CALGARY, Alberta – The Hockey Canada Foundation has announced that 3,322 young players across the country will receive subsidies towards hockey registration fees for the 2023-24 season through its Assist Fund, which is the most in the program’s four-year history.

More than $1.5 million will be distributed to approved participants this season, with assists going to kids in each of Hockey Canada’s 13 Members. 

This year’s record number of assists represents a 30% increase compared to last season, and 38% of assists are to participants who identify with the Black, Indigenous and racialized community.

“The Assist Fund is such an important program that helps more children and families register for hockey and create lifelong memories through the sport we all love,” said Donna Iampieri, executive director of the Hockey Canada Foundation. “This initiative would not be possible without the generosity of Canadians and our partners, and with their support, we look forward to providing more assists to those facing financial barriers to hockey in the future.”

Since 2020, the Assist Fund has provided financial support to more than 8,000 kids, including over 3,000 who identify with the Black, Indigenous and racialized community. The Assist Fund was launched ahead of the 2020-21 season in response to the many families experiencing financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has continued to provide subsidies to help more young Canadians enjoy the game they love.

The Hockey Canada Foundation Assist Fund – parent testimonials

“Tucker loves everything hockey, and he is so thankful for organizations like this that let him get on the ice. Thank you for helping my child be active and healthy!” – Jesse in Ontario

“Our community has a growing number of Indigenous players and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of the Assist Fund.” – Averil in British Columbia

“Jaxon eats, sleeps and plays hockey and his love for it is something I could never take away from him. We are honoured to be part of the Hockey Canada Foundation and look forward to keeping him doing what he loves.” – Charlene in Alberta

Canadians can give an assist of their own this holiday season, with 100% of donations going towards subsidized registration fees for additional Canadian kids. More information can be found at AssistFund.HockeyCanadaFoundation.ca.

To learn more about the Hockey Canada Foundation, please visit HockeyCanadaFoundation.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram.

CALGARY, Alta. – The Hockey Canada Foundation (HCF) has welcomed three new members to its board of directors, with the appointments of Steven Albiani (Toronto, Ont.), Angela James (Toronto, Ont.) and Brad Morris (Unionville, Ont.).

“We are excited to have Steven, Angela and Brad join the Hockey Canada Foundation Board of Directors, as each of them bring unique perspectives and experiences in hockey,” said Doug Goss, chair of the HCF Board of Directors. “Their expertise will be important to furthering our efforts in communities across the country, and we look forward to working with them to enhance our programs that help eliminate barriers in the game.”

Albiani is the managing partner of Stratum Advisory Group Inc., a boutique tax and insurance planning firm. A certified financial planner who holds a certificate as a family business advisor from the Family Firm Institute, Albiani is a volunteer member of the SickKids Foundation Professional Advisory Board, and sits on the boards of a number of private companies. He has also been a guest instructor at the University of Toronto and Queen’s University, his alma mater.

Widely considered as the first superstar in women’s hockey, James led Canada’s National Women’s Team to win a gold medal at four IIHF World Women’s Championships, scoring a record 11 goals at the inaugural edition in 1990. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010, appointed to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2021 and was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 2022. James is the co-owner and general manager of the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation.

Morris is currently a global executive with Grote Industries LLC, a leading worldwide innovator of transportation safety systems. From 2012 to 2017, Morris was the chair of the board of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and received the 2018 CWHL Humanitarian of the Year Award. Morris has also served on many other not-for-profit boards, most recently as chair of the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation, and has been a long-time advocate for growing women’s and girls’ hockey.

To unite all Canadians and achieve its mission, the Hockey Canada Foundation is committed to three strategic priorities: enable, educate and engage. Each year, HCF programs remove barriers to the game, provide resources and tools to better equip kids, parents and coaches, and promote nation-building, citizenship, mentorship and community involvement.

HCF programs include the Assist Fund, which provided registration subsidies to a record 2,349 children in 2022-23, Dreams Come True, a financial assistance program designed to introduce participants to hockey by providing head-to-toe equipment and assisting with registration fees, and Hockey Is Hers, which focuses on impacting girls and women in the game. 

