“Some things are so natural for him,” Underhill said. “I like to try things that are unnatural to get him thinking about different ways of moving. I like to get him out of his comfort zone because I know that eventually, it will be something that will be very comfortable for him. … That’s the only way to get better. I throw things at him that maybe are a little tricky for him to get at first, but because he moves in a certain way and I like to get him to move outside of that.”

Competition

Jorge Blanco often has to scold Skinner. Blanco, who counts UFC fighter George St. Pierre among his clients and works with a number of NHL players, breaks up his mixed martial arts training sessions by rounds.

Between each round of sparring, every athlete takes a mandatory break to sit down, breathe and relax. Skinner doesn’t.

“Many times I’ve caught him going over to the wall-mounted punching bag to work on the technique,” Blanco, who works with Skinner as much as twice a week, recalled in a recent phone conversation. “I always have to call him on it and say, ‘Hey, no. It’s time to rest.’ He’s a workhorse. He always wants to improve, and he’s extremely focused. Not only with his training but hockey for this kid is absolutely everything.