Ajax Pickering Raiders: Your Place to Play - Embracing change, with forward thinking vision and investment for future seasons.
AP RAIDERS – OPEN BORDERS AND A
PLACE TO PLAY
The
Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) is the largest member of Hockey
Canada, operating alongside Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO) and Hockey
Northwestern Ontario (HNO) as governing bodies for amateur hockey in Ontario.
The OHF operates within a structure that is comprised of several members,
including the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, which oversees programming for
communities across Ontario, including the Ajax Pickering Raiders Minor Hockey
Association.
On
December 17th, 2024, the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) released a
publication announcing that there will be open borders across Ontario at the
U10 age group and above, for all levels of Minor Hockey, effective for the
2025–2026 hockey season. The recent policy update outlined by the OHF is hoping
to enhance the participant’s experience and program accessibility, with the aim
to update current policies and create a structure that better serves players
and families across the province.
Beginning
in the 2025–2026 season, OHF Minor Hockey Players in the U10 age group and
above will have the opportunity to participate with the Association of their
choice regardless of Category (AAA, AA, A, BB, B etc.).
AJAX PICKERING RAIDERS MINOR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION - YOUR PLACE TO PLAY
All
OMHA Minor Hockey Associations will be affected by open borders and Ajax
Pickering Raiders Minor Hockey Association, while embracing this policy change,
is one of the top choices in our community.
The
APMHA Board of Directors, Executive and Administrative staff are consistently striving
to make the APMHA one of the best places to play; in 2022, the Pickering Minor
Hockey Association, Ajax Minor Hockey Association and AP Raiders (AAA)
successfully amalgamated, creating a cohesive hockey association that has allowed
hockey to thrive in our communities, while creating and developing top tier
talent. The amalgamation is further proof of the commitment and determination
involved in making Ajax/Pickering the destination of choice for hockey players.
The OHF
announcement marks one of the biggest transformations of hockey in Ontario in
years, creating a significant opportunity for young athletes, families and
Minor Hockey Associations.
The APRMHA
is excited to fully embrace this change, with forward-thinking vision and
investment in future seasons ahead.
STAND
OUT WITH AJAX PICKERING MHA
·
IT
STARTS FROM THE TOP
The APMHA has
a dedicated Board of Directors and Executive that are all non-parent members, eliminating
any perceived conflict of interest or favoritism; their dedication to our MHA
is limitless, with no personal gain other than the success of our Association
and its players/teams. We have a full administrative staff to support parents
and players through all aspects of the season. The APMHA has a solid foundation
of continuous and unwavering support for our Coaches, Players and AP Raiders
families.
· GRASSROOTS
HOMETOWN HOCKEY
It is no
secret that the APRMHA has a robust, fun and exciting House League, with
approximately 40 league teams per season and it remains one of our top
priorities from season to season. We firmly believe that our grassroots,
hometown hockey foundation provides an excellent opportunity for players in our
community to excel through the different levels of minor hockey. Through an
extraordinary number of volunteers, skill development and community support, our
House League program continues to thrive and is crucial to the success of our
Association.
· DEVELOPMENT
FOCUSED PROGRAMS
Our
Representative Development program on Monday evenings, offered to our U13 and below
representative teams, fosters growth, skill enhancement and success for our
representative players. Representative teams rotate through professional
instructors that provide skill sets that are pivotal in our team’s development
and achievements.
Our development programs have been carefully designed to provide directed
skill development to challenge players at all levels. Our House League
Development program is a complimentary skill development program offered to our
U7, U9, U11 and U13 House League players throughout the season; it was recently
recognized by the OMHA, receiving the ‘Hockey is Fun’ grant highlighting our
grassroots initiatives that promote positive minor hockey experiences in our
community.
· COACHING
The AP
Raiders Coach selection process is extensive, with coach surveys throughout the
season and an application and interview process prior to coach selection; we
allow our parents to have their say through our annual Rep Coach Survey, which
plays a key role in coach selection. A top priority for APMHA Board of
Directors and Executive is recruiting, developing and retaining coaches who are
not only skilled in the game but are dedicated to youth hockey in our community
and who are committed to fostering the full potential of every athlete. We have
many non-parent coaches at the AAA level, and alongside the rest of our
volunteer coaches, they are committed to building cohesive teams that strive
for excellence.
· ICE
TIME & FACILITIES
The AP
Raiders Rep teams have no shortage of ice time, across multiple 3 facilities that
are easily accessible. Our Representative programs run out of Don Beer Arena,
Chestnut Hill Development Recreation Centre and Ajax Community Centre,
providing teams with access to 9 ice pads and great ice times; the City of
Pickering is also planning to build a new state of the art facility in North
Pickering providing additional ice pads, ground has already been broken on this
new facility with construction set to start in Spring 2026.
Our Rep programs receive more than enough ice times, with options to pick up
more ice through the season, at no additional charge to the team, through our
open ice pool program. As the largest ice user group in our community, with
ample ice for our teams, AAA teams and all our Rep teams often receive the most
preferred ice times, which is most beneficial to the coaches, players and parents’
schedules.
The
ability to provide our teams with several ice pads at multiple facilities
directly links to the progressive development we provide our teams, allowing
our teams to excel through more on-ice experiences.
· KEEPING
HOCKEY AFFORDABLE
We know that
hockey is one of the most expensive sports to play and we want our programming
to reflect that we understand the investment you have made in the APMHA – you
get what you pay for! The APMHA is proud to have some of the lowest
registration costs in our region, maintaining our registration fees for several
years in a row – even offering an early bid fee!
We are extremely proud to offer payment support programs, specific to the APMHA
and a new Scholarship program to our members began last season, highlighting members
who are involved with the APMHA and share its commitment to youth hockey.
· PROVEN
SUCCESS
Our teams
have achieved remarkable success on the ice, highlighting our elite coaching
and high talent and passion of our players. AP Raiders have produced many
Championship teams, with several of our teams heading to the OMHA’s and winning
the Red Hats, winning home-town tournaments and abroad, as well as top teams in
their respective divisions.
The
APMHA hosts three large, successful tournaments: The Fall Classic (AA/AAA), U18
Winterlude and our Spring Thaw Tournaments (Select-A U9-U16). Our tournaments
host teams from all over the province, as well as many teams from the United
States; we are a popular tournament destination for other teams.
· HOCKEY
LIVES HERE – COMMUNITY SUPPORT
We are lucky
to have a community that offers unwavering support to our Association, players
and AP Raiders families. With support from the City of Pickering and Town of
Ajax, as well as the many local businesses who graciously choose to sponsor and
support our programs, we provide an unmatched experience of playing hockey
here.
Hockey
Lives Here!