About NTC Hockey
The story, the beliefs, and the team behind elite hockey development in the GTA.
Our Founder
The Story Behind NTC
Dan Blackburn
Founder & CEO — NTC Hockey
Why I started NTC
I grew up without a consistent male role model in my corner. My dad struggled with addiction and mental illness, and for most of my athletic life it was my mom, my coaches, and a handful of people in my community who showed up for me. That absence shaped me in ways I didn’t fully understand until I was older — it made me question my abilities, doubt what I was capable of, and chip away at my confidence at every turn.
When I started NTC, I looked at the hockey landscape through the lens of what I needed as a young athlete and never had. I needed someone reliable — someone who would show up consistently and champion me, not just as a player but as a person. So that’s what I built: a place where every athlete is included, lifted up, and developed regardless of where they’re starting from. Because I remember what it felt like to have ability and potential and still feel dead in the water without the confidence to use it. NTC exists so no athlete has to feel that way alone.
“We don’t help players get to the next level. We help players get to their next level. There’s a real difference in that.”
The Blackburn Methodology
NTC is built on one belief: develop the complete athlete. The physical tools, the training systems, the experience we bring to the floor every day — those have been here since 1998, and they continue to evolve. But what has never changed is our commitment to building athletes who are consistent, coachable, and confident in who they are — on the ice and off it.
We work with athletes learning to skate for the first time and athletes preparing for professional camps. We work with kids new to this country who have never held a stick, and with seasoned players chasing their next level. The methodology holds across all of it, because it was never about the level — it was always about the person.
I’ve had the privilege of helping athletes lift every major trophy in hockey — Stanley Cups, Olympic gold medals, league MVPs, championship banners. And the honest truth is that none of those belong to NTC. They belong to the athletes who earned them. Our job was never to be the training center that wins — it was to pour into athletes so deeply that they go out and win themselves. That’s the methodology. That’s the secret sauce.
What I’m proudest of
Since 1998, I’ve watched thousands of athletes walk through our doors at every stage of their journey. I’ve stood on the ice when athletes I trained hoisted trophies and won medals, and I’m incredibly proud of every one of them. But the moments that stay with me longest are different ones.
It’s the players who come back to NTC now — not for themselves, but for their kids. The next generation. Young men and women who remember what it felt like to have someone believe in them here, and who want that same experience for their own athletes. It’s the messages I receive from players I worked with two decades ago, reminding me of a conversation, a moment on the floor, something that shifted the trajectory of their lives. Not a trophy. A moment. A belief. A turning point.
The championships and the banners on our wall tell one part of the story. The other part — the deeper part — is the athletes who carry what they built here into everything they are today. As husbands. As fathers. As friends. As people. That is the legacy. That is what NTC Hockey is really about.
Off the ice
As proud as I am of what we’ve built at NTC, my greatest joy has nothing to do with hockey. It’s my family — my brothers, my two daughters, and my partner Stephanie. They are my deepest legacy and my greatest motivation. If they see a man who leads with love, fights for his dreams, and never stops growing — then everything else we’ve built at NTC is just the beginning.
What We Believe
Our Vision, Mission & Legacy
Our Vision
- We attract — we don’t chase.
- We know every athlete’s name.
- We put common welfare before ego.
- We believe in our coaches.
- We help athletes achieve their goals.
- Consistency is who we are.
Our Mission
NTC Hockey exists to lead with heart and responsibility, building trust and belief through connection-driven coaching that empowers athletes to grow with confidence, strength, and purpose — on and off the ice.
Our Legacy
This place is different.
And we take that seriously.
The Three Pillars
Every NTC athlete is developed through a framework built on three pillars — Dream, Plan, and Execute — and the core values within each.
01
Dream
Fuel · Focus · Fulfillment
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Fuel
We fuel the athlete’s dream rather than control it — supporting, valuing, and believing in every player.
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Focus
Directing energy toward what excites you — a skill to be developed, protected, and trained.
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Fulfillment
Success without fulfillment is empty. The athlete’s journey matters more than short-term outcomes.
02
Plan
Patience · Passion · Persistence
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Patience
Real development takes time. We build lasting progress rather than chase quick fixes.
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Passion
Genuine love for the game and the work is what drives an athlete forward.