The HCF Board of Directors also includes Goss, Ashif Mawji (vice-chair), Peter Brauti (secretary), Allan Matthews (treasurer), David Andrews (past chair) and directors Susan Anderson, Sean Finn and Barry F. Lorenzetti. In addition, the Hockey Canada Foundation U.S. board includes Bill Ackerman (chair), Mike Humes (vice-chair), Adam Graves (secretary) and Paul Delparte (treasurer).

CALGARY, Alta. – The Hockey Canada Foundation has announced that 2,349 children across the country will receive subsidies towards registration fees for the 2022-23 season through its Assist Fund, which is the most in the program’s three-year history.

Each of Hockey Canada’s 13 Members have players receiving assists this season, with 39% of the recipients identifying as BIPOC.

“Throughout the application process, we heard so many incredible stories from families who are looking forward to watching their child play hockey for the first time, and from others who needed an assist to return to the rink,” said Donna Iampieri, executive director of the Hockey Canada Foundation. “Thanks to the generosity of Canadians and our partners, more children from coast to coast to coast will be impacted through this initiative this season than ever before.”

Since 2020, the Assist Fund has provided financial support to more than 5,000 kids, including over 1,750 from the BIPOC community. The Assist Fund was launched ahead of the 2020-21 season in response to the many families experiencing financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has continued to provide subsidies to help more young Canadians enjoy the game they love.

Canadians can give an assist of their own this holiday season, with 100% of donations going towards subsidized hockey registration fees for additional Canadian kids. More information can be found at HockeyCanadaFoundation.ca.

For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The new school year has arrived, and students in the Hockey Canada Skill Academy (HCSA) program are excited to be back in the classroom and on the ice. After a summer away, the beginning of the semester is the perfect time to understand the skill level of students so lead instructors can customize their lesson plans to match the need of participants.

“At the start of the year, it’s all about evaluating a variety of skills to get a sense of where your players are at, from skills they are good at [to] skills they are challenged with,” says Corey McNabb, director of NextGen development at Hockey Canada. “That helps to build out your plan moving forward from there as far as what you want to teach and how you want to teach it.”

What types of skills should be included in the evaluation? Basic skating techniques and puck control techniques are good to include because those skills are used in a variety of drills and during games. Going over these techniques in small-area settings is also beneficial.

Instructors can evaluate some skills based on the player’s position. For example, defenders can begin with skating skills, then add in the ability to transition and pivot before finally adding in using a puck and passing it between teammates.

“I think where we focused was not necessarily skills, but game transferable skills [were] top of mind [when developing evaluation plans for athletes],” says Dean Seymour, manager of NextGen/player development for Hockey Canada.

There are also some off-ice evaluations that instructors can do at the beginning of the semester. For example, the instructors could lead students through a 40-metre sprint, a 5-10-5 agility test, a standing long jump or a medicine ball throw. Each of these evaluations can be used as benchmarks as classes progress throughout the school year.

HCSA participants come from a variety of hockey backgrounds, with some students who have played for years and others who are new to the sport. The benefit of working on basic skills is that the drills are applicable to every participant.

“The older you get [or] the higher the level, you’ll just be able to execute them better,” McNabb says. “But there’s not [many evaluation skills] that I would say you can’t do with minor hockey age players.”

When it comes to lesson planning, McNabb recommends focusing on the key teaching and evaluation points, so instructors are looking at specific items within a drill rather than students completing the drill without a clear purpose. Planning out the semester in advance can also help keep instructors on track for achieving their success goals.

“Create a schedule and stick to that schedule, and try not to skip too far in advance,” Seymour says.

If students at an HCSA are involved in hockey outside of the program, it’s good practice for instructors to have open communication with local hockey association coaches.

“Talk to the coach and say, ‘Hey, what do you suggest? What do you think these [players] need to work on?’ They can try and collaborate that way,” McNabb explains.

For HCSAs with students that are new to the sport, repetition of drills over the semester can be a great way to work on basic hockey skills.

