Initiation Program (5 and 6 year olds)

Minor Novice Skills Development Project

Minor Novice Skills Development Press Release

Streams of Hockey at Erindale

Programs and Initiatives

Canadian Hockey Development Program

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Making Hockey A Very Positive and Fun-Filled Experience

• Having fun in a physical activity

• Learning the basic skills needed to play hockey

• Creating and refining basic motor patterns

• Learning the concepts of co-operating and fair play

• Developing an understanding of teamwork

• Build self - esteem in the player’s minds.

• Develop all the players to the fullest and encourage creativity.

PROGRAM FOCUS

The overall program objective is: To provide children a opportunity to learn and develop hockey Fundamentals and Fitness in an environment of Fun and Fair play (The Four F's)

• Developing basic hockey skills:

• Skating

• Stopping

• Turning

• Puck handling

• Passing and shooting

• Each skill is introduced and refined in a progressive manner.

• The goal is to build a foundation for the future years.

• Focus on all the players.

What they learn first, they learn best!

• Participants are grouped by skill level and supervised by 4-5 instructors.

• Ratio of 1 instructor for every 2-3 players... greater one-on-one attention for each player.

• Skill development tailored to the individual needs of each group.

• Overall more structured and better use of time and ice.

• A head instructor monitors overall flow of practices.

• Non-competitive games part of the process.

• High practice to game ratio (50:50 or better)

One Parent Comment about IP at Erindale:

Erindale's Initiation Program

The development of our players begins with the Canadian Hockey (Hockey Canada)/Chrysler Initiation Program (IP). The IP is known as "Hockey for the fun of it." The objective is to teach the fundamentals of hockey, fitness, and fair play in a fun environment. One of the important elements of the Initiation Program is the development of self-esteem and self-confidence of the players as they progress through the program. In addition to the Initiation Program, Erindale offers players 8 - 11 years of age a skills development hockey school that also focuses on the fundamentals of hockey in a non-competitive environment.

Erindale actively encourages and supports the continuing education of coaches through in-house coaching clinics and the Hockey Canada CBET
(Competency Based Educational Training), or the National Trainers Certification Program (NTCP). All house league Head Coaches in Erindale must be certified at the "Coach Stream Level" and all "A" team Head Coaches at the "Development One Level" (revised Intermediate Level) under the NCCP. As well, Erindale strongly encourages all coaches to obtain their Trainers Certificate. IP Instructors must also be certified under the NCCP at the "Initiation Program" level.

Erindale Hockey Association's
Version of the Hockey Canada's Initiation Program

This is a hockey program for five and six year olds.  In a fun, non-competitive environment the players learn hockey skills and fair play, with an emphasis on the development of self-esteem and self-confidence.  We believe if the introduction to hockey is a positive one, the players will develop a lifetime love of the game.

All games and practices are held at Erin Mills Twin Arena, 3205 Unity Dr.  Each player has a 45 minute practice once a week, on Saturday morning.  All practices planned and skills are introduced in a progressive manner.  We try to maintain a good ratio of qualified volunteer instructors to players.  This allows us to attend to the individual requirements of the players.  All our instructors must attend a clinic that focuses on skill analysis and development, lesson organization, and communication.

Games are on Sunday starting around 8:00 am.  Each player has equal ice time.  To build self-confidence they play against children of an equal skill level.  No scores or individual stats are kept.  The emphasis is on participation and skills development - not winning.

The season starts in late September and runs through to March.  Boys and girls who are residents of Mississauga and born in 2001 or 2002 are eligible.  No prior experience is required.  Registration is limited to 192 players.  Each player receives a team jersey and a pair of hockey socks.   

Here is a link to a Hockey Equipment Fitting Guide on the Hockey Development of Ontario website

If you have any questions feel free to contact  the  Initiation Program Convenor.

This information sheet is intended to supplement the press release that you have received that speaks to the pilot program that is planned for next season by the Erindale Hockey Association.

It is no secret that the Initiation Program at Erindale has been a very popular program for several years (recall the registration line-ups!). The program has a deliberate focus on skills development within an environment that places fun and fair play foremost. It does not focus as much attention to tactical team play.

In past years, our IP graduates have entered into the Mississauga Hockey League, where there are different rules to play by and where we compete with teams from the other seven associations that constitute the MHL. Each association has their own philosophies concerning pre-novice programs. Some decide to focus on tactical play – less focus on skills development and certainly less fun for the players. There is no argument though, that this focus may put these teams at a temporary advantage.

Temporary, in that learning skills such as positional play and offsides, while creating an early advantage in game play, rarely compensate in the long run for the reduced emphasis in skills development. Erindale Hockey Association firmly believes in the skills development focus that allows our players to develop and excel in this sport. This has been apparent when one looks at the rosters of the high-end MHL house league and "A" teams beyond the Novice level – many are graduates of the Erindale IP program.

