THE HISTORY OF ICE RAY HOCKEY ACADEMY
OUR JOURNEY
Daniel Ershov’s hockey story began on the outdoor ice rinks of Sergiev Posad, Russia, where he laced up his first skates at age six. By 15, he was balancing schoolbooks and ice bags as a junior league player. He was hardly ever home. He traveled all over the Moscow region by train with his hockey bag for practices, pre-skates, and games. Keeping up with school was getting harder and harder. After season played in Europe he got an shoulder injury and it sidelined him at 21.
“I thought my career was over,” Daniel admits. “Then I coached a peewee team—kids who tripped over the blue lines. When one scored his first goal, I felt that rush again. Just… different.”
That spark carried him through 6 years in local minor leagues with kids, National teams with juniors, finally - KHL with professional players, and eventually to Toronto—a city he’d only seen in hockey highlight reels. Canadian hockey culture humbled him. “My first week here, a 10-year-old corrected my English slang and my slap shot technique,” he laughs.
THE BIRTH OF ICE RAY
The academy started with "Daniel Ershov" on the screens with ice rent in the ice rinks. Daniel planned to run simple drills for a few neighborhood kids. But after a couple of weeks, parents began lingering:
“My son’s shot improved more here than in 6 months of rep hockey.”
“Can you work with my daughter’s edgework?’”
Soon, Daniel realized Toronto needed more than extra ice—it needed a philosophy.
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OUR NAME, OUR PHILOSOPHY
“Ice Ray” isn’t just a name—it’s a story in two languages.
Ice: The unforgiving surface where character forms. Where you learn to get up faster than you fell.
Ray: The first light cracking through a 5:00 AM frost. The energy in a kid’s eyes when a drill finally clicks.
Hockey’s not about becoming the next McDavid. It’s about becoming someone who could—if that’s where the path leads.
OUR COMMITMENT
Today, Ice Ray’s our coaches help 100+ Toronto players along with international athletes who come to the city and still want to stay sharp—and they choose to train with us. By walking into any session you’ll notice:
- Skating first. You will be fixed and corrected in your skating—it's an essential skill that requires constant improvement.
- Immediate adjustments. If something is done incorrectly, we don’t ignore it. We explain, demonstrate, and have you try again.
- Discipline. We foster a positive environment where players, parents, coaches, and rink staff all treat each other with respect.
“I’ve seen kids make amazing progress,” Daniel says. “But my proudest moments? The ones who, even after years, still send a thank-you card for becoming a player on their dream team.”
Join us. Not just to skate harder, but to laugh louder in the dressing room. To carry resilience into math tests and first job interviews. To prove that in hockey—as in life—the coldest ice breeds the warmest hearts.
ICE RAY HOCKEY ACADEMY
Where Toronto’s Future Plays Today