“Almost all drills involve turning left, turning right. They’re skating, there’s passing, they’re shooting. They are all designed to keep kids active,” McNabb says. “I think kids will get better just by doing [drills].”

Looking for inspiration for skills and drills to include in an HCSA practice plan? The Hockey Canada Network app has over 1,500 drills and more than 100 lesson plans to give coaches and players the tools to succeed. Drill Hub is another resource available to instructors, with access hundreds of drills and videos for free.

School is back in session, and that means another Hockey Canada Skills Academy (HCSA) season is underway. As students return to the classroom and to the ice this school year, here are a few resources instructors can incorporate into their HCSA curriculums.

Skills and Drills

The Hockey Canada Network app gives coaches and players the tools to succeed with drills, skills, videos, practice plans and articles on their tablet or phone. There are over 1,500 drills and more than 100 lesson plans available on the app, with more added throughout the season.

Drill Hub is another resource available to instructors to find skills and drills for students. It is a free resource for coaches and instructors to access hundreds of drills and videos. There are also pre-made practice plans available to download, along with templates for game rosters, player stats, scouting reports and more.

Looking for more drill inspiration? Hockey Canada will frequently post skill videos on its social channels that can be incorporated into practice plans. Search the hashtag #HCSkillsCoach and #HCGoalieCoach on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to find more drill videos to utilize on the ice.

Coaching Certification

All HCSA lead instructors need to be certified in the Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders program. They also need to have the Coach 2 – Coach Level from the National Coach Certification Program (NCCP) or, at a minimum, be trained in two of these instructional stream clinics: skating, developing defencemen, skills or small-area games.

However, there are opportunities to expand coaching certification to a higher level, including taking more instructional stream clinics or NCCP coaching programs such as Development 1 or High Performance 1. Hockey Canada’s coaching web page explains the difference between the levels and provides example coaching pathways. Instructors should connect with their Hockey Canada Member for more information on higher-level coaching certification.

HCSA Members

For more resources, be sure to log into the HCSA account on HockeyCanada.ca. Once logged in, instructors will have access to the HCSA curriculum, practice plans for on- and off-ice activities, support tips and links to previous HCSA seminars.

With over 150 HCSAs across the country, it is encouraged to reach out to lead instructors at other schools to share insights and tips. Local hockey associations in the area can be another great resource as lesson plans are finalized. For further support throughout the school year, contact Drew McLaughlin, manager of Member engagement and school programs.

Three years ago, I moved my family from France to Quebec. My 15-year-old son Aymane was so happy to move to Canada and be able to live in a country that is passionate about the sport he loves so much – hockey.

Aymane picked up hockey at the young age of four when we lived in Paris, but there aren’t a lot of hockey clubs there like in Canada. He always wanted more from the sport and tried his hardest to learn and grow while in France.

When I changed jobs and got an opportunity to move my three kids to Quebec, Aymane was so excited to play hockey where so many other young kids play every day. All my kids play hockey, but Aymane lives and breathes the game. It is so hard to get him off the ice after practice or a game.

Coming to a new country is a challenge, and it is expensive. Without the Hockey Canada Foundation Assist Fund, I wouldn’t have been able to keep Aymane in the game.

I heard about the Assist Fund through our registrar when I went to register Aymane for the season. I didn’t have a steady salary at the time, and they explained what the Assist Fund could do for my family. I applied online and we are so grateful to have been accepted.

The Assist Fund was so important to us because I couldn’t have made the hockey season work without it for Aymane. He completely understood what was happening and I couldn’t imagine not being able to keep him playing. Aymane was so grateful to get the assist, which kept him playing this season.

Hockey is a family activity for us – all my kids play the sport, and we are at the arena every day. It provides a great way to dispel all their energy, learn discipline and make friends. It is also like a second family for us – there is so much solidarity with the players and teammates.

Aymane was passionate about hockey the first time he stepped on the ice. He would like to continue to play hockey throughout his life – he wants to stay in the game for as long as possible. He would love to be a trainer for a team when he is older.

