Hockey Canada’s Open Letter to Canadians

ALIX, AB - As parents arrive at the rink on frigid Saturday mornings throughout the winter, they joke to themselves about seeing Tyler Copland’s truck parked in "his spot", as he is always the first to arrive before a game. Whether it’s as a board member, coach, friend, mentor, parent, or sponsor, Tyler wears many hats in the town of Alix.

Since his boys began playing hockey with the Alix and Clive combined association, Tyler has been involved as a volunteer on different levels. He invests a great deal of time and energy into helping mentor the kids during every practice and game. When one game ends, he is typically gearing up to head to another arena to support his other son’s teams.

"Tyler has only missed a handful of practices and games over the years. His commitment is impressive, as is the message he has for the kids: just keep showing up, regardless of what struggle might be in front of you, just keep showing up," said Lori Gibson, who shared the story with Hockey Alberta. "He doesn’t tell the kids what dedication is, he lives it every day."

Tyler’s positive attitude is infectious throughout the teams he coaches. He is always quick to flash a smile and joke around with the kids, and holds nothing back when it comes to helping the players achieve their goals. Always keeping things light and fun, he loves nothing more than celebrating an accomplishment for anyone on his team whether it’s a goal, assist, win, or just a great shift.

As the first guy to the rink to open the rooms and set out the pucks, a supporter of the concessions and 50/50 draws, and yearly corporate sponsor, Tyler values the deep roots he has created in his community, and they would like to thank him for everything he has done.

If you have a great story or volunteer that you would like Hockey Alberta to highlight, please send the information to [email protected].

As part of the Hockey at Home Series, Hockey Alberta will publish a weekly video focused on goaltender skills drills that can be done at home.

This week, Team Alberta alumna, University of Calgary Dinos goaltender Dayna Owen shows how to practice passing fro a butterfly position. Check back every Saturday for the latest goalie skills video!

Passing from a Butterfly Position

Now is the perfect time to improve your puck-handling and passing, this drill can assist you in improving your passing skills as you get ready for next season!

Being able to control a dump in on net and make a quick pass to your teammates can assist your team in breaking the puck out of your own zone. In season and during team drills these skills, without deliberate focus and repetitions, can be easily overlooked which will ultimately limit performance. When practicing this skill try to keep the eyes up as much as possible, there will always be a need to “check” the puck but push yourself to keep your eyes up, when possible, to be able to scan and evaluate incoming forecheckers. This drill can be done with a puck or a ball, whichever works best for your training. When practicing these skills, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• Start in an down/butterfly stance – Chest up, weight over your knees, eyes downward, chin in front of knees
• Hands away from the body, blocker and glove are positioned in front of the body. Elbows are bent and hands are ready.

• Establish visual connection on the puck and track the puck all the way into your or glove – eyes remain on the puck all the way in.
• Once the puck is in your glove, turn your glove down towards the ground and move your glove towards the ground to place the puck on the ground.
• You want to do this quickly and with some force so that once the puck makes contact with the ground and so it will lay flat while in your glove.
  • Avoid dropping the puck down as it can roll and make it more difficult to control.

• Take your glove off the ground, come back up in your butterfly to complete the passing sequence.
• For the passing portion: hands are away from the body, blocker is positioned mid-way up the shaft of the stick and the glove hand is positioned in an inverted grip above the paddle of the stick
• The glove can rotate to a standard player grip on the stick – based on the skill set of the goaltender
• Glove hand applies downward pressure and prepares to pass the puck
• Sweep the puck along the surface and pass towards your target

• To progress this drill:

• Head is up to read options to make the pass
• Do this on your backhand – this motion would be more of a sweep pass on your backhand
• Have someone flash a different number of fingers every 2-3 seconds
• Place obstacles to encourage saucer passes
• Incorporate footwork patterns prior to the butterfly & dump in/”shot” (smaller shuffles, bigger T-Push like cross crease movements, etc)

Hockey Alberta Goaltender Guide >

For more Hockey at Home videos, go to hockeyalberta.ca/hockey-home

Doug ’Crash’ Crashley of Crash Conditioning Ltd is back with a new, trimmed-down version of Hockey at Home with Crash Conditioning!

