AP RAIDERS – OPEN BORDERS AND YOUR PLACE TO PLAY, News (Ajax Pickering Minor Hockey)

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Dec 22, 2024 | APRadmin | 59 views
AP RAIDERS – OPEN BORDERS AND YOUR PLACE TO PLAY
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.).


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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.

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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!

 
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