OT: Children's Hockey in Mississauga / GTA

[pickincherries]

So a family member wants to sign up their 8 year old for hockey and naturally they told me to look into it since I'm the hockey guy in the family. However, I really have no clue when it comes to children's hockey and what they should be signing up for. I know there's a bunch of different programs at every arena but what I'm unsure about is whether they should sign him up straight to a house league of some sort so he can play right away or if it would be better to sign him up for some kind of hockey lessons so he can gain an understanding of the basics and improve his skating?

As it stands right now he's never really played ice hockey but is a pretty decent skater. Do you think if they sent him straight to a house league that would be okay or are the kids there usually a bit more experienced already?

Any input much appreciated. I'm sure there's a few parents around these parts that have gone through this.

If you are going to make some kind of program suggestions, they live in Mississauga (5/10 area) so please keep that in mind.

Thanks in advance!

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[TSBSoupsta]

Not sure where you can sign up but I believe he'd start in the lowest level of house league as all kids do. Not a lot of competition at age 8 as most are just starting to develop skills, so they can probably just put him directly into the league. Of course, skating lessons or just general hockey lessons couldn't hurt.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Gillumin]

Sorry I cannot recommend a league as I am not familiar with the area.

If your family member's child can skate that is a great first start. That is the biggest hurdle to begin with. I would recommend signing him up in a local house league - although he will be a little behind initially, he will pick up the game pretty fast at his age.

If he is really into it, I would recommend doing hockey lessons on the side, or in the summer? You wouldn't want to do this unless he is really into the sport.

He is probably ~2 years behind the pack, but at his age and if he enjoys it, he will catch up very quickly.

All the best!

 

[Rink Bum]

Hey,

At eight years old and with some skating, that's a great start already. My son started at around ten years old taking some skating lessons, then hockey lessons, and finally house league at age 13 - Bantam level. His team had levels from beginner to select players....and they ended up winning the championship. Team had a great coach that stressed playing hard according to ability, having fun, and sportsmanship. Always positive minded which was great for the kids.

City of Mississauga
http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/Arenas

- I believe it is similar to the City of Toronto run Recreation program. Throw them in for skating lessons as it is usually cheap. They will most likely have hockey lesons as well.

MHL - Mississauga Hockey League
http://www.hockey.on.ca/showFAQ.asp?type=Parent's Guide

- I can't locate it but there should be an area for house league information for association in and around Mississauga

GTHL - Greater Toronto Hockey League
http://www.gthlcanada.com/content/?page=Houseleague

- I'm not sure if residency affects whether or not a kid can play in certain areas or not at house league level....probably not, but better to inquire.

At eight years, throw them in to plenty of skating lessons and hockey lessons. Also, check with the MHL on signing up for house leagues for September/October 2013. At the younger ages, the spots fill up quicker I am told. If MHL house league associations is similar to some of the GTHL house league, then at that age, the kids have a game and team practice every week.

Don't worry about skill levels as even a beginner can be thrown onto a team. They will most likely assess new players and then maintain parity. Others who know more can chime in, but up until a certain age group, I believe they use a buzzer system where lines will change on teams to give equal playing time for all.

Make sure the kid has fun! A little nudging sometimes but always positive comments to ensure they want to be playing.

 

[anderson3133]

Hey,

At eight years old and with some skating, that's a great start already. My son started at around ten years old taking some skating lessons, then hockey lessons, and finally house league at age 13 - Bantam level. His team had levels from beginner to select players....and they ended up winning the championship. Team had a great coach that stressed playing hard according to ability, having fun, and sportsmanship. Always positive minded which was great for the kids.

City of Mississauga
http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/Arenas

- I believe it is similar to the City of Toronto run Recreation program. Throw them in for skating lessons as it is usually cheap. They will most likely have hockey lesons as well.

MHL - Mississauga Hockey League
http://www.hockey.on.ca/showFAQ.asp?type=Parent's Guide

- I can't locate it but there should be an area for house league information for association in and around Mississauga

GTHL - Greater Toronto Hockey League
http://www.gthlcanada.com/content/?page=Houseleague

- I'm not sure if residency affects whether or not a kid can play in certain areas or not at house league level....probably not, but better to inquire.

At eight years, throw them in to plenty of skating lessons and hockey lessons. Also, check with the MHL on signing up for house leagues for September/October 2013. At the younger ages, the spots fill up quicker I am told. If MHL house league associations is similar to some of the GTHL house league, then at that age, the kids have a game and team practice every week.

Don't worry about skill levels as even a beginner can be thrown onto a team. They will most likely assess new players and then maintain parity. Others who know more can chime in, but up until a certain age group, I believe they use a buzzer system where lines will change on teams to give equal playing time for all.

Make sure the kid has fun! A little nudging sometimes but always positive comments to ensure they want to be playing.

Gord Stellick coaches in the GTHL. That must be pretty fun for the kids who are 10

 

[Snow Dog]

Send the kid to some training at Canlan Oakville.They have training for different ages and skill levels.Costs around $25 a week.The trainers are great and work the kids hard.Check their website for dates and times.

