Frequently Asked Questions

Where is National Hockey Institute?

NHI is located in St. Catharines, Ontario, one hour south of Toronto Airport and 20 minutes north of Buffalo Airport. Ten minutes from Niagara Falls. St. Catharines is part of the Niagara Region.

Can I just stop by and look at the place?

No. In order to enter the National Hockey Institute you must have an appointment. If you would like to tour the facility, please contact the sales department (905-650-7070).

What separates you?

The NHI is not your traditional hockey school. The NHI features the research and teachings of Strength and Conditioning Coach Andy O’Brien and on ice development coach Darryl Belfry. The NHI offers its clients the opportunity to partner and train with the world’s leaders in all aspects of training making it the most comprehensive training in the world. All NHI staff utilizes the most up to date technology to identify a player’s on ice and off ice skills and habits. The NHI can evaluate a player’s body movement patterns and identify issues that may result in a lack of performance capability. Once we have analyzed the players, we then can clearly demonstrate to the player and his support staff the issues that restrict the player from reaching his full potential.

What kind of transportation is available for me to and from the airport?

Airport service is available, but must be booked at time of the reservation. The cost for a round trip fare from St. Catharines to Toronto/Buffalo is $100 Can/US. If the client requires customized transportation, suitable transportation can be arranged at the time of the reservation.

Can my children stay together in the same room?

Children are grouped together in rooms by their age and gender. Therefore, if siblings of the same gender are close in age, rooming may be a possibility. Brothers and sisters cannot room together.

Are the dormitory buildings supervised?

Yes, all dorms and APV are supervised. Each floor that houses approximately 20 players has one on site supervisor. Security is on campus 24/7. Please see the Ridley experience video to be able to see our dormitories.

Are the dorm rooms furnished?

The door rooms have two beds and plenty of shelving for any incidentals. There is also one closet for each of the two players.

Any extras in the dorms?

The dorms all have a common room where in the players can all meet. There is a pool table, foozball table, air hockey table as well as a big screen TV for each floor. There are two common rooms on each floor.

Where do we eat?

Rildey College has a cafeteria on site that is accessible to the players for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The meals are all supervised by our nutrition staff and offer a full salad bar. Please view the Ridley experience video for film.

What forms do I need to fill out?

Juniors need to fill out the following forms: Registration, Cancellation Policy Notification, Consent for Treatment, Transportation, Physical/Health Report, Waiver, and Agreement to Participate. Adults need to sign the Waiver and the Cancellation Policy Notification. All forms must be completed prior to the athlete starting their program, and can be found here.

Do you have wireless Internet at your facility?

Yes, all on-campus housing has up to 3 Access Points for wireless internet (the students’ computers will connect to the strongest one automatically).