Like many other Canadian parents, I want to do what is best for my kids and give them everything they want. For families that don’t have much extra money available or have financial difficulties, this is an incredible opportunity. We want our kids to dream, and having the Assist Fund allows many families to make that happen across Canada.

We were so happy to have access to the Assist Fund and a chance to keep Aymane playing the game he loves so much. The possibilities are endless when kids stay in sports, and I hope many other kids across Canada have the same opportunity Aymane had through the Assist Fund.

Growing up in Ireland, I would watch hockey in the middle of the night because I loved it. I was a big Mario Lemieux fan. When I moved to Canada almost 20 years ago, I knew I wanted to immerse myself in the sport.

When I had my children, I always wanted them to play hockey and I’m a big believer in sports and the positive power it has on kids.

My son Leon is 10 years old, and he is an old soul. He is a firm believer in fair play and is concerned with how other people are doing. While he likes the competition, he likes to be the best he can be.

When Leon was younger, he watched his older brother Floyd play hockey and when asked who his favourite player was, he would say Floyd. He wanted to be just like him and wanted to play hockey, too.

The hockey rink is an integral part of our community – it is the heartbeat of Stanley, New Brunswick. Really, the rink is our community. Everyone has made us feel so welcome and made me feel that I wasn’t an outsider because I came from Ireland.

My boys have grown up at the rink and have made so many new friends through hockey. Leon has such good influences in his life through his coaches, who are teaching him and his teammates life lessons, along with building those hockey skills.

Through hockey, Leon gets that sense of belonging. There is such a camaraderie through sport that Leon is developing with his teammates.

With four children, including three boys in hockey, we have felt the same financial constraints that many Canadian families have faced recently.

This past season when I went to register them, a volunteer told me about the Hockey Canada Foundation Assist Fund, and I applied that night. The process was easy, and I got the registration fees covered for all three boys.

If it wasn’t for the Assist Fund, especially this year, I wouldn’t have been able to put the kids in hockey. Things have been lean, and I didn’t want to disappoint them by not playing the sport they love.

Some people are embarrassed to apply, but I am not. Any trepidation I had about applying and asking for an assist is eclipsed by the look of joy on my kids’ faces.

Even at 10 years old, Leon understood what it meant to get this assist and he was so excited. He is a very kind kid and notices everything. He is aware how much things cost, and he was so happy to know that Hockey Canada helped him and his brothers this season.

Hockey is such an integral part of Leon’s life. Although he knows he will never be a National Hockey League player, he loves the game so much that he even has a beer league name picked out. He wants to play hockey throughout high school and hopefully on a university scholarship.

When I see other parents in the same spot as I am, I know they are appreciative. We might not love the 5 a.m. wakeup calls for games, but the look on their faces when they hit the ice is the best thing.

Our community is so great, and we are all Bulldogs. We spend all winter at the rink, and we wouldn’t change it for anything.

Hockey is so much more than wins, losses or even Gordie Howe hat tricks – it is a lifelong love affair and the joy they experience when playing a game. I am so happy to give my kids the opportunity because we got an assist from Hockey Canada.

Throughout the 2021-22 school year, a return to normalcy grew across Canada – and with it a clear majority of Hockey Canada Skills Academy (HCSA) school programs had the greenlight to return to pre-2020 practices.

Jaydee-Lynn McDougall, who just completed her first year as an educator at Technical Vocational (Tec-Voc) High School in Winnipeg, Man., is thrilled her year as dance instructor, physical education teacher and HCSA lead was a journey with very few restrictions.

“Where I picked the program up, we were at a point in Manitoba where you no longer had to wear masks on the ice, so it worked out very well,” the 26-year-old says. “The last two years, they had not been on the ice even though they could sign up for the skills academy, so they have been missing that integral part. That’s why they signed up for the class, right? To be on the ice to improve their hockey skills.”

The school year in many ways represented a refreshing return to the ‘old normal’ that existed before COVID-19 entered public consciousness.

Greg Masterson, the supervisor of learning services with the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD), concurs that the return to normalcy has been great.

“It has been wonderful for our students and our coaches to be back on the ice with no more restrictions,” he says. “You can tell there is a lot of excitement on the ice during the classes.”

