Player Development

MISSION STATEMENT

The Saskatchewan Hockey Association, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League will develop and maintain a Saskatchewan “Athlete Centered Focus” Player Development Program.

OBJECTIVES

• To create and validate a letter of understanding/agreement between the partners to outline operational, policy development and appeal mechanisms.

• To design a club system, that provides the smooth transition of players through the system and targets their movement to play at the highest level appropriate for their ability and circumstances.

• To ensure that all of the partners in the system agree to provide appropriate assessment and direction on an individual player’s potential and to make a professional decision on a player’s capability to play at a given level.

• To ensure the partners encourage players to play at the highest possible level within the system. The Partners agree to exercise patience in setting the pace at which players advance through the system and to act in the best interest of the players overall development. The partners agree that the best interest of the player may be to keep open all his avenues of opportunity.

• To encourage players that possess extraordinary skill combined with the necessary physical and mental maturity, to advance to an appropriate level provided the opportunity is available to play on a regular basis. Should the circumstances not be favorable to the player’s best interest, the player and parent/guardian will be counseled on the situation and advised of options on an appropriate career path.

• To structure the system to ensure the top players in Saskatchewan remain in Saskatchewan and participate in the Canadian Development System. It is our goal to design a structure that meets the needs of all Saskatchewan players and increase the number of players who choose each year to

participate in the Canadian system. However, the players maintain the right to consider alternatives outside of the Canadian model.

• To ensure that the partners cooperatively structure all future agreements, regulations, player recruitment practices and scholarship opportunities in such a way to encourage our top players to remain in the Canadian System.

• To create similar Saskatchewan development models for Coaches and Officials including Mentoring Programs, to advance through the club system in accordance with their capabilities to perform at the next level.