Joey Daccord felt like a statue.
The Seattle Kraken goalie watched his teammates suffocate the Carolina Hurricanes for 40 minutes in a recreation final season, outshooting them 14-2 within the second interval after giving up solely 5 photographs on objective within the first. “I used to be like, ‘I really feel like I have been standing nonetheless for 2½ hours already. I have to see some pucks,'” he recalled. Daccord wasn’t seeing many photographs in actuality. So he opted for digital actuality as a substitute.
Earlier than the third interval, Daccord strapped on a Meta Quest headset and fired up NHL Sense Enviornment, a VR hockey program that he has used for a number of years to maintain his thoughts and abilities sharp away from the ice.
The Kraken locker room was now a 360-degree digital rink, chosen from choices that included a baseball stadium and the outside rink from the NHL’s Lake Tahoe recreation. His arms have been reworked right into a blocker and a catch glove, as he stood in entrance of a 3D objective cage. He confronted dozens of pucks fired from digital shooters at completely different angles, getting locked again into focus. When Daccord noticed actual rubber once more within the third interval, he stopped 11 of 12 Carolina photographs to protect a win for Seattle.
Daccord is a part of a rising variety of hockey gamers utilizing VR for cognitive coaching. Devin Cooley (Calgary Flames), Devon Levi (Buffalo Sabres) and Eric Comrie (Winnipeg Jets) are among the many goalies who’ve used the know-how. So has PWHL star ahead Taylor Heise of the Minnesota Frost. USA Hockey and a minimum of 17 NCAA Division I applications have all used the NHL Sense Enviornment coaching instruments.
“I believe it has been instrumental in my profession and an element for why I will play the best way that I do on the NHL degree. It is integral in my coaching and my preparation,” Daccord mentioned.
The Carolina recreation wasn’t the primary time Daccord turned to VR throughout a recreation. He recalled a street recreation in opposition to the Arizona Coyotes a number of seasons in the past during which he wasn’t pleased with how his glove hand was reacting in the course of the first interval.
“I went within the again, threw on the headset and programmed it to shoot 100 pucks at my glove. After I caught 100 pucks, I went out and my glove was advantageous the remainder of the sport,” he mentioned. “As extra guys use it, it simply turns into extra regular. And getting the backing of the NHLPA exhibits that it is right here to remain.”
On Wednesday, Sense Enviornment grew to become the primary and solely licensed NHL and NHLPA digital and mixed-reality hockey platform, asserting a partnership with the NHLPA that may carry the names and likenesses of NHL gamers into digital and combined actuality for the primary time. The corporate has had a partnership with the NHL for greater than two years, bringing group names and branding into its digital drills. Sense Enviornment additionally partnered with a number of NHL groups, together with the Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights.
“This partnership with Sense Enviornment is an thrilling alternative to carry followers nearer to the unbelievable expertise of NHL gamers,” NHLPA chief business officer Steve Scebelo mentioned. “That is really a dynamic new platform that may showcase the abilities of the gamers and convey followers nearer to the motion in a method they’ve by no means skilled earlier than.”
Customers can now obtain passes or face photographs from Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and dozens of different NHL stars.
“After I first examined the beta model, you’re two inches from the face of Leon Draisaitl or Nathan MacKinnon. Now you look into their eyes, you take a look at their uniforms, the entire textures,” Sense Enviornment founder and CEO Bob Tetiva instructed ESPN lately. “So it is such an actual expertise, man. I used to be blown away.”
Customers may try to sneak pucks previous elite goalies such Connor Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Daccord. Heck, even the goalies themselves can develop into the shooters in VR.
“I am not utilizing the goal-scoring a part of it, regardless of what different folks might imagine,” mentioned Daccord, who has made a number of makes an attempt at scoring an empty-net objective within the NHL, together with on Monday in opposition to Chicago.
“I am utilizing it for the goalie stuff.”
DACCORD HAS DEDICATED HIMSELF to off-ice cognitive coaching since across the age of 16. He did a block of imaginative and prescient coaching, and that despatched him down the trail for “coaching the eyes and coaching the thoughts” that continues as a professional athlete.
He remembers telling his father how he wished there was a method for him to “sit there and simply learn [shot] releases all day.” Just a few months later, across the COVID-19 shutdown, Daccord’s father confirmed him a VR headset and the Sense Enviornment program.
“I bear in mind at first considering it is simply type of a recreation, that I am by no means actually going to make use of that. And now I exploit it earlier than each single recreation I play within the NHL. It is an enormous a part of my coaching and my game-day routine,” Daccord mentioned.
That routine begins about an hour earlier than warmups, as Daccord does about 20 minutes on the headset. “I begin with the cognitive drills, stuff that I love to do to get my mind firing a little bit bit,” he mentioned.
One drill Daccord mentioned he has relied on entails a machine capturing different-colored pucks at him. His arms are rendered with corresponding colours, and he should match puck-to-hand in a break up second. After that, Daccord will transfer on to some approach drills during which pucks are being shot into particular spots, after which one other drill that simulates photographs from NHL-level scorers.
