GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Sled Wings, in association with USA Disabled Hockey, will host the inaugural Griff’s Sled Hockey Camp this Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19 at Griff’s IceHouse at Belknap Park (30 Coldbrook NE).

One of only three camps of its kind in the nation, the Griff’s Sled Hockey Camp will feature 50 athletes from eight states, ranging in age from 8 to 57 and in skill level from novice to advanced.

The sold-out camp will be coached by Paralympic Games gold medalists Kevin McKee (2014 Sochi) and Kip St. Germaine (2002 Salt Lake City), IPC Ice Sledge Hockey International Women’s Cup gold medalist Erica Mitchell (2014), and former Davenport University goaltender (2014-16) and current Bandits Goalie School coach Clayton Brown.

Players from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and New York will improve their games through nearly six hours of on-ice training and two hours of classroom sessions focusing on equipment, maintenance, conditioning and nutrition. Three members of the Grand Rapids Griffins’ training staff will serve as guest speakers, including athletic trainer John Bernal, strength and conditioning coordinator Marcus Kinney, and assistant equipment manager Andrew Stegehuis.

The complete schedule for the camp is as follows:

Several participants in the camp are members of the Grand Rapids Sled Wings adult or junior teams, the latter of which is sponsored by the Griffins Youth Foundation in partnership with Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. They became the first junior-level sled hockey team in Michigan upon their founding in 2001 and have gained a national reputation by winning various prestigious tournaments and developing high-caliber players for various U.S. National Teams. The Sled Wings captured their first Division A National Championship in April 2015.

The Griff’s Sled Hockey Camp is sponsored by Buhler and Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports. For more information, please contact Sled Wings junior coach Steve Kozlowski at (774) 487-0704 or koz2009@gmail.com.