Doug ’Crash’ Crashley of Crash Conditioning Ltd is back with a new, trimmed-down version of Hockey at Home with Crash Conditioning!

CALGARY – Hockey Canada, in partnership with BFL CANADA, announced the first winners of the BFL Female Coach of the Year awards. Samantha Holmes-Domagala of Calgary has been named as the National Community Winner, and Shanya Shwetz of Edmonton has been named a Regional High Performance winner.

Giving back to the game that has given her so much, Holmes-Domagala coaches her daughter’s teams with Girls Hockey Calgary, serves as director of coaching for Timbits U7, U9 and U11 with the organization and runs skills clinics in Calgary for young girls. The Mississauga, Ont., native played 10 games with Canada’s National Women’s Team, winning gold at the 4 Nations Cup in 2000 and 2004. After playing with the Brampton Thunder of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL), she moved west to join the Calgary Oval X-Treme of the Western Women’s Hockey League (WWHL), winning gold at the Esso Women’s Nationals in 2003, and co-founded the Strathmore Rockies (WWHL) in 2008.

Alberta’s High Performance BFL Female Coach of the Year regional winner is Shanya Shwetz of Edmonton. Shanya spent the 2019-20 season as head coach of the Edmonton Pandas Bantam Elite team (AFHL). She has also worked with the Team Alberta Female program, most recently as a Head Coach at the 2020 Alberta Winter Games and Video Coach at the 2019 National Women’s U18 Championship.

A complete list of winners for each category by province and territory can be found HERE.

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the recipients of the annual Hockey Alberta Awards. These Awards allow Hockey Alberta and the Alberta hockey community to recognize outstanding individuals and teams for their hard work and accomplishments in making a positive difference for our participants in the game of hockey during the 2019-20 season.

The Hockey Alberta Awards program includes awards that are open to nominations from Hockey Alberta member organization, staff member or volunteer, and others that are determined by Hockey Alberta through a review of eligible candidates.

The 2020 Hockey Alberta Award recipients are:

