We are thrilled to announce the return of our Gateway to the West camp to the St. Louis area. This year, we are hosting it in Edwardsville, IL as our host location, at R.P. Lumber Center Our Infinite Edge and Power program offers a fantastic opportunity for participants to enhance their edge control, power skating, deception, and stick handling abilities. In addition, we have incorporated off-ice training sessions immediately following the on-ice sessions, providing a comprehensive training experience where we will work on mechanics and muscle memory of those drills that we just did on ice. We have had the privilege of coming to this area for several consecutive years and are excited to offer this exceptional training opportunity once again! So, what is the Infinite Edge and Power program all about? It is a program designed to challenge and push your child every day, both on and off the ice, helping them develop into a more skilled and confident hockey player.

Coach Val and Infinite Edge has extraordinary career that began in Ukraine, where she was an MVP of the national women’s hockey team, leading to a first-place finish at the IIHF Women’s World Championship in March 2024 and helping team Ukraine with promotion. She has also competed professionally with Team Adidas in the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association and the Minnesota Whitecaps during the 2021-2022 season.

Beyond hockey, Val is an accomplished athlete in elite boxing and karate, boasting multiple national and international titles, including four National championships and six gold medals at the World Karate Championship in 2015. Her coaching credentials are equally impressive, having led the Boise Fireblades to an Idaho State championship and guiding all seven graduating seniors from her U19 HS Steelheads team to NCAA or ACHA hockey programs. Her company works with numerous associations across states in ID, SD, MN, UT. In 2 years of starting her program she has impressive number of  female and male athletes that succeeding under mentoring and guidance in their junior, college or professional careers.

Coach Elizabeth Bauer is an assistant coach at Augsburg University, prior to that she was on of the head skill coaches at the widely known MAP MN skills development program. Her playing career is also impressive. A four-year player for NCAA Division III UW-Eau Claire, Bauer helped lead the her team to their first three national tournament berths, two O’Brien Cup Tournament Championships, and one Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship while posting an overall record of 80-26-9. With 37 career goals and 66 career assists for 103 total points, Bauer holds the program record for assists and ranks second in school history in points. In 2020, Bauer was named a team captain and earned a spot on the CCM Hockey Division III All-America Second Team.
Following her career at UW-Eau Claire, Bauer pursued her dream of playing pro hockey and is currently playing in the PWHPA with the Minnesota region ‘Team Adidas’.

We are pleased to introduce Coach Polina Telehina, who is professional hockey player and a member of the Ukrainian national team. She currently plays in the Swiss Women’s Hockey League with Team Lugano, while previous seasons she spend playing in Italian and Turkey professional hockey leagues. Polina’s successful representation of Ukraine on the national team demonstrates her skill and commitment to the sport. Her valuable playing experience and international background make her a valuable asset to our coaching staff.

We will be offering two groups. Group 1 is 8U – 12U and Group 2 is 14U and older.

Group 1 schedule:

8-30 a.m till 9-30 a.m on ice

9- 45 a.m till 10-45 a.m off ice

Break for lunch

1- 30 p.m till 2 – 30 p.m on ice again

Group 2 schedule:

11 a.m till 12 a.m on ice

12-15 till 1-15 off ice

Break for lunch

2-45 till 3-45 a.m on ice again