Resumption of classic HCSA programming – two on-ice sessions, dryland training and classroom work per week for most academies – has once again spawned the benefits long associated with these programs since its institution during the 2000-01 school year: heightened academic performance.

“The Hockey Canada Skills Academies promote student wellness, and when students are feeling well, they are ready to learn,” says Masterson. “I noticed when I was a vice principal at how organized these students were away from rink and they demonstrated an appreciation of how privileged they are to have this opportunity to participate in the skills academy.”

McDougall said it was evident that the 20 Grade 10-12 HCSA students she mentored transferred their discipline and focus from the ice and gym into the classroom.

“I think the program really helped students become re-engaged in school and perhaps re-engaged in [life] in general,” McDougall says. “I had some students join the academy later in the year who were not doing well academically and after they joined in November they improved in their classwork, passed all their courses and are moving on to the next grade.”

The first-year teacher says she was heartened to see so many of her HCSA students actively participate in Tutor Friday hours at Tec-Voc. She’s observed the students approach this opportunity to dive into their academics with a similar rigor to their efforts to improve their edgework, puck-handling and shooting.

Inclusivity and accessibility are other celebrated hallmarks of the HSCA learning model. McDougall, who played Prep hockey at St. Mary’s Academy during her high school years, experienced these rewarding dimensions of the program during her rookie instructor year.

“It was really interesting coming into this program. I did not know what to expect in my first year,” she says. “I had students playing in a league outside of school and I also had a Grade 11 student who had never been on skates because of COVID-19. It was incredible to see the skill development there. The gap got smaller and smaller throughout the year because of the amount of times we were able to go on the ice and practice those skills.

“I think the students when they are together all year really get to know each other and accept each other. They were all helping one another develop their skills in the stages they needed. We had more split drills at the beginning of the year where we would do skill work on one side of the ice and challenges on the other side. By the end we had our practices all together.”

With another year in the books, there’s lots to look forward to in 2022-23. Both Masterson and McDougall expressed a keenness to further enhance accessibility and inclusivity with increased sledge hockey sessions for students. Until then, there’s lots to celebrate about the successes of the 2021-22 school year.

The 19th Hockey Canada Skills Academy (HCSA) summer seminar is a return to traditional roots.

After staging virtual summits in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, over 70 hockey education delegates from all over the Great White North will convene at Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary from July 7-9. HCSA program leaders will hear presentations from experts and engage in interactive exercises to attain insights on how to take their on-ice and classroom instruction to the next level.

Drew McLaughlin, Hockey Canada’s manager of membership engagement for school programs, says Hockey Canada is heartened and grateful that so many educators enthusiastically enrolled for this experience during their summer holidays.

“So many of them are teachers or have some role in the realm of academia day-to-day,” he says. “Understanding that this seminar is outside of the typical school year, their commitment to excellence and wanting to understand how to grow their program’s capacity to be more inclusive and beneficial is appreciated.”

Three expert facilitators will deliver the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) instructional stream components that will constitute the core programming of the seminar.

Darren Rommerdahl, a player development coach with the Calgary Flames, will guide shooting and scoring drills and impart on-ice and off-ice growth strategies that attendees could apply to their elementary or secondary school pupils.

Vanessa Hettinger, one of just two master skating instructors certified by Hockey Canada, is commissioned to guide the seminar’s on-ice skating presentation. A master instructor with Quantum Speed skating development company, Hettinger will also share student athlete development tips for players at and away from the rink.

Brett Dudar, a Hockey Canada trained skills coach and a High Performance 1 trained coach with Hockey Manitoba, has been tapped to demonstrate small-area skills and offer counsel about effective player and practice management. Dudar currently serves as the director of player development for the Evolution Hockey skills development organization in Winnipeg.

Gina Kingsbury, the director of hockey operations for Canada’s National Women’s Team, will be the keynote speaker. Ross McCain, the director of athletic performance and manager of the Duckett Performance Centre at Edge School in Calgary, will guide a presentation entitled A 360 Degree View on Student-Athlete Development.

