Players in last week's U16 boys camp huddle up to pray after a session at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photo by KJ Jugar)
Liberty Hockey Camps buzzing with record numbers, spiritual energy on ice
6/27/2025 3:51:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey, Women's D1 Hockey, Men's D2 Hockey, Men's D3 Hockey, Women's D2 Hockey
The five sessions of three-day camps, ranging from Mites, Squirts, and PeeWees to U18 boys and girls players have drawn 370 players to the LaHaye Ice Center this month, including 89 girls this weekend.
Record numbers of youth hockey players ranging from 7-year-old Mites to rising high school seniors have flocked to the LaHaye Ice Center to participate in this summer's Liberty Hockey Camps, including a record 89 girls in this weekend's final three-day session — up from 48 last summer.
"It's super exciting that we're able to do this year-in and year-out and watch it grow," said Brett Berthiaume, Club Sports Recruitment & Summer Planning Coordinator and Director of Hockey Operations, noting this month's five camps attracted 370 players, up from 328 last summer.
This year's participants include 65 Mites (U8), Squirts (U10), and PeeWees (U12) campers, 92 Bantam (U14) players, 88 in the U16 camp, and 36 in the U18 camp from Tuesday through Thursday.
"We're approaching 400 campers now," Berthiaume said. "That would be a goal next year, figuring out how to continue to increase capacity while maintaining quality. If we can grow the girls camp even more and split it into two camps, we'll do it. It is awesome to see the girls' game grow that much, especially down here in Lynchburg, Va., to give them an opportunity to sharpen their skills and grow in their own faith and walk as young women."
The spiritual emphasis in the holistic approach to player development is integral to the camp's success, with small groups for devotions and times of worship and testimony. Berthiaume said outgoing Division I men's hockey Associate Head Coach Jeff Boettger, outgoing DII men's hockey Head Coach Ben Hughes, now a DI assistant; and outgoing Holistic Development Coordinator Josh Graham, now a DII assistant coach, work together to develop a curriculum similar to that used by FCA Hockey in its camps and to train the counselors to spiritually pour into the campers.
"They do a good job of putting all of that together and making sure everybody's prepared to execute what we want to accomplish in helping our campers grow in the spiritual area of their lives, and it's been super impactful," Berthiaume said. "We definitely have quite a few campers at every age group who have accepted Christ here for the first time, which is pretty awesome."
"It's special to see the on-ice growth and the off-ice growth as well," he added. "As each camp progresses, you start to see campers ask more and more questions about faith-related things, life-related things, and kind of open up a little bit. It's a unique opportunity for us to really help them dive deep in that and answer questions and work with them through some of the thoughts they have, whether it's hockey or not hockey."
Former Flames Division I men's hockey forward Quinn Ryan ('19, '21) has served as a counselor and on-ice clinician in each session of this month's camps, as he has every summer since after his freshman season in 2017.
"I love coming back to these camps," he said Thursday as the U18 camp came to a close and he prepared to work the girls' camp. "They're so important to pour into the lives of these young kids, and to teach them hockey, but more importantly to teach them about Jesus Christ and the real reason why we are here. The real importance of this camp is to reflect Christ. I love it."
He has seen a lot of the same players come back year after year, from the time they are Mites progressing up through the U18 ranks.
"It's been really cool to see kids grow, not only physically, but also spiritually, which is the most important thing," Ryan said.
"We've had a lot of returners, but we also have a lot of new faces who maybe aren't familiar with Liberty and what we do here," Berthiaume added. "It's a great exposure camp for them. At the end of the day, we want to help them grow as athletes, but we also care about them and love them with regards to growing in their walk and their faith and who they are becoming away from hockey."
Ryan's experience at Liberty, where he emerged as one of the Flames' all-time leading scorers during a career that stretched from 2016-21, launched his pro hockey career that included stints with the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies (12G, 12A in 57 games in 2021-22) and Worchester (Mass.) Railers (15G, 25A in 49 games in 2022-23) before starting the 2023-24 season with the Railers and ending it in Denmark.
