SOME PEOPLE get hit by pucks while watching their children play hockey.

In the case of some devoted hockey parents behind the QuickStickz hockey training system currently in development in Halifax, it was more a matter of being hit with a stroke of genius.

"A young player cannot make the great plays, cannot make the great shots, without developing great stick-handling skills," former professional hockey player Dean Dachyshyn said recently of the project coming together at Skillz Systems in Bayers Lake Business Park.

QuickStickz combines stick-handling skills development with graphics-rich video games.

It should begin appearing in specialized commercial locations within six months.

The system came about after Mr. Dachyshyn, a longtime coach and hockey parent, got into a serious discussion with fellow rink regular Tim Burke about the need for young players to keep their heads up and learn proper stick-handling techniques.

Mr. Burke, president of Quark Engineering and Development in Halifax, took it as a computer engineering challenge, and eventually a prototype for QuickStickz was getting rave reviews from some local minor leaguers...

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