Learn-to-Play Hockey Program

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REGISTRATION FOR THIS PROGRAM GENERALLY FILLS UP VERY QUICKLY, SO PLEASE BE PROMPT WHEN LOGGING ONTO THE REGISTRATION WEBSITE.

Our Learn-to-Play hockey program is designed for beginner players who want to improve their hockey skills in a fun, engaging environment. Our team of professional coaches aims to inspire the next generation of hockey players through game-based learning, skill development, and a fun experience that leaves every player with a smile on their face. Our program is built to incorporate progressive age-appropriate development with engaging activities and drills to create the optimal environment for kids to improve, have fun and fall in love with the game!

Features 

At TOP Hockey, we are proud to offer professional coaching with a low player-to-coach ratio at all sessions. Our coaches are highly trained, passionate professionals who are dedicated to providing top-notch technical training and engaging sessions to help players advance their hockey journey. 

After three weeks of focused skill development sessions, our program features a “Game Day” session every fourth week where participants are put into teams, based on age and skill level, and have the opportunity to play multiple games in a festival-style tournament. Our coaches encourage kids during these games to focus on teaching points learned in previous sessions and apply them in a game setting. 

Overview

In each skill development session, players in our program will receive structured on-ice training from professional coaches. During the session, players rotate in small groups through three stations: Game-Based Skill Development, Skating, and Small Area Games. The Game-Based Skill Development stations are used to teach participants the fundamental skills of hockey through game-based environments, where constraints are incorporated to isolate and focus on a desired skill. For example, playing Octopus to teach kids to skate with their heads up and read and react to pressure in real-time. The Skating station is used to provide kids with technical skating instruction to help them improve on hockey’s most important skill. Finally, Small Area Games are used to take the skills learned and apply them in a fun, game-like environment. This progression from technical instruction to constraint-based games to gameplay helps participants learn and master the fundamental skills of hockey faster, while also helping to foster a love for the sport. Our programs are designed to align with the latest recommendations of Hockey Canada’s Long-Term Athletic Development Model.

NEW Parent Supervision Policy

At ALL Learn-to-Play and Development sessions, parents must remain in the arena for the entire duration of the program. To maintain proper supervision of the whole session, our coaches are unable to leave the ice surface at any time and will not be able to take your child to the bathroom or fill their water bottles. If your child is in the care of another parent, they are responsible for helping your child with any of these issues.

Are Bathrooms Available At The Programs?

We strongly encourage all players to use the bathroom before arriving at a program as bathrooms may not be available at some facilities. Our coaches are NOT permitted to take children to the bathroom at any time. Parents must accompany their children to and from the bathroom, with no exceptions. 

Required Equipment

Programming Note: This is not a Learn-to-Skate program. Participants MUST be able to stand up and move around the ice on their own without help to stand up from coaches. All ice sessions include a 10-minute window for the Zamboni, icetimes are typically 50-minutes.

If you would like to sign up your child, please click on the link below for the appropriate session and fill out the registration form. The link will take you to the Front Office website. If you have already signed up for one of our programs in the past, you should be able to use your existing login information. If not, you will need to create a new account. If you have any difficulties with the app, please email info@topsports.ca and we’re happy to help.

Can I request my child to be with a friend?

Yes! The social aspect of team sports is very important, so friend requests are encouraged. Before making a friend request please consider the impact on your child's overall development on the ice and whether their friend is at the same level as your child.

What is the format of the program?

During each weekly practice session, participants will rotate through a series of zones on the ice, which will be split between “teaching” zones and “mini-game” zones. We believe that maintaining a balance between technical teaching time and gameplay time will accomplish the two primary goals for participants in the program – to learn the basic skills of hockey and to grow passion for the sport.