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Coach Ian Smith

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Ian Smith. I started playing hockey at the age of six and played a lot of hockey growing up.  After playing Junior Hockey,​ I went to Middlebury College, where I captained two Division III national championship teams in my Junior and Senior Years and earned the title of Division III National Player of the Year in 1996. After graduating, I ventured to Europe, playing for the Deggendorf Flames in Germany's professional 1st league. Coming back to the United States, I joined the East Coast Hockey League, playing two years with the Calgary Flames affiliate, the Johnstown Chiefs. I also had a brief stint with the IHL's Cleveland Lumberjacks before transitioning to pursue my teaching career.

My post-hockey life saw me teaching high school physics and precalculus while coaching boys' varsity hockey at Lake Forest Academy, a prep school in Chicago, Illinois. After four years there, I relocated to Vermont, continuing to teach in a public school, this time in AP physics.

In addition to my hockey career, I hold a BA in Science with a major in physics and a minor in Teacher Education from Middlebury College. I also earned my Masters degree in Education and Curriculum Development, equipping me with a diverse range of teaching strategies rooted in modern educational techniques. I am also a certified USA Hockey Level IV coach."

With a total of 13 years of experience as a high school physics teacher, coupled with a Master's degree in Curriculum Development, a background as a collegiate and professional-level hockey player, and experience as a varsity high school coach, I have a wealth of expertise to teach and nurture hockey skills in players of all ages and proficiency levels.

"My greatest skill is bringing the developing players up quickly. Even though I work with many advanced, skilled players with nuanced skill development, I have a passion for the developing players. There is a lot to learn, and I can help players quickly learn and solidify a skill so they can enjoy the game of hockey even further with more practical and immediately applicable ability".

In 2010, I introduced "Kellian Hockey," a hockey-skill development company primarily aimed at assisting adults who embarked on their hockey journey later in life, helping them grasp the finer nuances of the game. In 2015, I expanded its scope to include youth players, ranging from U8 to varsity high school and college-bound athletes.

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Today, Kellian Hockey offers an array of programs, including instructional leagues, clinics, summer camps, team consultations, tournaments, and private lessons, and is hired by associations for skill development needs for their programs."

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