NOTICE TO ALL HOCKEY MEMBERS:

SPRING HOCKEY UPDATE

Over the past few weeks the club has received a handful of inquiries about spring hockey, including our partnership with the BC Spartans. The goal of this memo is to provide information to our hockey families interested in registering for spring hockey.

BACKGROUND

In 2016 the Board of Directors directed staff and the MHC to oversee Spring Hockey starting in April 2017. In previous years the Club simply rented ice with no influence over accessibility for members, costs, safety and liability and other factors.

Regarding Spring hockey, the Club is focused on providing the following:

• A program that would offer spring teams to a cross section of ages and playing abilities
• A program that would offer an open, fair and transparent try-out process, promoting inclusion for all participants
• A program that would be administered to a high and consistent standard by having a point person in place who is accountable to meeting those standards
• A program that would provide employment to NSWC Minor Hockey and Development Coaches to encourage continuity and loyalty to the Club at a competitive wage, and to ensure that coaches are approved by the NSWC Hockey Department. In addition, to ensure that program staff would be subjected to the same certification that Hockey Canada requires to coach minor hockey; as generally in Spring hockey, there is no governing body to enforce these standards that provides a consistent, professional product at our Club
• A program that would incorporate individual on-ice and off-ice skill development provided by professional skills coaches into its curriculum
• A program that ensures that pricing and budgets are transparent and approved by the NSWC hockey department; mindful to limit the number of individuals who profit at the expense of our members and the club from private programs held at NSWC
• A program that would be competitive with the current market for playing spring hockey, (estimated at $1,500-$2,500 per season), and ensure that there is a cost savings to NSWC members over non-members
• A program that would encompass a cross-section of talent, so that members could play spring hockey for their own reasons (whether that’s for recreation or elite development)
• A program that would maximize ice usage that may otherwise sit idle
• A program that provides member satisfaction and value but also provides much needed revenue generation for the Club

At that time, it was also agreed that until we can run a similar competitive in-house program, that staff could look to partnering with an already well-established program that has a proven track record of success.  In that effort, in the summer of 2017 a proposal was submitted by the BC Spartans to run spring hockey at the Club starting in 2018. This proposal was approved by the Minor Hockey Committee and ultimately the Board, with an expectation that a partnership with the BC Spartans would achieve many of the goals stated above.

In 2018, the first year of BC Spartan hockey at the Club, close to 50% of the total registrants were NSWC members (and who receive a discounted rate). Overall feedback from players, parents, coaches and staff was very positive.

In 2019 the Club committed to doing significant repairs to the ice and as a result, had limited large ice available for any spring hockey.

Going forward for 2020, and until determined otherwise, the Board has approved a staff recommendation to continue our partnership with the BC Spartans. Next spring, based on the current draft schedule, the Spartan Program will use approximately 50% of available ice with an expectation that they will have 8-10 teams and hopefully an increasing percentage of NSWC members.  They will have access to roughly 66% of prime-time ice, leaving room for approximately 6-8 non-spartan teams sharing roughly 33% of prime-time ice. At this time there is plenty of non-prime time ice available such as early mornings, as well as the small ice and HTC for rent. It’s important to note that in April, during the Senior Men’s playoffs, large ice is in very limited supply. Access and times to prime time large ice will be dependent upon the number of requests received.

MEMBER OPTIONS FOR SPRING HOCKEY

For those members seeking to play Spring Hockey at the Club, outlined below are two options;

BC SPARTAN / NSWC SPRING HOCKEY PROGRAMS

Each team receives:

• 3 Elite Level Tournaments (some additional travel costs may apply)
• 2 Team Practices per week
• 1 Skills + Off Ice Training Session per week
• Weekly Exhibition Games
• Elite Level Professional + Hockey Canada Certified Head Coaches
• Prime ice times
• Professional Goalie Coaching
• Practice Jersey

Team Breakdown

AAA

• 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007

AA

• 2010, Female Atom, Female Peewee

BC SPARTAN / NSWC Coaches

• Luke Kasteel, Atom A1
• Jon Woodyard, Atom A1
• Christian Reaume , Pee Wee A3
• Andrea Benac, Female Pee Wee A1 (Tentative)
• Kiana Watson, Female Atom C1 (Tentative)

Note: Luke Kasteel & Jon Woodyard will be the lead skill coaches for the program, working with every Spartan team and providing all participants exposure to the standard of development at NSWC.

Cost for NSWC Members: Male teams $2,099 + GST; Female team $1,599 + GST

To learn more or to register for a Spartans Spring Hockey team please visit www.bcspartans.com.

OTHER SPRING HOCKEY OPTIONS

For those members wishing to run their own spring team, we are now accepting applications for members to rent ice during the spring season (April – June, 2020). Click HERE to view the application form that should be submitted to Bob McCuaig via email at BMcCuaig@nswc.ca no later than January 3, 2020.

Please note that scheduling priority will be granted based on:

• Number of NSWC players involved in the program.
• Inclusion of NSWC coaches.
• Programs that have zero-based budgets (ie. Not for profit).

NOTE: All coaches require Hockey Canada certification, safety, etc.

Below are the rental rates available to members:

*Non-Profit Member

Large Ice: $185 per hour

HTC/Small Ice: $125 per hour

Skills Ice: $100 per hour

For-Profit Member / Non-Member Outside Rental

Large Ice: $295 per hour

HTC/Small Ice: $175 per hour

Skills Ice: $125 per hour

* Please note that non-profit member rates are lower than the rates charged to the BC Spartans. Budgets may be requested for teams submitting applications as non-profit.

OTHER DEVELOPMENT

In addition, we will also be offering a variety of development programing throughout spring season.

• Spring 3on3
• Edges & Puck Protection
• Power Skating
• Shooting & Scoring
• 3on3 and Development run by Luke Kasteel
• Learn to Skate and Cookie Monsters

Registration for Spring 3on3 will open January 14^th for members and the other programs will open on February 11, 2020 and you can expect to receive an email with a full listing of available programs in advance of registration opening.

Should you have any questions regarding our process for booking spring ice please contact Bob McCuaig at BMcCuaig@nswc.ca.

Thank you for your support,

Aaron Wilbur                                          James Cronk

NSWC Director of Hockey                        Board Chair