been incorporated into our daily training curriculum across APX Invite, MAP South, and our Blue Army AAA programming, but with the hiring of Sadie Gibbs and the development team she will lead, we are making an even greater investment in what we believe is the most important foundational skill in the sport,” said Joel Owens, the CEO of APX Hockey.

Sadie will work directly within APX Hockey's existing programs, collaborating with Program Directors and coaches to provide consistent, progression-based skating instruction throughout the training season. In addition, Sadie will lead the development of new small-group skating sessions, clinics, camps, and specialized training opportunities for our athletes seeking focused improvement in their skating mechanics and overall efficiency.

"The hardest sport in the world to play is ice hockey. Unlike many other sports, hockey requires a significant support system just to help a young athlete learn the foundational skill of skating.  That development must then continue as the athlete progresses through youth hockey, high school, junior, college, and ultimately never stops even at the professional level,” added Owens.

"Our goal is not simply to offer isolated skating lessons. We are building a comprehensive, progression-based development model that enables athletes to consistently improve their skating over time.  Sadie's experience, technical understanding, and her ability to connect and work with athletes at different stages of development make her an outstanding fit to lead this initiative." 

Additional information regarding APX Hockey's new Skating Development programs and small-group training opportunities will be announced soon. For more information, take a look at our brand new APX Edge website here.