AEG And LA Kings Announce First-Of-Its-Kind Partnership With Sense Arena

AEG, the world's leading sports and live entertainment company, and its National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, the LA Kings, have launched a strategic new partnership with Sense Arena, the world-leader in virtual reality ice hockey training. The multiyear agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, makes Sense Arena the Proud Cognitive Training Partner of the LA Kings and brings the company's state-of-the-art, virtual-reality hockey training platform directly to Kings' players at the team's official practice facility, Toyota Sports Performance Center (TSPC) in El Segundo, California. This deal mark's Sense Arena's first official partnership in Los Angeles and underscores its overall commitment to help grow the sport of hockey.

"We are excited to welcome a category leader like Sense Arena into the LA Kings family," said Kelly Cheeseman, chief operating officer, AEG Sports. "Whether it's on or off the ice, we are always looking for innovative new ways to enhance our players' training, development, and rehabilitation and this partnership helps us to follow through on this important commitment in the best way possible. Being able to leverage their cutting-edge technology has been a game-changer when it comes to giving our players a winning competitive edge."
With more than 1,200 installations in 30 countries and 7,000 plus registered hockey players and goalies, Sense Arena is the world leader in virtual reality ice hockey training. Designed specifically to improve hockey players' "read and react" capabilities, Sense Arena's VR training modules use proprietary algorithms which provide immediate performance feedback and help further develop and sharpen the cognitive functions of each athlete's brain. Additionally, all of Sense Arena's methodologies and training plans are developed in cooperation with professional ice hockey players, coaches, and specialists, including the LA Kings' very own Bill Ranford who serves on Sense Arena's Goalie Advisory Board and is actively designing drills and evolving coaching approaches for the company's platform. Currently, the average Sense Arena athlete trains on the platform weekly, utilizing 30-50 of these specially designed drills. With over 500 new registered players or goalies using the technology every quarter, Sense Arena is quickly becoming one of the leading and most technologically advanced training tools available, helping both professional and amateur players around the world refine their skills.
The partnership, though new, builds on an existing and successful relationship between Sense Arena and the LA Kings, with the company's first virtual off-ice VR training equipment having been installed at TSPC in 2020. Multiple Sense Arena systems for both goalies and players were deployed, each equipped with its own set of unique drills and features along with specific modules dedicated to skill development and rehabilitation. Since then, the platform has been used consistently not only by the Kings but also by their AHL affiliate the Ontario Reign and the Jr. Kings, and has resulted in significant growth of players' technical skills and cognitive development.

"Athletic training in virtual reality has become a reality in many sports - hockey, baseball, football, soccer, cricket, tennis, and table tennis to name a few. The speed of development of XR and related technologies is so fast, that we only see the tip of a huge iceberg of innovations that is yet to come. The Kings took an active role in this, not only by using it but also by advising in forming the hockey VR training platform, already 16 months ago," said Bob Tetiva, Founder and CEO of Sense Arena.
As the Cognitive Training Partner of the Kings, Sense Arena provides the team's players and goalies with a unique opportunity to practice both on and off the ice. With its VR hockey simulation technology, players can work on their small area decision-making in both offensive and defensive zones, practice all sorts of game situations including face-offs, transitions, shoulder checks, and reading open passing lanes. The main focus is on brain training which helps players of all levels to further polish their multitasking and Multiple Object Tracking skills. As the only cognitive training tool that offers real-game scenarios, Kings players also have the added benefit of being able to practice pre-designed drills for thousands of repetitions and use the platform before games and practices to reach their peak athletic performance. The technology also aids in a safer return to play post-injury that has been well used by the Kings' goalies. The goalie platform offers unique training options for the netminders as they can conveniently practice screening, tipping, release reading, active hands, and work on their concentration without having to put on any equipment.
"Sense Arena is a new platform that helps goalies to train without being on the ice. This system can be used for goalies that are injured or coming off an injury. However, the most useful aspect of the Sense Arena system is being able to train without the added stress of physically putting equipment on and stepping on the ice. You can train at home or in your hotel room when you are on the road, reducing the stress on your body," said LA Kings goaltending coach and Stanley Cup/Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie Bill Ranford.