This season promises to be one of the most exciting for West Hill Minor Hockey and its members. Registration has been overwhelming and the 2010-2011 season will feature more teams in every division than we have had in many years. At West Hill we are committed and demonstrate through our actions that every player who wants to play the great game of hockey has the opportunity to play. The Committee has worked with the City to secure additional ice, our suppliers to obtain additional team uniforms and our sponsors to ensure we keep costs as low as possible so that every player can play the greatest game on earth.

Practices begin on Saturday October 2 and the schedule for all age groups is now posted. Coaches will be reaching out this week to their team members to share all of the information. See you at the rink.

 

The following Select teams will be holding their tryouts at Heron Park on Tuesday October 12:

Age Group	Time	Coach	Contact
Atom	7:00 p.m.	Dave Smith	416 283-9526
Minor Bantam	8:20 p.m.	Kevin Mercer	416 286-4806
Midget	9:00 p.m.	Phil Carter	416 399-4186

This year Novice divisions will be divided up according to the each player's ability and experience rather than age. At West Hill Minor Hockey the goal is to have each player reach his or her potential and there are obvious challenges when the divisions are created according to age at the younger levels. In previous seasons we have had players scoring 15 goals in a game at the same time other players who seldom, if ever touched the puck. How can a player improve when they are the only one on the ice who can skate? There's no one to pass to to, let alone receive a pass from. How can a player improve if they never touch the puck?
 
By dividing the groups by ability we hope to create a better opportunity for all players to develop. Probably 80 percent of the age groups will work out to be by age groupings, but we want to give an opportunity for each player to fully develop.  The divisions will be created will be:
* Novice White : entry  division
* Novice Blue : intermediate division
* Novice Gold : advanced division
 
We believe this will be better for the players and keeping in mind the goal is to develop players and give them an opportunity to learn, enhance their skills and have fun!
 

We have a brand new look and features coming for the 2010 - 2011 season. What to watch for:

* Team e-mail services - subscribe to your team and be automatically notified of important updates
* Live Scoring - game events are updated allowing you to follow along on your computer or wireless device
* Mobile - support for mobile devices from iPhone to BlackBerry
 

 

A great article was published in the Globe and Mail titled "The great melting rink" based upon a study recently completed. The theme of the article is that Hockey is a ‘uniter’ in the Canadian mosaic, identifying that hockey offers everyone a very public way to declare their identification with Canadian culture.

At West Hill Minor Hockey Association we have always shared and fostered this belief and will continue to do so. The result has been a thriving and successful hockey organization that continues to bring the community closer together. The future for hockey’s long-term health is excellent.

See you at the rink!

Read the full article.