One NHL Team Is Bringing A Wild Horse To Its Development Camp

I have no clue what is going on at the Toronto Maple Leafs development camp this summer, but it's been wild.

Earlier this week, we had a hearty bit of summer fisticuffs courtesy of two prospects, and now we have the team using a bizarre new training method to help players overcome pressure.

They're bringing in a wild horse.

Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser — a name you recognize and probably should, considering she's regarded as one of the best women's hockey players ever and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame back in 2019 — currently serves as the Leafs' Assistant GM of Player Development. She discussed the team's unusual methods for getting players used to high-pressure situations.

"We brought in a world-class horse trainer to spend a couple of hours. Actually, we brought in a wild colt, a wild horse, to talk about how you manage emotions and how you go through handling pressure in tricky situations, actually using a horse. Wickenheiser said. "So it's going to be interesting."

I promise there's not a single player on that development camp roster who would've seen this one coming, though at least one was probably pretty comfortable with it. According to The Hockey News, Leafs 2023 first-rounder Easton Cowan — who spent last season with the OHL's London Knights — goes by the nickname "Cowboy," which partially comes from having grown up on a farm.

A horse like the one that will be at Toronto Maple Leafs development camp (but you know what horses look like… right?). (Getty Images)

This is definitely a new one. I've heard of teams doing stuff like training with the military or even just going to a ropes course to help with the mental side of the game and team-building.

But the horse idea is a new one, but hey, if it works, Dr. Wickenheiser might be on to something, and before you know it, all NHL development camps are going to start looking like rodeos.