The OHF has announced open borders and free player movement in all of Ontario. This represents a seismic shift in the way hockey and player movement will function. It will allow for players and families to have the ability to decide on what program and coach is the best fit for them and by extension which association they want to be a part of – without their postal code dictating it.
There will undoubtedly be a lot of uncertainty during the transition. This is to be expected with such a change.
Richmond Hill Hockey has long been planning for this change and have been advocating for it for years with the OMHA and the OHF. We see this announcement as the next step in improving the quality of programs for our players across the province, including right here in Richmond Hill. The move will force associations to evaluate the quality of coaches, programs and player experience. With the RHHA’s decades of experience with the Lake Ontario Region (LOR) and player movement, this is something that we have been doing for years. As other associations are working to get to where our programs are, we are working on how to continue to improve our programs to maximize player development and player experience.
Since 1995, Richmond Hill Hockey has been a part of the LOR (Lake Ontario Region) Player Movement Program. In theory this program should have been the next step in opening player movement for all of hockey. But in practice it was a program full of regulations, appeals and rules that was lumbering and bureaucratic in nature. Mix this with the fact that Richmond Hill was one of the few OMHA centers to be in the LOR while other centers had fully closed border with no player choice made the programs unintended consequences damaging for Richmond Hill for decades.
It has always been our position that where a family chooses to live shouldn’t determine what hockey team they have to play for. While we were hoping that it would be the OMHA levelling the playing field, this announcement from the OHF will have the same effect. Families will have choice and it will be our job to make that choice easy for them. In Richmond Hill we offer:
· Non-parent certified coaches at AA programs
· Two guaranteed 1.5-hour practices for all rep teams from AA-A-BB
. Extra ice available to all REP teams at no extra cost
· 6-8 hours per week development skates open to all RHHA members at half the industry standard price
· Coach mentor program/ professional development
· Partnership with hockey lion, for equipment deals, private training, off-ice conditioning etc
· Hometown hockey feel
· All Association provided Ice is in clean, bright, and easily accessed municipal facilities/arenas
The LOR Agreement is now done, and with a level playing field across the OMHA and province, the RHHA is excited to be a leader in the future of minor hockey and a home for more young hockey players. Richmond Hill Hockey is ready and we are working with our coaches to continue to enhance our programs to the benefit of our players and their families.