You can sign up for the Mississauga Hockey league starting in May.There are 8 associations with 5 different levels depending on skill level.Each association is run seperately and is run all by volunteers.Check the MHL website for more info.There are links at the bottom of the page to each association.Your kid can play for which ever one that you want.

Games can be played at any arena in the city,but practices are usually at the rink closest to the team name.I'd stay away from Cooksville(small association)but practice at the Valleys arena and Meadowvale(too many teams) and practice at 401 and Mississauga
road.

Keep posting if you need more info.I'm pretty knowledgeable on everthing to do with the Mississauga Hockey League.

 

[Nbr-17]

Hey,

At eight years old and with some skating, that's a great start already. My son started at around ten years old taking some skating lessons, then hockey lessons, and finally house league at age 13 - Bantam level. His team had levels from beginner to select players....and they ended up winning the championship. Team had a great coach that stressed playing hard according to ability, having fun, and sportsmanship. Always positive minded which was great for the kids.

City of Mississauga
http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/Arenas

- I believe it is similar to the City of Toronto run Recreation program. Throw them in for skating lessons as it is usually cheap. They will most likely have hockey lesons as well.

MHL - Mississauga Hockey League
http://www.hockey.on.ca/showFAQ.asp?type=Parent's Guide

- I can't locate it but there should be an area for house league information for association in and around Mississauga

GTHL - Greater Toronto Hockey League
http://www.gthlcanada.com/content/?page=Houseleague

- I'm not sure if residency affects whether or not a kid can play in certain areas or not at house league level....probably not, but better to inquire.

At eight years, throw them in to plenty of skating lessons and hockey lessons. Also, check with the MHL on signing up for house leagues for September/October 2013. At the younger ages, the spots fill up quicker I am told. If MHL house league associations is similar to some of the GTHL house league, then at that age, the kids have a game and team practice every week.

Don't worry about skill levels as even a beginner can be thrown onto a team. They will most likely assess new players and then maintain parity. Others who know more can chime in, but up until a certain age group, I believe they use a buzzer system where lines will change on teams to give equal playing time for all.

Make sure the kid has fun! A little nudging sometimes but always positive comments to ensure they want to be playing.

Actually the MHL is one big houseleague, whereas in Toronto the organizations have their own houseleagues.
The difference is that the MHL will have teams at 4 different levels at each age group and you play the other orgs.
If you live in Mississauga, the MHL is your best bet for any level below AA.
Your kid will be on a team with other kids of similar ability and the same age.
Good luck.

 

[pickincherries]

Awesome info, thanks guys! I'll discuss these options with them and see what they think. I'll update if I need any more info. Thanks again.

 

[colchar]

So a family member wants to sign up their 8 year old for hockey and naturally they told me to look into it since I'm the hockey guy in the family. However, I really have no clue when it comes to children's hockey and what they should be signing up for. I know there's a bunch of different programs at every arena but what I'm unsure about is whether they should sign him up straight to a house league of some sort so he can play right away or if it would be better to sign him up for some kind of hockey lessons so he can gain an understanding of the basics and improve his skating?

As it stands right now he's never really played ice hockey but is a pretty decent skater. Do you think if they sent him straight to a house league that would be okay or are the kids there usually a bit more experienced already?

Any input much appreciated. I'm sure there's a few parents around these parts that have gone through this.

If you are going to make some kind of program suggestions, they live in Mississauga (5/10 area) so please keep that in mind.

Thanks in advance!

Call either Parks & Rec or the Mississauga Hockey League and they'll give you all the info you need.

 

[Nbr-17]

Call either Parks & Rec or the Mississauga Hockey League and they'll give you all the info you need.

Best bet would actually be to contact the organization closest to their home:

http://www.hockey.on.ca/MHLAssociations.asp?menu=contactUs

 

[Snow Dog]

I suggest that the kid try to find out a team some friends play on and talk to that kid's parents to find out some personal info as to the quality of the association.Some are a lot better than others.

 

[Patty Lee]

Not sure where you can sign up but I believe he'd start in the lowest level of house league as all kids do. Not a lot of competition at age 8 as most are just starting to develop skills, so they can probably just put him directly into the league. Of course, skating lessons or just general hockey lessons couldn't hurt.

Good luck with your search.

wrong.

at 7 and 8 kids are already traveling to play competitive tournaments. a team of 7 years old from my town went to Boston for a tournament with teams from all over the US, Russia and Sweden.

it starts pretty early. there are camps here for kids as young as 5 and kids are playing pretty much year around.

in a lot of cases they are playing because it's their father's dream

to me, if my kids are playing in a beer league like I am when they are my age then they've had a successful hockey "career"

 

[Nbr-17]

to me, if my kids are playing in a beer league like I am when they are my age then they've had a successful hockey "career"

My son played for Dan Daoust for a couple of years and Dan said 'We all end up in the beer leagues, it's just a matter of when'

 

[colchar]

Best bet would actually be to contact the organization closest to their home:

http://www.hockey.on.ca/MHLAssociations.asp?menu=contactUs

I said they should contact the Mississauga Hockey League.

