What happens when three University of Vermont hockey players, fresh from graduating, get together and decide to open a hockey school?

The Vermont Hockey School , that’s what.

It was the summer of 1974, and Willie MacKinnon, Ted Castle, and Ted Child were going on to professional careers as players and coaches. But there was no place in the Burlington area for them to train that summer, so they opened a camp, which they operated for more than twenty-five years, and which has now been reborn as an off-ice shooting facility for anyone who wants to learn, improve, and enjoy the game, especially kids.

 Owner Ben Finkelstein (right) teaching celebrity influencer/ streamer "Marlin" how to shoot a puck at Gutterson Fieldhouse

LOCAL KID, GLOBAL CAREER

One of those kids was Ben Finkelstein from South Burlington. Ben grew up playing hockey and in the orbit of these hockey legends because his dad played hockey with them and brought his boys along.

It turns out, Ben not only loved the game, but he was also pretty good at it. He played for Chittenden South Burlington (CSB), the local youth team, then he played a few years for the Green Mountain Glade, which, at the time, was the only travel team in the state.

He played at Cardigan Mountain School and Kimball Union Academy, and he played when he went away to college at Saint Lawrence University and Boston College. Ben had the chops, but more than that, he had the passion and dedication and self-belief to take himself all the way to a pro career, first for the Florida Panthers, then the Toronto Maple Leafs, a Minnesota Wild farm team, and finally in Vienna and Berlin.

 Zack Johnson and his son, Hank, enjoy some father-son bonding time. Hank's first time holding a hockey stick was at the Vermont Hockey school, and he loved it! 

 Brothers Wes and Sutter Miles working hard on their shots.

THE ‘I MADE IT’ MOMENT

Today, Ben’s passion for the game is still evident, but he also has modesty and gratitude, which has served him well. “The first game I played at UVM, when I was at Saint Lawrence, was my ‘I made it’ moment. I treated my professional career as a bonus, icing on the cake.”

Even as a young guy playing on school teams and travel teams, Ben understood that not everyone gets a career playing for a professional hockey team, and even if they do, they can’t play forever. He knew he needed, if not a plan, then a background in whatever post-hockey career he might want.

 Kyle Haskins of Huntington, VT, has been training with Owner Ben Finkelstein for four years. After a collegiate career at both Michigan State University and Canisius University, he has started his professional career playing for the Reading Royals in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).

BRINGING EXPERIENCE HOME

At Boston College, he studied psychology and childhood development, learning to understand the way people think “and the way people approach certain situations. I really do feel like that helped shape the way I teach and coach,” Ben says.

After retiring from his professional hockey career, he approached Willie and the two Teds to discuss opening a hockey school, since they were no longer involved with the original Vermont Hockey School. “I actually loved the name,” says Ben, “and I figured it was a good time to start my own thing. I asked if I could use the name, and they were happy to allow me to do so.”

 Jake Bernadet of South Burlington, VT, is currently playing Division 1 hockey for St. Lawrence University. Jake has been training with Owner Ben Finkelstein for the last four years.

LEVELING THE ICE

Ben opened his Vermont Hockey School in May 2025. Situated on Dorset Street in South Burlington, it’s an off-ice training facility with shooting lanes that are almost like batting cages, except, instead of having a pitching machine, the lanes are covered in synthetic ice that can be skated on. Lanes are separated from one another and are spacious enough to be able to practice approaching the goal.

Ben offers group and one-on-one lessons, and individuals can rent lanes for private practice. Students range in age, from kids to folks close to retirement. Ben finds that many people take up hockey as adults, and they really benefit from proper instruction in a safe and supportive environment. One of the joys of operating the school, he says, is seeing grown-ups bring their kids for a family activity, where they can spend a few hours together shooting pucks. In addition to the off-ice facility, Ben offers on-ice lessons in power skating, ideal for anybody looking to improve their stride, stops and starts, quick turns, and first step agility. In these lessons, open to individuals, as well as hockey teams, Ben provides high-end skill development, using overspeed training to mimic game situations.

 Andrew Roblee and Fletcher Matheson working hard on their one-timers. Ben offers group and one-on-one lessons, and individuals can rent lanes for private practice.

HOCKEY DREAMS MADE POSSIBLE

Ben teaches for the love of the game, and his vision is to share it with as many people as possible. He could have opted to work for a team or coached for a school or a training program, but that would have limited his influence to just that organization. He wanted a more democratic approach. The name “Vermont Hockey School” is appropriate because Ben’s goal is to make the opportunity to learn hockey available to anyone who wants to come play. His school is for the good of Vermont, not just a single team or organization. And as a veteran of the pro hockey life, Ben knows well the struggles young players face. “Paying for your training is expensive. Paying for your living is expensive,” he says. And to succeed, athletes need to spend their time playing and training, which leaves little time to earn the funds necessary to underwrite their ambitions.

Ben wants to support their hockey careers by offering them work that aligns with the skills needed to excel. “My goal is that, one day, we have, you know, five or six professional hockey players who get to come home in the summer to coach one-on-one or group clinics.” It’s a win all around: These young athletes earn the financial support needed for their hockey ambitions, Ben gets assistance he can trust, and the students reap the benefits of receiving instruction from instructors of the highest caliber.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VERMONT HOCKEY SCHOOL

Vermont Hockey School

8B Dorset Street

South Burlington, VT

www.vermonthockeyschool.com