Hockey Canada Skills Academy
The goal of the Canadian Hockey Skills Program at NDHS is to "Promote cooperative efforts between school boards, local hockey associations and sponsors, to better utilize ice times and school facilities and move towards the development of sport schools."
In order to get the most out of arenas during weekday hours – when most minor hockey players are in school – Hockey Canada believes that a sport school program for hockey is required. With that in mind, the Hockey Canada Skills Academy (HCSA) program, a partnership between Hockey Canada and its 13 member branches, is a step in the right direction.
So what are the benefits of a HCSA program, for both minor hockey and schools?
• increase in training time by maximizing arena availability during school hours; players may receive more than 400 hours of extra training time per year
• enhancement of individual technical and tactical skill development
• enhancement of academic achievement through the motivation of establishing a balance of both academics and athletics within the school system
• would assist in equalizing the development opportunity for:
- players born late in the year
- late bloomers
- late starters
- late maturity
- male and female player development