We do however, face uneven competition at the next immediate level – Minor Novice, particularly the Red and White divisions. Due to the focus of some of the other associations on early tactical play and building "trophy teams" through recruitment rather than development only, lately our teams have had an uneven transition into MHL play. This focus on building "winning" teams has encouraged some associations to form the next year’s team in April, with the intention of playing hockey throughout the summer. Erindale’s philosophy is that the summer should be dedicated to other athletic pursuits.

This rough transition period has traditionally been corrected by the time our teams reach the Novice level – after they have learned the tactical game, and where their advanced skills development can be the deciding factor. The challenge facing the Erindale Hockey Association is to make this transition more enjoyable for our players and parents – hence the launch of this pilot "transition" program. The following program description is provided to inform you of what you can expect from next year’s hockey program. Some have dubbed it IP3 – we prefer to call it "Skills to grow by".

IP graduates enter the Mississauga Hockey League minor novice division, competing against seven other associations. Players are evaluated in the fall and placed on teams in one of several house league divisions (red, white, blue, green). All teams follow MHL rules for league play. MHL series convening process dictates how many teams each association must place in each division.

We have called it the "Transition Year". This pilot program will have all Erindale teams playing in the MHL (yes, there will be gate fees). There will be evaluations in the fall for placement in the proper division.

Rather than four divisions (red, white, blue, green) as we have today, there will be two divisions. One division will comprise players who would have fit into the red and white divisions; the difference will be that we will have four blended teams of red and white caliber players. The other division will be made up of 4-6 teams and would comprise players who would have fit into the blue or green divisions – again with teams of equal strength.

Much like the Erindale IP Program, we will have Erindale teams playing Erindale teams. Our teams would not face teams from the other associations within the MHL until the following (Novice) year.

• The season would begin with rules similar to the IP Program. No offsides, for example.
• The blue/green division will delay the start of games for the first six weeks, dedicating the first six weeks to additional skills development (many of these children are first-year players who have never played before). The games for these players will begin after Week 6.
• The practices for all teams will begin, as in the successful IP format, as program-driven, cooperative practices between two teams, and graduate by mid-season to coach-developed, autonomous practices.
• The season game play will introduce MHL rules (offsides for example) and game play tactics (positioning, break-outs) throughout the season such that by the end of the season, the players are fully prepared to compete with all MHL teams.
• All teams will be eligible to participate in tournaments of their choosing (note that there will be an additional financial and time commitment required for teams that wish to participate in tournaments).

The End Result:

Erindale Hockey is embarking on this pilot project because we feel that a "transition year" is required to take our players, who have been given a very rich program (IP) that delivered to them a superior method of skills development and development of a love for the game, to the next level of competitive play. This next level features many things they have not learned yet – offsides, positioning, how to play with their head up, breakouts, etc.

Transition is what this next level is about. We expect by the end of next season, you will be looking at players who not only have developed very good hockey skills, but who will also have learned how to play the game. They will have learned all this while having fun, and while playing on an even footing with the teams they compete against.

---

Minor Novice Skills Development Press Release

May 26,2003

Skills to grow by-- MHL ANNOUNCES MINOR NOVICE PILOT PROJECT

The Mississauga Hockey League (MHL) is pleased to announce the introduction of a pilot project for Minor Novice level hockey players.

Under the auspices of the MHL, the Erindale Hockey Association will administer a Minor Novice Skills Development project for 7-year olds in the 2003-2004 season. This project is designed to help children develop the skills they need to transition between the Initiation Program (5-6 year olds) and the Novice division. For the new and fairly new players, the game of hockey will be introduced in a modified format, and the practice to game ratio will be higher, allowing participants to better develop their hockey skills.

Traditionally some young players have encountered difficulty in moving from a non-competitive environment directly into a competitive game situation. Hockey Canada believes they will benefit significantly from an intermediate program that teaches them to function in game situations while developing the right playing skills.

From the start the emphasis will not be on winning, but on proper skill development, which is the foundation for future success. Minor Novice players enrolling at Erindale will receive instruction on balance, agility and coordination, the skills required to play in organized games. We are confident that the pilot project will help participants become excellent players down the road.

To assure proper instruction, all the volunteer coaches will be required to obtain Hockey Canada Initiation Program Instructors Certification.

It must be emphasized that the Minor Novice Skills Development project is an addition to the MHL family of programs, not a separate one. It acts simply to fill the gap between the Initiation Program and the competitive play of the MHL. Participating players will register with Erindale in the normal fashion and teams will be formed and registered with the MHL as per normal procedures.

The pilot project is only open to players registered in the Erindale Hockey Association, which means that for Erindale Minor Novice teams there will be no interlocking schedule with teams from the other seven MHL Associations. A pilot project committee, comprised of MHL, Erindale and other Association representatives, will evaluate the project throughout the 2003-2004 season and will thus determine if the project should be extended to other associations in subsequent seasons.

Committee Chair, Mike Crosby, states "We believe that hockey should be fun for children and we will have done them a service if we can instill in them a life-long love for the game. After all, hockey shouldn’t only be about winning at all costs. We believe that Winning Is Just Playing The Game. The Minor Novice Skills Development project will provide the foundation for children to learn how to win – and lose – with grace and pride. Competition will be introduced in a friendly and healthy manner".

---