The Sports
Guru P E R F O R M A N C E
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by Steve Gamel | photos courtesy of Albert Ybarra
antana resident Nathan Henry admits that he’s never played hockey in his life. But that hasn’t stopped him from making a name for himself as a sports performance guru for some of North Texas’ up-and-coming hockey elite. If anything, it’s made him even more valuable. And the players are reaping the benefits.
Since becoming the Director of Athlete Development for the Dallas Stars Elite Hockey Club in Valley Ranch just more than a year and a half ago, Henry has taken young hockey players who were well on their way toward NHL stardom and given them an unrivaled physical and mental edge. He also operates his own sports performance facility, Dallas Strength Coach, in the club. The club has proudly represented Texas in both the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League and the SuperSeries League for years, and its teams compete at the highest level offered for their age group. But until a former Division I athlete like Henry and his team came along, it didn’t have one dedicated person to run this side of the operation. “Neither me nor [fellow coach] Jovon McLaughlin has played hockey, but we did play sports at a high level, and that gives us a really good perspective on the type of training these athletes need,” Henry said. 24 | LANTANA LIVING | JULY 2021
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