Barry Goers is quick to express how thankful he is for the opportunity that the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have given him over the last two seasons.

The veteran defenseman signed a contract in the offseason to return to the team for a third season, and this summer, he spent his days giving young hockey players in the community an opportunity as well.

For three months this summer, Goers was at the Toyota Sportsplex nearly every day giving young players a chance to learn the game one-on-one from a a pro.

After his experience at the Dennis Bonvie’s Battle Camp in early June, Goers hung a few posters around the rink offering one-on-one instruction for players of all ages. He put his phone number on the posters and waited for the calls.

It didn’t take long for the 29-year-old’s phone to ring.

“I think it helps being a part of the Penguins’ team because everyone knows who you are,” Goers said. “I had parents calling right away and, even though I’ve done lessons during the summer since I was playing in college, this is the biggest response I’ve gotten.”

For at least five days each week, Goers coordinated open ice times with the rink to set up hour-long lessons for 15 players ranging from ages 3 to 20. Some days Goers would give four lessons, while others he’d show up at the rink as early as 7 a.m. on a weekend to teach.

The instruction included everything from how to skate to working on specific skills. Most parents let Goers decide what their child needed to work on, while older players came to him with specific requests.

“I had two brothers who played roller hockey and they had good hands and could shoot, but skating was foreign to them,” Goers said. “They couldn’t even come close to stopping, pivoting or skating backwards. But by the end of the summer if you saw them you wouldn’t believe they had only been skating for several weeks.”

That was the case for many of the players instructed by Goers, such as 9-year-old Joey Baranowski of Hazleton. His mother, Michele, said her son skated for the first time in February and has made tremendous strides since working one-on-one with Goers this summer.

Michele said Goers’ ability to work with kids on their level made the sessions productive and fun.

“It was absolutely amazing. My son knew Barry Goers played for the Penguins, but he saw him more as a mentor,” Michele said. “He flourished with the hockey skills part of it, and also his confidence. Now, after working eight weeks with Barry, his skating is effortless.”

Goers, who is currently in Pittsburgh getting ready for training camp, said he hopes to keep teaching after his career is over and possibly get into coaching.

“I have a blast doing this and it helps me stay involved in the game during the offseason,” Goers said. “But the biggest thing is seeing a kid grow and develop as a player before your eyes. To see their pride when they grasp a concept or skill that they couldn’t do before is what I like best.”