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Persistence
Staying the course through difficulty — the foundation of any long-term pursuit.
03
Execute
Consistency · Coachability · Commitment
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Consistency
Consistency builds trust and is the foundation of excellence.
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Coachability
Being open to learning accelerates growth at every level.
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Commitment
Commitment turns belief into results — quality that’s non-negotiable in everything we do.
Our Team
Meet the NTC Hockey Coaches
Every coach at NTC delivers the same proven system — but each brings their own playing background, specialty, and story to the players they develop across the GTA.
Nik Salov
Dryland & Skating Development
6 yrs coaching
Born in Russia, Nik learned the game and competed at the AAA level before moving to Canada alone at 14 — without his parents — for school and hockey. He went on to play Junior A and minor pro. Those years taught him to handle the highs and lows of the game with a strong mindset, and six years of coaching alongside competing sharpened his eye for the little details and efficiency that separate elite athletes from everyone else.
“The little details are what truly separate elite athletes from everyone else.”
Nik started one player on the treadmill, focused on quality and efficiency, then built into dryland work for strength, power, speed, and mobility. With consistent attendance, the athlete’s athleticism and confidence grew — an outstanding U16 AAA season with a league championship, and getting drafted by the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL.
Discipline and respect are the foundation. Everything Nik teaches has a purpose that contributes to performance — and beyond skills and athleticism, he takes time to develop young athletes’ mental habits around commitment and consistency.
Jedi Somersall
Skating Treadmill Development
House League → AAA → Jr.
Jedi started skating late — at 8 — and worked his way up through house league, A, AA, and AAA before three seasons of Junior, where he was a Junior A captain, plus a season as a junior assistant coach. His climb was driven by work ethic, not raw skill: an early power-skating mentor and his Triple A coach instilled that intensity and effort matter more than anything. He’s now pursuing officiating toward the OHL.
“Work ethic and intensity matter more than anything — the players who figure that out earliest are the ones who go on.”
One of his biggest transformations was a player who arrived struggling on a U11 select team and out of shape — barely able to squat, lunge, or skate on the treadmill. He committed to the plan with real consistency: select to Single A, and now a Double A spot earned for the coming season — with backwards skating and advanced skills already in progress.
All energy and purpose. Jedi wants players excited to work the moment he’s in the room, and ties every drill back to how it shows up in a game. The one thing he always asks for is effort — a little extra on top of what they’ve got — so every session ends a bit better than the last.
Alex Costa
Shooting & Puck Control
1 yr coaching
Alex played AA hockey for the Brampton Battalion / Brampton 45s. His team came up through some tough early seasons, then grew together into the best in Ontario — winning an OMHA championship in his grade 10 season and representing Canada at a tournament in the United States. Playing since age 6 taught him to never give up, to treat every practice like it matters, and to lead by example.
“Practice makes perfect — and you always lead by example.”
Alex has worked with a young player almost every Sunday for months. On the treadmill early on, the athlete struggled to keep his balance, kept his chest down, and would often fall. After a few weeks of treadmill training, his balance improved dramatically and the falls all but disappeared — a big success in Alex’s book.
Friendly and approachable — Alex makes players as comfortable as possible so they don’t overthink or feel nervous, like a cool older brother. He makes sure he’s clearly heard and understood so athletes can execute what he teaches to the best of their ability.
Natalia Demarco
Skating & Skills Development
4 yrs coaching
“Hi, I’m Natalia — but y’all can call me Nat!” A career AA player, Nat was a two-sport athlete at Humber College in hockey and rugby, and wore the C as captain of the Humber hockey team. Four years coaching with NTC and time on the bench with the Oakville Hornets U18AA followed. Her hardest seasons taught her the lesson she leans on most: only focus on what you can control — your effort, vision, recovery, and thoughts.
“Only focus on what YOU can control — your effort, your vision, your recovery, your thoughts.”
Nat worked with a very young athlete on the basics of shooting and stickhandling. He was apprehensive about even doing the first session — but once she got him comfortable in the training environment, he excelled in every session after. Now he’s excited to come in, and loves seeing his own improvement on and off the ice.
Expect a lot of attention to detail. Once players master the details through repetition, Nat teaches them to correct their own mistakes. It’s always a fun, hard-working session aimed at getting the most out of every minute.