A newly opened arena in Connecticut aims to become the No. 1 spot for hockey and athlete development in the state. Companies EN Hockey and Matterhorn Fit are bringing on-site skill development, performance coaching and advanced rehabilitation to Wings Arena [https://www.wingsarena.com/] in Stamford, Conn., which opened July 21. When did former NHLer Drew Shore start his off-season training every summer? Leading Wings Arena is CEO Francois Magnant, who grew up in Montreal and played four years of NCAA [https://thehockeynews.com/ncaa] hockey at Yale University. “Our vision is to bring together top-tier resources under one roof and create an environment where athletes – and anyone committed to health and fitness – feel inspired to reach their full potential,” Magnant said in a news release. Wings Arena opened in Stamford, Conn., on July 21. (Courtesy of Kris Ebanks-Wings Arena) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/82ee8956-8056-4856-90c4-0b54a00bd499.jpeg] Wings Arena opened in Stamford, Conn., on July 21. (Courtesy of Kris Ebanks-Wings Arena) The two-story arena can fit more than 300 spectators in the rink and has off-ice training and video rooms, skate services and a cafe. It’s also the latest facility to host programs by EN Hockey, a hockey school that runs summer clinics in seven states. NHL players who trained with founder Erik Nates, who played Div. 1 hockey, include Kevin Shattenkirk, Brett Pesce, William Nylander, Trevor Zegras, Charlie McAvoy and more. “Wings Arena is a launchpad,” Nates said in a statement. “It’s where players will come to level up every aspect of their game, from skating and stickhandling to decision-making and recovery. We’re proud to bring this vision to life in Stamford.” Wings Arena can fit more than 300 spectators in the stands. (Courtesy of Francois Magnant-Wings Arena) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/758f5b4a-4178-481f-8274-ba3bd7996518.jpeg] Wings Arena can fit more than 300 spectators in the stands. (Courtesy of Francois Magnant-Wings Arena) Matterhorn Fit is set to open at Wings Arena in the fall to provide neurologically based rehabilitation and performance services to athletes by private appointment. Its CEO, Ryan Vesce, played 19 NHL games for the San Jose Sharks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks], 262 AHL [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl] games, 226 KHL games and in Sweden, Switzerland and Finland. [https://thehockeynews.com/international] Instead of treating the pain, Matterhorn Fit says it scans the body to find the pain and the compensation before implementing movements that address the root cause. “That’s what makes our method so different, and so effective,” Vesce said in the press release. “We’re combining cutting-edge neuroscience with elite-level training to help people heal faster, move better, and perform at their peak – on or off the ice.” Florida native Jack Musa, who scored 35 points with UMass Amherst this past season, has trained with Matterhorn Fit, which is founded in the same state. (Courtesy of Matterhorn Fit) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/c20b32f4-a629-496c-b220-63ef816b7651.jpeg] Florida native Jack Musa, who scored 35 points with UMass Amherst this past season, has trained with Matterhorn Fit, which is founded in the same state. (Courtesy of Matterhorn Fit) In 2024-25, USA Hockey had 12,338 players register in Connecticut, compared to 11,954 in 2023-24, 12,887 in 2022-23 and 12,729 in 2021-22. The all-time leading NHL scorer born in Connecticut is Craig Janney, who had 751 points in 760 games between 1988 and 1999, while Max Pacioretty (681 points), Chris Drury (615), Cam Atkinson (489) and Nick Bonino (358) round out the top five. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