Keen to foster strong Member participation in the seminar, McLaughlin said he is pleased four senior provincial officials are joining the 2022 event in a leadership capacity. The hockey leaders are BC Hockey’s manager of athlete development, Dave Cunning; Hockey Northwestern Ontario’s interim executive director and technical director, Jim Fetter; Hockey Manitoba’s director of hockey development, Bernie Reichardt; and Hockey New Brunswick’s technical director, Matt Vautour.

McLaughlin says this event, featuring a welcome return of the face-to-face networking missing the previous two years, is poised to be enriching.

“There is a strong appetite among our attendees and across our 155 school programs across the country to have access to this kind of professional development, education and an opportunity to gather with like-minded individuals to work on best practices and understand at a peer level of how different programs operate.”

For McLaughlin, this will be his first HCSA summer seminar. He looks forward to witnessing the thought-provoking ideas and innovations that will emerge as hockey experts and academic professionals pick each other’s brains. It is safe to suggest that each delegate in the room are wired with a desire to ensure the HCSA nationwide footprint remains vibrant for years to come.

The HCSA program will celebrate its 23rd anniversary during the 2022-23 school year. McLaughlin says he expects that the academy will be a course offering in approximately 160 schools. On average, 5,000 students participate in HCSA classes each year. A hallmark of every school program is its accessibility. Any student, regardless of hockey experience, is welcome to enroll in the unique educational experience.

Warm weather means school is out for summer. As time away from studies and the rink begins for Hockey Canada Skills Academy students across the country, the anticipation for the next hockey season has already begun.

But before the next school year begins, some students may be thinking about what they can do over the summer to improve their game. While individual skills can be worked on, there is also an opportunity to work on transferable skills by playing additional sports.

“Baseball [is] great for your hand-eye coordination,” says Katie Greenway, hockey development coordinator for Hockey Canada. “Throw a frisbee, go swimming, ride a bike, do all these different things that are going to make you a more well-rounded athlete, because the best hockey players are the best athletes.”

Although not every sport has a stick or a puck, the skills needed to play hockey can be found in almost any activity. Running and soccer can help with foot speed and mobility on the ice. Tennis and basketball work on stopping and starting.

“The simplicity of hand-eye coordination with golf and badminton and the racquet sports — [these are] all very transferable athletic movements that are required in forward, defence and goaltending,” says Dean Seymour, manager of NextGen/player development for Hockey Canada. “I don’t really think it matters what sport you play or activity you’re doing, just get out and do it.”

Playing in additional team sports can also further develop hockey IQ over the summer.

“A lot of kids, I think especially during the pandemic, were so focused on individual skill that they don’t know how to play now within a team system,” Greenway says. “I think multi-sport, especially team sports, help with that IQ piece of game situation and how to read and react to certain plays, which transfer back over into hockey: finding an open lane, leading someone with a pass, working with other people.”

Something else that can benefit a player’s game is taking a brief step back from hockey to give their body a well-deserved break after working hard all season long.

“When I played, I would take a month off in the summer and it would change everything,” Greenway says. “You missed the rink, you’re excited to come back… I think that’s a huge piece.”

“[You] see the new energy in the player,” Seymour adds. “They may be rusty for the first week, but it’s like riding a bike, it comes back.”

Taking a break in the summertime can also help to prevent burnout and limit overuse injuries from repetitive movements.

“We see a big problem right now with a lot of kids that no matter what sport they play, if that’s the only sport they do, that overuse injuries are starting to onset earlier,” says Corey McNabb, director of NextGen development at Hockey Canada. “By promoting other activities, you’re going to not only balance the mental side of things, but you’re going to balance the physical side of things.”

After taking some time off, those looking to better their hockey play could try isolating specific skills over the summer. For example, a player could work on stick-handling in the garage, or a goaltender could work on catching with a glove. Students can also check out the Hockey Canada Network for more drills and resources.

However, a brief break from the rink to enjoy the sun outside can be exactly what a player needs to refresh and refocus before preparing for tryouts in the fall.

“It’s important to step away from the game a little bit and just be a kid, relax and enjoy the summer,” Greenway says.