Matt Schwartz / Skills Coach

Pittsburgh · South Hills · Ice Castle Arena

Skills that hold up when the game speeds up

Private and small-group skills coaching for hockey players who want their practice reps to actually show up on Saturday. One skater at a time, on the ice or on film.

251 lessons in the last 12 months 48 skaters 8U through juniors and adults

Two ways to work with me

On the ice, or on the film

Most skaters do both. The ice is where habits get built; the film is where a player finally sees the thing I have been telling them for a month.

On the ice · Ice Castle Arena

Private & small group

A session built around one skater's actual problem, not a generic drill sheet. You tell me what is breaking down in games and we spend the hour on that.

  • 1-on-1 — the whole sheet, the whole hour, one player
  • 2-on-1 — bring a teammate, keeps the compete up
  • Bring your own group of 3 or 4
  • Small group, capped at 6 skaters — not for beginners
  • Ice time is included; you just show up ready

From anywhere · No ice required

Video review

Send me game film and get back a coach's read on it — what you are doing, what the play actually needed, and the two or three habits worth fixing first.

  • Works between lessons to make the reps stick
  • Works for players outside Pittsburgh entirely
  • Reads the game, not just the skill — reads, angles, decisions
  • Something to bring to your next on-ice session
251
lessons taught in the last twelve months, at one rink, one skater at a time
48
skaters and families on the schedule over that stretch
2011
coaching in Pittsburgh since — through Quest Hockey, where I run my ice
8U–Adult
beginners through AAA, junior-track players and adult skaters

What we actually work on

The stuff skaters keep asking me for

These are not menu items I invented. They are the requests that come in on my booking form, in players' own words, over and over.

Puck protection

Keeping possession under pressure — body position, stick side, using the wall instead of dying on it.

Winning 1-on-1 battles

The compete stuff that decides shifts. Angles, leverage, first touch out of the battle.

Foot speed & turnover

Quick feet in tight, crossovers with purpose, and the ability to change pace instead of skating one speed.

Skating with the puck

Handling at full speed, so the puck stops being the thing that slows you down.

Net-front defense

Boxing out, stick detail, and being hard to play against in the ugly areas.

Board work

Wall play on both sides of the puck — retrievals, escapes, pinning and separating.

Time and space

Creating it for yourself, taking it away from the other guy. The part that separates skilled players from productive ones.

Deception & handling

Toe drags, fakes and stick skills that hold up against a defender who is actually trying.

Bring your own list. The booking form asks what you want to work on, and that answer is what the session gets built around.

Video review

See the shift the way a coach sees it

Players rarely remember what they did on a shift — they remember how it felt. Film settles the argument, and it is the fastest way I know to change a habit.

01

Send the film

A full game, a period, or a handful of shifts you already know went sideways.

02

I break it down

Shift by shift — what you did, what the play needed, and where the decision actually went wrong.

03

You get it back

A recorded walkthrough you can rewatch, plus the two or three things to fix first.

04

We take it to the ice

If you skate with me, your next session is built on exactly what the film showed.

Good for

Players who want more than one hour a week of coaching. Families outside the South Hills — or outside Pittsburgh — who cannot get to the rink. Skaters heading into tryouts who need an honest read before someone else gives them one.

Request a video review

Who I work with

Beginners to junior track — and the parents in between

8U first real skills work 10U · 12U · 14U travel and AAA High school varsity Junior & college track Adult beginners and beer leaguers Goalies' skaters — shooters for your goalie sessions

Before

You tell me the problem

The booking form asks what is breaking down. That is the session plan — I read it before you get on the ice.

On the ice

We fix one thing properly

Up-tempo, high reps, real corrections. Not a highlight reel of drills you will never use again.

After

You leave with homework

What to keep working on, and what I want to see next time. Progress is the point, not the hour.

Placeholder — not live copy

Parent and player quotes go here. I have not written any, because invented testimonials are worthless and risky. This is the single highest-value thing you can add to this page.

Ask three families you have coached this year for two sentences: what their skater struggled with, and what changed. Names, ages and teams make them land harder.

Quote 1 — a young skater whose confidence changed.
Quote 2 — a AAA or junior-track player, on a specific skill.
Quote 3 — a video review client, ideally out of town.

Before you book

Straight answers

Where do lessons happen?
Ice Castle Arena, in the South Hills. Ice time is included in the lesson — there is no separate rink fee to sort out.
How many skaters can I bring?
One, two, or a group of three or four that you put together yourself. I also run small-group sessions capped at six skaters, which are not built for beginners.
What if I need to cancel?
Ice is limited and it gets paid for either way, so cancellations inside 24 hours are charged the full lesson fee. Outside of that, reschedule freely through the booking link.
My kid is a beginner. Is a private lesson worth it?
Yes — one-on-one is where beginners make the fastest jump, because nothing gets glossed over. The small-group sessions are the ones that assume a base level of skating.
Do you take photos or video during lessons?
Sometimes, and I use it for coaching and for Quest Hockey and Hockey Players Club promotion. You agree to that when you book, and you can tell me if you would rather I did not.
Can we skate every week?
That is the setup I would push you toward. Standing weekly slots are how skaters actually improve, and they are the first thing to fill up once the season starts.

Fall slots are going now

Tell me what you want to fix. I will tell you what an hour on the ice can do about it.