"Liberty's done a ton in my life," Ryan said. "The people here are incredible, and it's been super impactful in my own life. A lot of aspects keep bringing me back. It's important to give back to a lot of people who have poured into my life, doing the same and trying to be that influence and inspiration for these young kids, to make a difference not only on the ice, but out into the world on the teams they go play for, to be a representation of Jesus Christ."
After serving as co-coach with Matt Cruickshank ('19, '21) on the USPHL's Atlanta MadHatters' Tier III Premier and Elite teams last season, Ryan is entering his first year as head coach of the West Chester (Pa.) Wolves' top U18 AAA team. He will be coaching DI men's hockey Head Coach Kirk Handy's two oldest sons, Parker and Preston, as well as Blake Berthiaume, Brett's younger brother and son of DI men's hockey Assistant Coach Dan Berthiaume.
"I love teaching the game," Ryan said. "It's like playing. You're always getting better. As a coach, I'm always trying to learn and get better and keep teaching the little, intricate parts of the game that I love to teach and are so important, to develop skills and hockey IQ."
Other counselors and staff for this summer's camps include former Division I and DII men's equipment managers John Cimba and Josh Williams, respectively; head counselors Nate Cox and Nick Pomerleau, both defensemen on the DI men's team last season;, DI and DII forwards Mason Smith and Antonio Vidal, respectively; and Ethan Barber, who played for Ryan on the MadHatters last season and is an incoming freshman at Liberty planning to try out for the Flames' DIII team.
"Ethan has actually come to our camp for the past three years as a camper himself, so it is pretty awesome to see that go full circle," Berthiaume said. "He has had a tremendous impact on our camps this year as somebody who's been through it and is coming into Liberty ready to go."
Eight of the 10 staff members and counselors for the girls' camp are players on Lady Flames Head Coach Rena Leone's DII women's hockey team, which will have a record 26 players on its roster this fall.
"I've got to give Rena a ton of credit in her preparation for the girls' camp in making it what it is," Berthiaume said. "She's been an absolute rock star. Her heart to help these girls grow on and off the ice is pretty remarkable. Her willingness to go out and recruit helps her give notice to the women's program here at Liberty."
ÂGallery: (6-27-2025) Liberty Hockey Camps
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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"It's super exciting that we're able to do this year-in and year-out and watch it grow," said Brett Berthiaume, Club Sports Recruitment & Summer Planning Coordinator and Director of Hockey Operations, noting this month's five camps attracted 370 players, up from 328 last summer.
This year's participants include 65 Mites (U8), Squirts (U10), and PeeWees (U12) campers, 92 Bantam (U14) players, 88 in the U16 camp, and 36 in the U18 camp from Tuesday through Thursday.
"We're approaching 400 campers now," Berthiaume said. "That would be a goal next year, figuring out how to continue to increase capacity while maintaining quality. If we can grow the girls camp even more and split it into two camps, we'll do it. It is awesome to see the girls' game grow that much, especially down here in Lynchburg, Va., to give them an opportunity to sharpen their skills and grow in their own faith and walk as young women."
The spiritual emphasis in the holistic approach to player development is integral to the camp's success, with small groups for devotions and times of worship and testimony. Berthiaume said outgoing Division I men's hockey Associate Head Coach Jeff Boettger, outgoing DII men's hockey Head Coach Ben Hughes, now a DI assistant; and outgoing Holistic Development Coordinator Josh Graham, now a DII assistant coach, work together to develop a curriculum similar to that used by FCA Hockey in its camps and to train the counselors to spiritually pour into the campers.
"They do a good job of putting all of that together and making sure everybody's prepared to execute what we want to accomplish in helping our campers grow in the spiritual area of their lives, and it's been super impactful," Berthiaume said. "We definitely have quite a few campers at every age group who have accepted Christ here for the first time, which is pretty awesome."