• Volunteer of the Year: Shane Hainstock (Chestermere). Shane been on the board of Chestermere Minor Hockey for 17 years, including 11 years as president. Shane also volunteered two years with the Referee Association and spent 11 years as a minor hockey referee. Shane is also involved in the community, supporting great causes such as the annual Can Struck food bank drive, and has helped the Ice Edge Figure Skating Club facilitate the Battle of the Blades.
• Coach of the Year: Mike Lees (Edmonton). Mike was the head coach of Hockey Edmonton’s KC St. Matthew Thunder Novice team and an assistant coach in the Timbits program last season - his ninth season coaching hockey in Edmonton. Mike enjoys building the lasting relationships with the players that are created through coaching. He takes the time to go around the room, and have a brief, personal interaction with each athlete, letting them know they are important to the coach and achieving the team’s common goals.
• Player of the Year: Elise Hugens (Sherwood Park). Elise was named the top goaltender in the Alberta Female Hockey League’s Midget AAA division in 2019-20 as she finished her minor hockey career with the Edmonton Female Athletic Club Pandas. She led the league in goals against average (.960) and shutouts (six).
• Official of the Year: Fraser Lawrence (Edmonton). Fraser is a Level 6 official from Edmonton who represented Canada internationally last season at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic. He has been involved provincially and regionally as an Instructor and Supervisor at Hockey Alberta’s Officials Development Camp and supervising the Alberta Cup.
• Ernie Boruk Award: CJ Senkow (Grande Prairie). CJ has been involved in various capacities in both the North Central and Peace Region executives since 2001. He has worked all levels of hockey in Alberta and the WHL, officiated numerous Provincial and National championships, and just retired this year from the AJHL.
• Dave Ganley Award: Geoff Da Silva (Calgary). Geoff has been officiating since the age of 16. Through Geoff’s efforts, Central Region has been able to identify and develop officials effectively and efficiently. Geoff’s ongoing contributions include participation as a league supervision in both the Alberta Junior and Midget AAA levels.
• Team of the Year: Crowfoot Coyotes Peewee AA (Calgary). Calgary’s Crowfoot Coyotes Peewee AA team gained national recognition as Alberta’s finalist in the 2020 Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup. As a regional finalist, the team won $2,000 for the charity of their choice – Team Naomi Get Well Now – a program to support children’s cancer research.
• Order of Merit: These awards recognize exceptional leadership and distinguished service to amateur hockey in Alberta for 10 years or more. Awards may be presented in the categories of Administration, Coaching/Development and officiating. Recipients have dedicated significant time, effort and leadership to the growth and development of amateur hockey, not only in their own community, but across the province.
  • Administration – Tania Horseman (Hythe). Tania is the president of Horse Lake Minor Hockey Association, serving in that role for more than 10 years. Tania has worked countless hours, to finish up whatever paperwork is required. She even helps with rides to and from games and practices, or with fuel and meal money.
  • Administration – Michael Tymko (St. Albert). Michael has been with St. Albert Minor Hockey Association for more than 10 years, starting as Peewee Director and moving to Vice President of Hockey Operations. He is committed to improving and bettering St. Albert’s programs to help the players develop.
  • Coaching/Development – Fran Gow (Sherwood Park). Fran is the Coach Mentor in Hockey Development for Hockey Alberta, a role he has held for six years. As a Coach Mentor, Fran is leading instructor at coach clinics across the province, and shares his knowledge with coaches of all levels, and even speaks at sessions for on-ice officials to help them understand the perspective of hockey bench staff.
  • Coaching/Development – Rick Swan. Rick has been the Bonnyville Pontiacs (AJHL) Head Coach and General Manager since 2013, where he is the winningest coach in franchise history. Rick was named Head Co-Coach for Team AJHL (AJHL All-Stars) who played in the 2019 Junior Club World Cup in Sochi, Russia winning a silver medal.
• Minor Hockey Association of the Year: Lethbridge Minor Hockey Association. Lethbridge Minor Hockey has been a leader in its attempts to grow the game in Alberta, especially with their Female program. Lethbridge has shown growth at all levels of Female hockey, with the increased registration numbers coming from a combination of player development and retention.

Congratulations to all of the Award recipients and nominees and Hockey Alberta and the hockey community thank you for your contributions to our sport. We encourage everyone to look at the full overview of the Hockey Alberta Awards program and consider who makes a difference to you, your team and your community in 2020-21.

Hockey Alberta is excited to work with Ali Stead (@never2late2learn.hky) to bring you weekly off-ice skills drills, as part of the Hockey at Home Series.

Ali Stead is a hockey player and social media influencer. Having only started playing hockey a few years ago, she developed her skills quickly, and is now passionate about sharing her love and knowledge for the game. Be sure to check back every Thursday for the latest drill!

Puck Pullbacks

This simple drill will help players get comfortable with pulling the puck into the protected ’pocket’ behind their heels. This move is very effective for forwards when attacking the defender or for defenders trying to shoot around a shot blocker.

Give it a try with these key points in mind:

• Slide bottom hand to extend reach and range
• Top hand should be off the hip and moving freely
• Cradle/pinch puck with the backhand
• Use ’sculling’ skating technique (push with heels)

For more Hockey at Home videos, go to hockeyalberta.ca/hockey-home

RED DEER – The induction gala for the 2020 Class of the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originally scheduled for July 19 in Canmore, the celebration event for the Class of 2020 will be held in July 2021.

Members of the induction class are: Bill Bucyk, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Bob Clark, John Davidson, Dr. Randy Gregg, Ken Hitchcock, Jamie Macoun, and the 1974-75 Lethbridge Native Sons

“This was a difficult choice but ultimately the right decision based on the continuing uncertainty in Alberta with regard to the ongoing COVID-19 situation,” said Al Coates, chair of the AHHF. “The induction gala is an evening of recognition and celebration for the inductees, their families and friends. The AHHF strives to bring Alberta’s hockey family together, and we want to do our best to ensure that those who want to be in attendance have the opportunity, and that means delaying the official inductions until next year.”