 

[Passthedonuts]

Slightly off-topc:

I'm looking to get my 4 year old son involved in an intro skating program this summer. The problem is most are either weekdays, are booked solid, or are geared for slightly older kids. Prefer something on weekends, in Burlington-Oakville-Mississauga. Any recommendations?

 

[diceman934]

Slightly off-topc:

I'm looking to get my 4 year old son involved in an intro skating program this summer. The problem is most are either weekdays, are booked solid, or are geared for slightly older kids. Prefer something on weekends, in Burlington-Oakville-Mississauga. Any recommendations?

Canskate programs are great for young children. Here are some links:

http://www.skateoakville.ca/page.ph...in_id=17&PHPSESSID=ffbn311r1f8qf8uot7k9j9rcv3

http://www.skateoakville.ca/

Canlan Ice sports in Oakville run lots of programs....instructors are key...In the past I ran some programs at Canlan in Oshawa and My daughter did in Oshawa and York University. Canlan is a great option if the instructors are good as they run programs at off peak times and have many sessions available in general.

http://www.icesports.com/oakville/skating-academy.aspx

 

[Silver91]

wrong.

at 7 and 8 kids are already traveling to play competitive tournaments. a team of 7 years old from my town went to Boston for a tournament with teams from all over the US, Russia and Sweden.

it starts pretty early. there are camps here for kids as young as 5 and kids are playing pretty much year around.

in a lot of cases they are playing because it's their father's dream

to me, if my kids are playing in a beer league like I am when they are my age then they've had a successful hockey "career"

The difference is that kids who are traveling to Boston and other such tourneys are playing rep, likely AA or AAA. Houseleague kids at that age are still, for the most part, beginners . There will be the outliers who don't belong, but if he's 8 and can skate, he should be fine playing houseleague without hockey school.

 

[Snow Dog]

MHL has"A" hockey as well.HL is tiered,the kids in the highest level are pretty good."A" teams do tournaments all over,depending on the coach and parents preference.HL will still do the odd tourney but not out of country.

 

[Patty Lee]

The difference is that kids who are traveling to Boston and other such tourneys are playing rep, likely AA or AAA. Houseleague kids at that age are still, for the most part, beginners . There will be the outliers who don't belong, but if he's 8 and can skate, he should be fine playing houseleague without hockey school.

was just pointing out the poster who said there wasn't much competition for 8 year old was wrong

 

[Nbr-17]

MHL has"A" hockey as well.HL is tiered,the kids in the highest level are pretty good."A" teams do tournaments all over,depending on the coach and parents preference.HL will still do the odd tourney but not out of country.

'A' hockey in the MHL is quite high level, as a lot of Mississauga kids who could probably play AA in the GTHL are playing A in the MHL for convenience reasons.

@colchar, I just think contacting the organization directly would be better as he will get info on what teams the org actually plans to have and maybe who the coaches are etc.
Say he lives near Meadowvale, I would think he'd be looking at that org to play in and not say Port Credit or Applewood.
Again JMHO

 

[Snow Dog]

'A' hockey in the MHL is quite high level, as a lot of Mississauga kids who could probably play AA in the GTHL are playing A in the MHL for convenience reasons.

@colchar, I just think contacting the organization directly would be better as he will get info on what teams the org actually plans to have and maybe who the coaches are etc.
Say he lives near Meadowvale, I would think he'd be looking at that org to play in and not say Port Credit or Applewood.
Again JMHO

"A" hockey in Mississauga is close to "AA" for sure.All the arenas are within 20 mins no matter where you live or are going to play.Imagine driving all over Toronto at 6:00 to go to a kid's hockey game in Scarboro.No thanks.

 

[Nbr-17]

"A" hockey in Mississauga is close to "AA" for sure.All the arenas are within 20 mins no matter where you live or are going to play.Imagine driving all over Toronto at 6:00 to go to a kid's hockey game in Scarboro.No thanks.

Not quite that bad though...at A and AA there is a west and east division in the GTHL.
So the furthest they'd play would be Yonge street

 

[Snow Dog]

Not quite that bad though...at A and AA there is a west and east division in the GTHL.
So the furthest they'd play would be Yonge street

My father just left my house at 4:50 to see my nephews playoff game at 7:40,plays "AA".Almost 3 hours,he's crazy.

 

[Nbr-17]

My father just left my house at 4:50 to see my nephews playoff game at 7:40,plays "AA".Almost 3 hours,he's crazy.

Must be city finals ....awesome

 

[Snow Dog]

Must be city finals ....awesome

it is,minor peewee"AA".I sometimes feel bad for my brother and his son,so many games.The west finals went 7 games.I think these kids play too many games.Between regular season,four or five tournaments and play-offs they probably play 80 games a year,plus two or three practices a week.it's a full time job.