“After I get out on the ice for warmups, I really feel like I’ve already [seen] 150 photographs,” he mentioned. “I am good to go. It is nearly like I am not even warming up. I am type of in move. I am studying the discharge off the stick fairly nicely. I believe it is an enormous benefit for me.”
Daccord has additionally used the VR coaching program as an alternative to on-ice practices. Not too long ago, the Kraken performed street video games in opposition to the Philadelphia Flyers on a Monday and the Washington Capitals on a Tuesday. Daccord performed in opposition to the Flyers and did not swimsuit up the following night time. The Kraken then flew to Winnipeg for a recreation Thursday.
The schedule meant that Daccord did not have any ice time for the 2 days main as much as the Jets recreation. So he used digital ice as a substitute, training in Sense Enviornment earlier than the Capitals recreation, then for 25 minutes earlier than his flight to Winnipeg after which one other 45 minutes after arriving in Manitoba.
Daccord stopped all 32 photographs he confronted in Winnipeg for a 3-0 Kraken victory.
“I felt so good at morning skate on Thursday. Simply monitoring the puck, seeing the puck. I felt like I had skated the day earlier than,” he mentioned. “Many of the boys would let you know that they wish to skate and really feel the puck and see photographs. When the schedule works out bizarre, you are not capable of get reps. Sense Enviornment was an effective way for me to get these reps.”
THOUGH VR TRAINING advantages professionals akin to Daccord, it is also a boon for youthful generations of hockey gamers, who usually tend to check out new know-how and coaching strategies.
“They’re on screens, they’re seeing analytics, they’re seeing other ways to coach which are very completely different than how I educated,” mentioned Andrew Alberts, the hockey growth director for Sense Enviornment who performed 9 seasons within the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, Hurricanes and Flyers.
Alberts says he views VR coaching as a method for younger gamers to transcend scoring a objective or finishing a go to raised perceive the processes behind them.
“For younger children that undergo these reps of selecting their head up, scanning, enjoying with their head up, understanding time and house, that is all a part of that hockey IQ that these younger gamers want,” he mentioned. “Proper now I believe there is a huge emphasis on stick dealing with and velocity, which is nice, however it’s essential to have the entire bundle.”
As a former defenseman, Alberts says he enjoys the drill that mimics a participant going again for a puck and seeing the passing choices earlier than getting crunched by a test — with out penalties.
“Going by means of these reps as a participant and never getting killed, that is what’s nice about it,” he mentioned.
Sense Enviornment launched its hockey VR expertise in 2018. Again then, it might ship installers to locations such because the Kings’ coaching facility to construct bodily areas for the off-ice VR coaching. The platform made inroads with goaltenders first, again when Sense Enviornment was obtainable through the Oculus headset. Groups such because the Devils valued the potential for gamers recovering from damage to make use of VR hockey coaching with out placing a pressure on their our bodies.
The leap in high quality and affordability of wearable know-how enabled Sense Enviornment to market its off-ice coaching platform to the house person. It is obtainable solely on the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S.
Earlier this 12 months, Sense Enviornment launched DanglePro, a mixed-reality stickhandling module. Utilizing their very own stick and a coaching puck, customers dangle by means of a multitude of particles coming at them like water bottles and gear.
“I believe with the ability to management what you wish to work on and develop is so key for gamers that need to preserve keep on the high of their recreation,” Alberts mentioned. “Goalies need sure conditions the place they’re monitoring pucks, studying releases, rep after rep after rep. We’re attempting to do the identical factor with gamers now, introducing this new know-how with the combined actuality.”
Along with particular person coaching modules, NHL Sense Enviornment ’26 has a brand new 3-on-3 gameplay mode that enables customers to play a full 82-game NHL season, managing a roster and deciding on teammates. That is the place they’ll unlock different NHL gamers — the NHLPA-backed model will begin with round 15 gamers from every group with others added throughout gameplay.
“It is as much as you to place your self into the GM’s function after which purchase new gamers based mostly in your wins,” Tetiva mentioned.
Sooner or later, Alberts mentioned they’d wish to have every digital participant mimic the strikes of their real-life counterparts. Presently, the Sense Enviornment group information NHL and NCAA gamers and melts these actions down into 3D fashions. To have VR Alex Ovechkin blasting pucks from the “Ovi Spot” is one thing they’re working with the NHL on perfecting utilizing superior knowledge, and that is down the road for the platform.
Alberts believes the know-how has much more to supply NHL groups. For instance, his group has proposed filming their skaters so gamers might watch themselves in a digital atmosphere to “see what goalies see” on their photographs. Sense Enviornment permits for replays from the attitude of the puck coming off the shooter’s stick, and angles that present perception into participant actions that ordinary video cannot replicate.
Daccord says he believes that hockey VR coaching will proceed to develop — particularly for his fellow netminders.
“I believe you are going to simply proceed to see increasingly more folks use it as a result of it is such software. How will you justify not utilizing it on an off day earlier than the sport, seeing a pair hundred pucks?” he mentioned.
“It is concerning the entry, proper? I believe if you wish to be an actual goalie, it is a useful resource you should use. The No. 1 factor in hockey is with the ability to learn a launch of a shot. With this, you’ll be able to sit in your sofa if you’d like and simply learn launch after launch after launch. I believe it is unbelievable.”