aboutus
“At Holistic Hockey we believe breakthrough results require working with the “whole” athlete. And true hockey success means being a great player on and off the ice.”
– Tyler Ertel, Founder of Holistic Hockey
Holistic Hockey recruits only best highly-skilled coaches and delivers superior training programs in a positive, supportive and motivating environment. Whether the focus is on skating, shooting, puck control, passing, mental attitude, on-ice vision, hockey sense, nutrition, strength, heart, or quick hands, their mission is always to elevate a players’ performance, and help them reach their individual goals.
Owner, Tyler Ertel, has been working with athletes of all ages and skill level for over 20 years. As a professionally trained educator, he’s able to inspire engaged learning and expedite results; helping every player to get the most out of each training session.
Adam Brubacher
Lead Instructor
Adam, a defenseman, grew up playing single “A” minor hockey in Woolwich until the age of 15. He then went on to play Junior B for the Elmira Sugar Kings for three seasons in the GOJHL. Looking to follow his path to play Division I NCAA hockey, Adam decided to play in the British Columbia Hockey League for his final year of junior, splitting the season between the Prince George Spruce Kings and Powell River Kings. After a standout season in the BCHL Adam earned himself a scholarship and commitment to play Division I NCAA Hockey at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York, where he played four full seasons, earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, while playing Division I hockey.
Throughout his collegiate career Adam attended multiple NHL development camps for the Vancouver Canucks and New York Islanders, twice. Following his last NCAA season, Adam signed an American Hockey League contract with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the New York Islanders AHL affiliate. Adam has now played the past two seasons professionally in the American Hockey League for the Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets affiliate), and most recently the Abbotsford Canucks (Vancouver Canucks affiliate).
Adam enjoys helping young players continue to progress in their hockey careers. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience navigating a path for players who wish to play collegiate or professional hockey.
Jake Ertel
Lead Instructor
Jake was born and raised in the KW region. He played his minor hockey in New Hamburg and Kitchener.
He finished off his U16 year with the AAA KJR Rangers. Jacob attended OHL camps in Barrie and Guelph and then played his Jr. career with stops in the OJHL, GOJHL and the PJHL.
Being born into a hockey family, Jake has watched and learned since he was very young, and it's been a part of his daily life.
It wasn't until later in his own hockey career that he realized he enjoyed the training and developing role just as much as playing the game he has always loved. And the rave reviews told us he was meant for this role!
Jake is highly skilled in bringing out the best in Holistic Hockey's young athletes and we are thrilled to have him as a part of our team and as our lead instructor.
Andrew Brumwell
Lead Instructor
Andrew has been working with Tyler since 2005. He grew up playing minor hockey in Kitchener, before moving on to play Junior B in Nova Scotia while attending Dalhousie University.
Relocating back to KW, he works presently as the Director of Sales and Business Development at an education technology firm in Kitchener.
Andrew has trained and developed athletes of all ages and at all levels. His natural leadership, and proclivity for humour makes him a popular HH instructor.
He is able to connect and engage with athletes on their level and uses his in-depth knowledge, attention to detail, and love of the game to motivate athletes to achieve and exceed their goals.
Meet The Team
Tyler Ertel
President
Owner & Hockey Advisor
Tyler Ertel has worked with hundreds of professional and aspiring athletes and has been a hockey instructor, skill developer and mentor for over 2 decades. Using his unique ability to achieve breakthrough results, and his love for teaching the game of hockey, he continues to offer creative, ever-evolving ways to help athletes reach success with their personal goals.
Tyler played minor hockey in Kitchener before he made the leap at age 15 to Jr. B. After a successful year he graduated to the OHL as an underage draft pick and went on to play over 4 years in the OHL. He amassed 273 points and won several awards including Scholastic Player of the Year, Playoffs MVP, Most Popular Player and is humbled to still hold an OHL record to this day. Tyler was drafted to the NHL by the Vancouver Canucks and later went over to tryout with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Averaging close to a point a game in his minor pro career he decided to realize another goal and get his degree. He is an undergraduate from the University of Prince Edward Island where he was a two-time Academic All-Canadian. He then got his Bachelor of Education at the University of Western Ontario and is presently in his 17th year as a teacher in the Waterloo Region.
