The Rochester Grizzlies Spring Player Development Program will offer Rochester area Travel and Advanced House players the opportunity to work with top area coaches to further develop their individual skills and creativity. Both of which are a necessity in order to compete at the higher levels. Our program will combine proven skill development techniques with fun. Players learn best when they work in small groups, with great coaches and have lots of FUN. We will also take certain age groups to a couple of spring tournaments in the Toronto area. The program will use the training rink at Village Sports with a maximum group size of 14 skaters and 2 goalies with 2 coaches. Each age group will consist of 2 of these groups, for a maximum of 28 skaters and 4 goalies per age group. This combination will allow us to personalize the training and keep the costs down.

We will offer 10 weekly sessions in the spring which will include 3 on 3 games each Sunday and a 1 hour clinic on a weekday evening. Our approach to player development will combine small group skill instruction with 3 on 3 pond hockey games on a smaller surface where players will be encouraged to be creative and experiment with the skill sets they are learning in the clinics. Our small group size and low instructor to player ratio allow us to take a progressive approach to player development based on an individual player’s proficiency in a particular skill set. Each player will be evaluated, and given drills designed to further develop their individual skill level. In addition to the weekly sessions, players will be given an unlimited Skate and Shoot pass to be used during the spring session.

Any program of this kind is only as good as its coaches, and we will carefully hand select the coaches based on their experience, and their ability to work with kids. There will be lead coaches at each age group who bring a proven track record of player development. Each week at the clinics we will bring in a guest instructor to work with the players and coaches regarding a specific skill set. Examples of these skill sets are: Shooting to score, passing/playmaking, battle drills, defensive play, offensive play, and checking/establishing body position. Each session will begin with skating skills and an emphasis on edge work and quickness. We are currently evaluating coaches, and will name them as we bring them on board.

We are proud to announce that Greg Cunneyworth will be working as a Goalie Coach this year!

The Grizzlies Player Development program will have teams at the following age levels:

KHL (ages 4 to 6 with some previous hockey experience)

2000 thru 1994 birthyear players

To register for the Spring Development program, you must complete a registration form. Bring this form to one of the Player Evaluations. Additional forms will be available at the Player Evaluations.

Evaluation Dates: Feb 10th 11:00am and Feb 17th 11:00am

We will send a tournament team to 2 or 3 spring tournaments in the Toronto area from each age group if enough players are interested. We will determine which tournaments we attend and associated costs once the evaluation / registration process is completed. Please check the tournament box on the registration form if you are interested.

The cost of the development program is $395. This includes:

• 10 clinics
• 10 3 v 3 games
• 1 jersey, socks
• Skate & Shoot pass for spring season

The cost of any additional tournaments will be approximately $60 - $100 per player per tournament.

Once selected to the program, each player should be prepared to pay a $100 deposit with the balance due by the first ice session. Additional money for tournaments will be collected as necessary during the program.

The Spring Program will run for 10 weeks from the week of March 24th. There will be two weeks off in April around spring break and tryouts. Details to follow. The schedule can be found here.

Players will be grouped by birth year and ability level. Teams will vary each week to keep games competitive, and allow players to meet and play with a variety of players from different organizations. Players with the same birth year will play at the same time each week so that friends and teammates will be on the ice at the same time. Rosters will be posted in the lobby each Sunday AM so players will know what team they are on for that days game. This format more closely resembles that of traditional Pond Hockey, and will insure that all players are challenged, but more importantly, that they meet new kids and have FUN! Please refer to the Grizzly 3 v 3 web page for 3 v 3 game rules. All games will be refereed by a USA hockey certified referee.

We'd be happy to answer any questions you have. Please send an email to info@rochestergrizzlies.com.