Former Pro Guides Wilderness in Mental Resilience
NAHL Minnesota Wilderness

Former Pro Guides Wilderness in Mental Resilience

Published on December 2, 2025 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Minnesota Wilderness News Release


Since the Wilderness franchise began playing in Cloquet over a decade ago, the team has developed a reputation for helping young hockey players grow in their ability to be physically tough.

This season, it made a move to help players add to their mental toughness.

In October, the team hired Adam Bennett as a new mindset coach. Bennett is a former professional hockey player, who skated in 69 games in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers.

The Blackhawks introduced him to the NHL when they selected him in the first round, sixth overall, in the league's entry draft.

Prior to moving up to the pro ranks, Bennett spent five seasons playing junior hockey. Three of those seasons were with the OHL's Sudbury Wolves, where the league twice honored him as an all-star.

"The overall goal is to give kids someone to bounce ideas off of and someone who has gone through the struggles of a long season as a resource," said Wilderness head coach Zach Stepan.

"With his background, the players look up to him," added Stepan.

An injury forced Bennett to step away from the game in the mid-90s. He has since become a certified REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy) mindset coach and axiology practitioner.

One thing Bennett wants his clients to value is being in the present moment and not focusing on past mistakes.

"The main purpose of mindset is to be in the present; however, the challenge is that people operate at around 95% subconscious", said Bennett. "Therefore, we fall in patterns that, unless we groom these responses, we fall on past negative loops."

Bennett decided to not let a "negative loop," like the unexpected premature end of his playing career, keep him from contributing to the game he loves. He applied mindset coaching principles to find a new profession.

"Mindset is taking every situation and finding the 'good' in it. Life is about perspective; it's not what happens to you but how you respond to it. When I sustained a career-ending injury, the mindset became, okay, what's next, rather than dwelling on what I couldn't control," Bennett said.

He adds awareness is the key for players to turn an unpleasant experience into something good: "Humans typically operate on a subconscious level and fall into patterns. To affect change, we must initiate the conscious mind in preparation for potential challenges. The tools are to bring the mind into the present to activate a positive response."

Bennett's experience in junior hockey allows him to relate well to many players on the Wilderness roster who have left home to pursue a hockey career. Bennett had to leave his home in Georgetown, Ontario, at the age of 17 to play four hours away in Sudbury.

"There are a lot of challenges exclusive for junior players, such as being away from home, billet families, schooling, travel, etc., on top of the demand of the sport. Hockey turns into a business, and players have a hard time adjusting to their new environment," said Bennett. "A mindset coach brings awareness and tools to cope with all these. Although it's a team, these challenges are very much individualistic."

With players ranging anywhere from 16-to-21 years old, the junior level players experience unique challenges that Bennett recognizes.

"They are juggling hockey and life in a new environment. The pressures mount as they move along their journey," said Bennett. "It's imperative that they have the support and tools to handle adversity. For many, it's the first time they're encountering adversity. Most were the best players from their organization; now they're starting at the bottom, trying to work their way into prominent roles."

Another tool Bennett applies to help athletes is the use of axiology, which is the study of beliefs and values.

"Everything you and I do is based on our beliefs and values," said Bennett.

"However, many of these were ingrained into us at a young age or were acquired via past experiences. To affect change, we must evaluate our current beliefs to determine where our weaknesses lie. Changing beliefs and values is not easy because it requires a leap of faith; sometimes without supporting proof."

Wilderness players meet with Bennett at least once per month remotely via Zoom through calls arranged by coach Stepan.

"I am very happy with his work," said Stepan. "His perspective on a lot of things is something not only athletes, but every day human beings can learn from."

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