Athlete Development Philosophy & Principles

Our Athlete Development Model is built on long-term athlete development and age-appropriate training: the right kind of hockey, at the right time, for every player.

We believe hockey should give every player:

a safe, fun, and inclusive environment
a clear pathway that matches their stage of growth
and the chance to build a lifelong love of the game and physical activity.

Ressources Library

Guiding Principles

Age-appropriate, stage-based development
We match training, competition formats, and expectations to players’ physical, cognitive, and emotional stages, not just their birth year or size. Younger players get more touches, more movement, and smaller-area games; older players gradually take on more structure, intensity, and responsibility.
Development before results
At younger ages we prioritize skill, decision-making, and enjoyment ahead of scores and standings. Winning is a natural by-product of many years of good development, not the main goal of U9 and U12 hockey.
Multi-sport, healthy workload
Our philosophy supports kids being athletes first, hockey players second. We encourage multi-sport participation and appropriate training volumes to reduce overuse injuries, burnout, and early drop-out, in line with long-term athlete development research.
Whole-person development
We see hockey as a vehicle to grow character, resilience, leadership, and life skills. Alongside on-ice skills, we care about habits around sleep, nutrition, school/work balance, and how players treat teammates, officials, and opponents.
Educated coaches & continuous improvement
We commit to ongoing coach education and to using evidence-informed best practices. Our coaches are expected to teach within this model, create positive environments, and keep learning as the science and art of coaching evolves.