Tyler has been active in his community, volunteering thousands of hours to coach local minor hockey teams in the Waterloo Region. He has won Coach of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, has coached 2 teams to OMHA Championships, one to an OMHA Championship Finalist, 2 Alliance Championships, 2 Alliance Finalists and a Semi-Finalist at the OHF’s. Beyond his success, Tyler truly loves coaching young hockey players and providing them with core life principles that will make them successful both on and off the ice.
Lisa Ertel
Vice-President
Communications & Operations
Lisa has over 20 years of experience in mental performance, health and wellness coaching. A certified Nutritionist, and Life Coach since 2000, she also has a high-level corporate background in communications, media management and marketing.
Lisa has shared her experience on various media platforms including a national media tour as a wellness spokesperson for Aquafina, a leadership expert on Balance TV and a guest health expert on CTV, CBC, & Rogers TV, and Editor-in-Chief for an international magazine showcasing professional and personal success.
Lisa's experience with helping people to perform at their best in life lead her to co-found a sport-testing company with Tyler. Together they offered superior athletic assessments for top elite athletes, helping them improve their overall performance and focus on essential skills that will give them the winning edge.
Working with people to achieve their goals has always been her passion and she is excited to share her expertise with Holistic Hockey athletes.
Adam Bennett
Head Instructor
Adam Bennett is a former
professional ice hockey defenceman and coach.
He was selected in the first round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, 6th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Bennett played junior with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL. In his first season, he was drafted by the Blackhawks, but he played two more years in junior, culminating in an all-star selection at the end of the 1990–91 season. He turned professional immediately after the junior season ended, fitting in three games with the Indianapolis Ice of the IHL.
He spent the next two seasons splitting time in the IHL and the NHL, before finally being dealt to the Edmonton Oilers at the start of the 1993–94 NHL season. He played a career-high 48 games for the Oilers, in what would be his last NHL season. He played just two more years of professional hockey, with the Cape Breton Oilers of the AHL and the Richmond Renegades of the ECHL.
Griffin Wilson
Lead Instructor
Griffin is a centreman from Elora, Ontario.
Growing up, he played his minor hockey for the Waterloo Wolves and the Kitchener Jr Rangers.
He has also played 3 years for the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL and spent his final Junior year with the Cowichan Capitals of the BCHL.
He has committed to the University of Guelph to continue his education and will play on their men’s hockey team for the upcoming fall season.
Holistic Hockey is thrilled to have this highly-skilled player join our team and share his passion for the game with our developing athletes.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Chris M
Camp for both of our boys was in their words “Awesome”
“Camp instructors were awesome, ratio of players to instructors was 4/5 to 1 … The guidance and supervision I personally witnessed from the staff was excellent. Having coached myself for 7 years I was very impressed witnessing your staff achieving the right level of engagement, guidance and discipline. We were very pleased with every aspect of the camp and will be back for sure.”
Kelly O
I want to start off by saying how awesome your camp is. I appreciate the professionalism, the effort to make each child feel important, and the encouragement my son received. Also, I saw a huge improvement in his strength.
Kevin
My son attended your camp at Activa last week. We met briefly on Thursday and talked about golf. My wife usually writes these letters but I thought I should take a moment and thank you for the outstanding week of camp you organized. My son absolutely loves hockey and works extremely hard at it but he’s a middle of the pack player so I know he was really nervous to attend your camp with all the elite players in his age group. He had an amazing experience. He loved the coaching, the program, the atmosphere (the food!) and he never once felt out place or intimidated. He played in his first game of the summer last night as a sub for a friend on vacation in a local 3 on 3 league and he has improved tremendously and was so confident out on the ice. So on behalf of my son and myself thanks for creating an awesome hockey experience for him.
Michelle & Brad
We wanted to reach out to you and say Thank You for a great day on Friday. Our son played in your tournament and he absolutely loved the day. He was very excited to arrive that morning and meet his teammates for the day. He was also impressed with the BioSteel and fruit that you made available to the boys.
I just wanted you to say how much he appreciated the day and thank you for taking the time to organize it. Please do keep our email so we can be advised of any similar days you may be planning.