From The Edge
March 2026Sharpen your edge every month – insights, tips and tools to help elite hockey players skate faster, smarter and stronger!
In this issue:
Why Skate Blade Profiling Matters
The Most Important Speed Skill in Hockey
This Power Stride Beef and Potato Bowl
Our Athlete of the Month: Dusty, from the Oakville Rangers
At Falcon’s Edge, every stride is a step toward mastery. Let’s get after it.
Coach’s corner
Why Skate Blade Profiling Matters
This month, we followed Coach Stephanie to Tydan Blades to have her skate blades professionally profiled.
Profiling hockey skate blades customizes the shape of the steel to match a player’s skating style, body weight, and position. This allows the blade to sit on the ice more efficiently, improving balance, stability, and overall edge control. Players with a properly profiled blade are able to maintain stronger edges through tight turns,transitions, and high-speed skating situations.
A proper profile can also improve acceleration and stride efficiency, helping players generate more power with each stride while maintaining better glide and control. For elite youth players, these advantages translate directly to improved puck pursuit, quicker transitions, greater agility in small spaces, and increased confidence on the ice.
At Falcon’s Edge, we trust and recommend the experts at Tydan Blades, a company trusted by hundreds of professional players and NHL teams to help them get the most out of their skates. Whether you are looking for a precision sharpening, skate profiling, edge consultation, or performance assessment, the Tydan team provides world-class expertise.
With four locations across the Greater Toronto Area, Falcon’s Edge athletes receive 10% off services when they mention that they train with Coach Stephanie and Falcon’s Edge.
See you on the ice,
Falcon’s Edge Coaching Team
Performance Tip of the Month:
The First Three Strides: The Most Important Speed Skill in Hockey
When people think about speed in hockey, they often think about top speed—how fast a player can skate once they’re already moving.
But in reality, most races for the puck are won in the first three strides.
Whether it's chasing down a loose puck, jumping on a rebound, or closing a gap defensively, the player who accelerates the fastest usually wins the play. At Falcon’s Edge, we teach athletes that explosive acceleration is the foundation of elite skating.
The difference between an average skater and an elite skater often comes down to how efficiently they generate power in those first few strides.
Why the First Three Strides Matter
In most game situations, players only have a few steps to separate from their opponent. If a player can generate power quickly and get up to speed faster than others, they immediately create an advantage.
Strong first strides allow players to:
Win puck races
Create separation from defenders
Close gaps quickly on defense
Attack loose pucks with confidence
This ability to accelerate explosively is one of the first things coaches notice at higher levels of hockey.
The Key Mechanics of Explosive Strides
To develop powerful acceleration, players need to focus on a few key technical details:
Forward Body Angle - Players should lean slightly forward when accelerating. This allows their body weight to drive power into the ice rather than pushing straight down.
Powerful Extensions - Each stride should fully extend the leg. Elite skaters push through the ice, generating maximum power before recovering their stride.
Strong Knee Bend - Acceleration starts with proper posture. Players who skate with deeper knee bend can generate more force and maintain better balance.
Quick Recovery - After each powerful push, the recovery leg should come back under the body quickly so the next stride can fire immediately.
Why Elite Players Look Effortless
When you watch high-level players skate, their acceleration looks smooth and effortless. That’s because their strides are powerful, efficient, and controlled, allowing them to reach top speed in just a few steps.
This is exactly what we focus on at Falcon’s Edge—developing explosive, technically sound skating mechanics that translate directly into game performance.
Final Thought
The next time you're watching a game, pay attention to puck races. The player who wins them is rarely the one with the highest top speed—it’s usually the player who explodes first.
In hockey, the first three strides often decide the play.
And mastering those strides is one of the most important skills a young athlete can develop.
Recipe of the Month:
Power Stride Beef and Potato Bowl
For elite hockey players, the best game day meals focus on clean protein, powerful carbohydrates and sustained energy that will carry athletes through hard shifts and multiple periods.
This Power Stride Beef and Potato Bowl is built around two of the best fuels for hockey players. Lean beef protein and potato based starch support explosive skating, strength in puck battles and steady energy throughout the game.
Iron and B vitamins in beef support oxygen delivery and brain function, helping athletes maintain focus, reaction speed and decision making during fast paced play.
This meal is ideal 2 to 3 hours before puck drop.
Ingredients:
6 to 8 oz lean ground beef or sirloin steak
1½ cups roasted baby potatoes or diced Yukon Gold potatoes
|½ cup steamed broccoli
½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup sautéed red peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ avocado optional
Sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Garlic powder
Fresh parsleyInstructions
Instructions:
Roast the potatoes
Dice potatoes into small cubes.
Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Roast at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
Cook the beef
Cook lean ground beef in a pan until browned and fully cooked. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Prepare vegetables
Steam broccoli until tender crisp.
Quickly sauté peppers in olive oil.
Assemble the bowl
Layer potatoes, beef and vegetables in a bowl.
Top with avocado, parsley and additional seasoning if desired.
Athlete(s) of the month
For our March 2026 Falcon’s Edge Athlete of the Month, we are proud to recognize Dusty. Dusty is a 2013-born rep hockey player with the Oakville Rangers who brings a tremendous amount of energy to the ice every time he plays. Known as a hard-working power forward, Dusty consistently creates pressure on opposing defenses with his relentless forecheck, physical presence, and ability to make plays around the net.
Dusty has been training weekly with Coach Stephanie at Falcon’s Edge, focusing on developing the skating foundations that drive success in today’s fast-paced game. His training sessions emphasize explosive acceleration, powerful first strides, balance through contact, and elite edge control—all critical elements for a player who thrives in puck battles and high-traffic areas.
By improving his quick starts and acceleration, Dusty is able to close on defenders faster on the forecheck, win races to loose pucks, and create turnovers that lead to offensive opportunities. His work on edge control and balance allows him to stay strong on his skates while battling in front of the net, protecting the puck along the boards, and maintaining control through tight turns and contact.
These skating improvements directly translate into game performance. Dusty is becoming more dangerous in puck pursuit, more difficult to knock off the puck, and more effective in creating scoring chances around the crease—all hallmarks of a strong power forward.
Dusty’s positive attitude, work ethic, and willingness to push himself every week make him a great example of what Falcon’s Edge training is all about.