PARENTS/PLAYERS:
During the month of July, the
coaching staff and management team have been busy finalizing sponsors, completing
the apparel order and organizing the pre-season practice schedule. We have also
completed our first draft of the Yearly Team Plan which consists of the Player
Development Program, along with the Skills and Systems we will learn
to play throughout the year. Now that the preparation work is complete,
it’s time to get on the ice for some pre-season practice sessions, training
camp and a couple of exhibition games! To help us prepare for the upcoming
season, players and parents should read our August newsletter for some
important information about the ATOM AE team!
Subscribe to the ATOM AE Feed on the Richmond Hill Hockey Association Website
If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to subscribe to our team’s Calendar Feed on the Association’s website. Starting on August 1st, all of our games, practices, tournaments and events will be posted on the site. By subscribing to the calendar feed, you will be notified of all our important dates and schedule changes. To subscribe, visit https://richmondhillhockey.com/Teams/2252/Webcal/ and ensure Step 1: is set to AE – Atom AE and be sure to select Include Major Organization Events. You should also Manage your Subscriptions to receive email and/or text messages when there is an update or new information added to the site.
Pre-Season Practice & Training Camp Schedule (August/September)
We have secured the following ice-times to help us prepare for our early bird tournament and the start of the upcoming season:
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Date
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Time
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Focus
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Location
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Address
|
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Tuesday, August 8
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5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
|
Forward/Backward Skating, Tight Turns, Puck Handling, Goaltending Position & Movement
|
Aurora Family Leisure Complex
|
135 Industrial Parkway North (Aurora)
|
|
Tuesday, August 22
|
5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
|
Pivots, Cross-Overs, Start-Stops, Puck Handling, Wrist & Snap Shots, Goaltending Position & Movement
|
Aurora Family Leisure Complex
|
135 Industrial Parkway North (Aurora)
|
|
Monday, August 28
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9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
|
Training Camp – Brian Wilks*
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Aurora Stronach Recreation Complex
|
1400 Wellington Street East (Aurora)
|
|
Tuesday, August 29
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9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
|
Training Camp – Brian Wilks*
|
Aurora Stronach Recreation Complex
|
1400 Wellington Street East (Aurora)
|
|
Wednesday, August 30
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9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
|
Training Camp – Brian Wilks*
|
Aurora Stronach Recreation Complex
|
1400 Wellington Street East (Aurora)
|
|
Thursday, August 31
|
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
|
Training Camp – Brian Wilks*
|
Aurora Stronach Recreation Complex
|
1400 Wellington Street East (Aurora)
|
|
Saturday, September 9
|
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
|
5 D Breakouts, 1 on 1 Gap Control, Defensive Angling
|
National Training Rinks
|
650 Edward Avenue (Richmond Hill)
|
|
Sunday, September 10
|
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
|
Drive Wide, Forechecking, Goaltending Odd/Even Man Attacks (Challenging the Shooter & Angles)
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National Training Rinks
|
650 Edward Avenue (Richmond Hill)
|
|
Monday, September 11
|
6:45 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.
|
Neutral Zone Transition, Offensive Timing, Goaltending Communication, On-ice warm up for games
|
National Training Rinks
|
650 Edward Avenue (Richmond Hill)
|
The assigned practice time/date from the Association has not been released as of yet, but we expect it to be completed within the next couple of weeks. It will be added to our calendar on the website.
Parents, please review the attached 5 D Breakouts document with your player as the early part of our season will be focused on our defensive zone coverage. Please note that EVERYONE on our team has a responsibility when the puck is in our zone.
If your player is unable to make any of the practices listed above, reply back and let me know so we can adjust the practice plan accordingly.
Training Camp Transportation (August 28 – August 31)
This year, training camp consists of two parts each day: 1) On-ice with Brian Wilks at Aurora Stronach Recreation Complex 2) Dryland training at Twist Hockey Fitness, located at 11160 Yonge St, Richmond Hill. Kids need to be at the arena no later than 9:00 a.m. and picked-up at 3:00 p.m. at Wynee Fitness. If you are available on any of the days to help drive the kids from the arena to the fitness centre, please contact Heather Hamilton who will coordinate the transportation schedule.
ATOM AE 30/30 Challenge
This year, the ATOM AE team will participate in the 8 week, pre-season 30/30 Challenge from the OMHA Players Club. The 30/30 Challenge aims to improve a player’s agility, balance, coordination and speed and is a great development opportunity to grow physical literacy skills and can be done just about anywhere – at home, at the cottage, on the beach and even on the plane! This program is a self-improvement and skill-building routine. Each player must perform a series of exercises from the circuit (10 exercises per circuit) for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of rest time. The ATOM AE goal is 20 – 30 minutes, four to five days per week (OMHA recommends 10 – 20 minutes, three to five days a week…let’s just say our team will be overachievers).
Parents if you can, participate with your kids from time-to-time, provide positive enforcement and be sure to help your player track their progress by downloading the individual player 30/30 tracking sheet. During the dry-land portion of our practice sessions, we will perform some of the exercises found in the 30/30 Challenge circuit so it’s important that the kids work on them at home.
If you have any questions about the 30/30 challenge, feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience. I would be happy to explain the purpose and approach.
Final Reminder: Players will do their own skates starting September 18, 2017!
A big goal for this upcoming season is for the players to learn how to tie their own skates. This will go into effect starting the week of September 18 so use the month of August to practice! Here is a great YouTube video to help kids learn how to tie their own skates. Enjoy!
2017/18 ATOM AE Sponsors – THANK YOU!
We would like to thank the families who have secured sponsors for the team this year. We have an impressive roster of companies who have stepped up to provide financial support to help fund our tournaments and additional ice time. Please click here to view our list of sponsors and be sure to use their services as way of thanking them for their support:
We look forward to seeing you at the arena in the weeks ahead as we prepare for the upcoming season. If you have any questions regarding the August Newsletter, be sure to contact myself or Heather Hamilton. Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer and get ready! Hockey is just around the corner!!!