Members of the induction class were informed of the decision earlier this week, and everyone who purchased tickets for the event has been contacted.

In addition to the decision on the 2020 Gala event, the AHHF has decided not to recognize a Class of 2021. Nominations from the public can still be submitted for individuals and teams to be recognized as part of the Class of 2022.

The online nomination form, and the full list of Honoured Members in the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame, can be found at ahhf.ca.

As part of Hockey Alberta’s Hockey at Home series, Team Alberta alumni Jake Neighbours (Edmonton Oil Kings) demonstrates an at-home exercise to increase upper-body strength.

Yoga Push-Up

Remember to always keep your core tight, and to work on being mobile throughout the push-up. This allows for building of muscle and mobility!

For more Hockey at Home videos, go to hockeyalberta.ca/hockey-home

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta’s Minor Leagues Committee, represented by Alberta’s six (6) tiered Minor Hockey Leagues (CAHL, NAI, NEAHL, All Peace, Edmonton Federation & Hockey Calgary) have unanimously supported the implementation of non-checking/body contact only hockey at the Tiers 4 – 6 categories of the U15 division for the 2020-2021 season.

This decision to implement non-checking/body contact only at the Tier 4 – 6 categories of the U15 division comes after a thorough review of the survey feedback received from Hockey Alberta’s membership with regards to the proposal to implement non-checking hockey.

An FAQ document has been created to assist Minor Hockey Associations in the planning and implementation of non-checking/ body contact only hockey (Non-Checking) at the Tiers 4-6 categories of the U15 division. Hockey Alberta is also drafting a Parent Resource Document around Checking Education that will be made available.

Bulletin 19:10 - U15 Non-Checking/Body Contact Only

U15 Non-Checking Hockey FAQ >

As part of the Hockey at Home Series, Hockey Alberta will publish a weekly video focused on goaltender skills drills that can be done at home.

This week, Team Alberta alumna, University of Calgary Dinos goaltender Dayna Owen shows how to practice crease movement and screens. Check back every Saturday for the latest goalie skills video!

Crease Movement & Screens

Oftentimes, goaltenders do not get the opportunity to practice good habits in drills during the season. Now is the perfect time to work on good habits that can help get you ready for next season!

Being able to move across the crease efficiently and setting your feet all while managing screens can be a difficult component for goaltenders to master. You can isolate working on screens, or you can combine them with some footwork. In season and during team drills these skills, without deliberate focus and repetitions, can be easily overlooked which will ultimately limit performance. This drill can be done with a puck or a ball, whichever works best for your training. When practicing these skills, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• Start in an athletic stance - bent ankles/knees, chest up and back straight
• Hands away from the body, blocker and glove are positioned in front of the body. Elbows are bent and hands are ready.
• To rotate to start your movement, remember your eye lead that we worked on in last weeks recovery drill.
• Set your feet square, maintain a good knee bend and look around the “screen”
• Once the “shot” is taken, make sure to track the puck all the way into your blocker (or glove)
  • If you do not catch it, square up to the rebound to practice good habits
• Make sure to do this on both sides (glove and blocker)
• You can creative on the obstacles you use for a screen!
• To progress this drill:
  • Have the “shooter” move to different positions to simulate shorter/larger pushes across
  • Incorporate up/down movements to simulate getting in and out of the butterfly (knee pads encouraged)
  • Reaction balls can be bounced off of the ground towards the goaltender
  • Obstacles can be placed to simulate a screen (depending on the skill set of the goaltender)
  • Change up the footwork patterns (smaller shuffles, bigger T-Push like cross crease movements, etc)

Hockey Alberta Goaltender Guide >

For more Hockey at Home videos, go to hockeyalberta.ca/hockey-home