Quality Sport Programs : Hockey

Active Start: Minor Hockey

FUNdamentals: Skills Development Camp

Learn to Train: Skills Development Camp

Canadians have been playing hockey for well over 100 years. As a result, Canada has one of the world’s foremost hockey programs. As Hockey Canada strives to become the leading hockey organization in the world, Canadian hockey players continue to have access to exemplary programs. This gives these athletes the chance to achieve performance excellence, to uphold the tradition of the game and to develop into productive Canadians.

Along with teamwork, hockey teaches participants fundamental movement skills, fundamental sport skills and the ABCs – agility, balance, coordination and speed – of physical literacy.

Hockey’s Long-Term Player Development (LTPD) model consists of eight stages.

• Discovery (M, F 0-4) – Nurtures those fundamental movement skills that children need for a physically active lifestyle.
• FUNdamentals (M, F 5-8) – Develops the movement skills and coordination that promote physical literacy.
• Learn to Play – Focuses on developing the fine motor skills on an individual technical skill basis that are later used in individual and team tactics.
• Learn to Train (M 11-12, F 10-11) – Utilizes players’ accelerated adaptation to motor coordination.
• Train to Train (M 12-16, F 11-15) – Builds an aerobic base, develops speed and strength and further develops sport specific technical skills.
• Train to Compete (M 16-17, F 16-18) – Addresses position specific technical and tactical preparation, while incorporating fitness and competition situations.
• Train to Win (M 18-20, F 18-22) – Maximizes players’ performances by pushing their physical, technical, tactical, mental, personal and lifestyle capabilities.
• Excel (M 21+, F 22+) – Prepares players for competition at the highest level by fully maximizing and refining all of their physiological and preparatory systems.

Hockey Canada’s LTPD Plan: Hockey for Life, Hockey for Excellence
This model is based on the physical, mental, emotional and cognitive development of children and adolescents as they progress through hockey.

LTPD Material
Information to help parents, coaches and administrators develop the best program possible for the players involved.

The Initiation Program focuses on the early stages of Active Start and FUNdamentals. This introductory program is aimed at players aged five to six, and their coaches.

The Hockey Canada Skills Development Camps address the Train to Train, Learn to Compete and Train to Compete stages. These camps provide players the opportunity to enhance their fundamental skills in a positive, learning environment.

Hockey Canada – hockeycanada.ca