"It's special to see the on-ice growth and the off-ice growth as well," he added. "As each camp progresses, you start to see campers ask more and more questions about faith-related things, life-related things, and kind of open up a little bit. It's a unique opportunity for us to really help them dive deep in that and answer questions and work with them through some of the thoughts they have, whether it's hockey or not hockey."
Former Flames Division I men's hockey forward Quinn Ryan ('19, '21) has served as a counselor and on-ice clinician in each session of this month's camps, as he has every summer since after his freshman season in 2017.
"I love coming back to these camps," he said Thursday as the U18 camp came to a close and he prepared to work the girls' camp. "They're so important to pour into the lives of these young kids, and to teach them hockey, but more importantly to teach them about Jesus Christ and the real reason why we are here. The real importance of this camp is to reflect Christ. I love it."
He has seen a lot of the same players come back year after year, from the time they are Mites progressing up through the U18 ranks.
"It's been really cool to see kids grow, not only physically, but also spiritually, which is the most important thing," Ryan said.
"We've had a lot of returners, but we also have a lot of new faces who maybe aren't familiar with Liberty and what we do here," Berthiaume added. "It's a great exposure camp for them. At the end of the day, we want to help them grow as athletes, but we also care about them and love them with regards to growing in their walk and their faith and who they are becoming away from hockey."
Ryan's experience at Liberty, where he emerged as one of the Flames' all-time leading scorers during a career that stretched from 2016-21, launched his pro hockey career that included stints with the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies (12G, 12A in 57 games in 2021-22) and Worchester (Mass.) Railers (15G, 25A in 49 games in 2022-23) before starting the 2023-24 season with the Railers and ending it in Denmark.
"Liberty's done a ton in my life," Ryan said. "The people here are incredible, and it's been super impactful in my own life. A lot of aspects keep bringing me back. It's important to give back to a lot of people who have poured into my life, doing the same and trying to be that influence and inspiration for these young kids, to make a difference not only on the ice, but out into the world on the teams they go play for, to be a representation of Jesus Christ."
After serving as co-coach with Matt Cruickshank ('19, '21) on the USPHL's Atlanta MadHatters' Tier III Premier and Elite teams last season, Ryan is entering his first year as head coach of the West Chester (Pa.) Wolves' top U18 AAA team. He will be coaching DI men's hockey Head Coach Kirk Handy's two oldest sons, Parker and Preston, as well as Blake Berthiaume, Brett's younger brother and son of DI men's hockey Assistant Coach Dan Berthiaume.
"I love teaching the game," Ryan said. "It's like playing. You're always getting better. As a coach, I'm always trying to learn and get better and keep teaching the little, intricate parts of the game that I love to teach and are so important, to develop skills and hockey IQ."
Other counselors and staff for this summer's camps include former Division I and DII men's equipment managers John Cimba and Josh Williams, respectively; head counselors Nate Cox and Nick Pomerleau, both defensemen on the DI men's team last season;, DI and DII forwards Mason Smith and Antonio Vidal, respectively; and Ethan Barber, who played for Ryan on the MadHatters last season and is an incoming freshman at Liberty planning to try out for the Flames' DIII team.
"Ethan has actually come to our camp for the past three years as a camper himself, so it is pretty awesome to see that go full circle," Berthiaume said. "He has had a tremendous impact on our camps this year as somebody who's been through it and is coming into Liberty ready to go."
Eight of the 10 staff members and counselors for the girls' camp are players on Lady Flames Head Coach Rena Leone's DII women's hockey team, which will have a record 26 players on its roster this fall.
"I've got to give Rena a ton of credit in her preparation for the girls' camp in making it what it is," Berthiaume said. "She's been an absolute rock star. Her heart to help these girls grow on and off the ice is pretty remarkable. Her willingness to go out and recruit helps her give notice to the women's program here at Liberty."
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By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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Players Mentioned
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