CES 2019: Train like a Golden Knight with VR hockey equipment — VIDEO

By Ben Gotz

Las Vegas Review-Journal

6 years ago

Review-Journal reporter Chris Lawrence lines up goal shots while using Sense Arena, a virtual reality trainer for hockey players, at the Sands Expo and Convention Center during CES in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

A Sense Arena employee demonstrate’s the Czech company’s virtual reality technology at CES 2019. (Ben Gotz/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Milan Kilik calibrates Sense Arena, a virtual reality trainer for hockey players, at the Sands Expo and Convention Center during CES in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak took a routine play and turned it into a highlight Thursday.

After teammate Torey Krug fired the puck off the end boards in the third period of a 6-4 win against the Calgary Flames, Pastrnak gathered the deflection and made a nifty move around goaltender Mike Smith to score his 25th goal.

The play required elite hockey instincts and skill and illustrated what Pastrnak is trying to develop in more players as an investor in the Czech company Sense Arena. He tested its virtual reality hockey training equipment this summer, and now the business is making itself known at CES 2019.

“A lot of game situations and practice situations, you can simulate on this,” ex-New Jersey Devil and current Sense Arena consultant Patrik Elias said. “This is another way to get an edge.”

Sense Arena’s hardware includes trackers, a headset and a hockey stick that allows players to immerse themselves in a virtual rink and complete drills.

The technology, which has improved rapidly since founder Bohdan Tetiva started the company in March 2017, tracks things such as how fast a player’s release is on a shot or how quickly they can react to a rebound.

“This is really about precision,” Tetiva said. “Otherwise, it’d be like a video game, and I don’t want to do that. I want to have this as a professional tool. I want precision, so even the pro players can see the value in it.”

The company has worked with multiple professional teams in the Czech Republic, the Washington Little Capitals youth hockey program and the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association. It’s also available to the public for those wanting to boost their skills.

The price for a household to buy all the equipment starts at $3,780, plus a monthly license fee of $199.

“We believe that what you’ve got in your brain, your hockey intelligence, hockey IQ, hockey sense or whatever you want to call it, is what’s going to make the difference in your future,” Tetiva said. “What are the tools to learn that? You either need to be born with it or you can influence that. How you can influence that? Regular training.”

Elias, the Devils all-time leader in points, goals and assists, said he wishes the company’s technology was around when he was still playing.

He marveled at the 77 drills the software allows him to do, which includes simple actions like shooting pucks or more complex ones like shooting from the point with an opposing player skating toward you.

”It’s a lot of fun, and the goalie is pretty good,” Pastrnak said in a company YouTube video.

Players can even simulate passing through defenses or executing odd-man rushes.

“When you train your brain like that, it can translate to the ice pretty quickly,” Elias said. “It’s another tool to get better. That’s what it is.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.