Connor Lyons, sports performance director at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, Florida, is serving as a strength and conditioning coach at the 2018 Four Nations Cup in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Prior to joining Florida Hospital Center Ice, Lyons spent nine years in the strength and conditioning industry. He is a Tampa native having graduated from Wharton High School before going off to play both junior and NCAA hockey. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida where he earned his B.S. in Athletic Training from the College of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA and a Performance Enhancement Specialist through NASM. He has worked with many first-round picks, all-stars, national and world champions as well as hundreds of professional athletes from the ATP, NFL, MLB, and NHL.

He got his start in the performance industry as an intern with the Athlete’s Compound located at Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel back in 2008. After completing his internship he became a strength coach assistant at the University of South Florida working primarily with football during a time span where the Bulls won two bowl games (International, and Meineke Car Care Bowls). After leaving USF Connor went on to become the Director of NFL Combine Prep at Athletic Edge and helped place 22 college football players on active NFL rosters and coached two athletes to NFL Combine records in the L-Drill and vertical jump in 2012. During his tenure at Athletic Edge he was asked to come back to The Athletes Compound as the Associate Director of Performance and Director of Strength for Saddlebrook Tennis Academy. Connor spent three years at the Athletes Compound dealing primarily with MLB prospects, ATP professionals and youth development in the Saddlebrook Tennis Academy. He then spent a brief period at The Performance Compound (now ASPI) as the Director of Combine Prep helping send over 20 football players to NFL teams. He works with the Special Olympics of Pasco County’s Powerlifting program and helped consult for the 2017 USA Hockey Southeast District Girls National Camp Tryouts held at Florida Hospital Center Ice. Lyons was also a strength and conditioning coach for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Women's Hockey Team’s preparation for PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games.

He is a firm believer in strength, positioning and patterning over all other aspects of training. He believes putting athletes in good positions and teaching them to both produce and accept force will create the best carryover to any and every sport while also helping decrease the likelihood of injuries.