President's Message
The 2007/08 hockey season is well underway for the house league and competitive levels at North Toronto, with program enhancements in place and already bearing fruit. House league enrolments are up, and in particular, the Learn to Play program has been expanded to provide a professional level of instruction to a larger group of beginner players.
A formal player evaluation and selection process was introduced this season to minimize the disruption of mid season balancing. It culminated with a very successful “draft” night where the teams were selected and also provided the coaches at each level an opportunity to meet and get to know one another.
“Hockey Night at North Toronto” was introduced as a means of re-framing the Saturday evening time slot to make it an exciting event for the players and parents to look forward to, with music, announcements and even a 3 star selection. Competitive hockey teams at the Select and GTHL levels are doing very well, and while the season is still young, most are well positioned for post season play. Coaching clinics have been organized, including a session with Stan Butler, a well known Toronto area coach former coach with the Canadian Junior team.
The North Toronto board saw considerable turnover this year with the departure of 7 long-standing members. Their leadership, experience and wisdom are missed, but we are fortunate to have recruited some terrific new members who are keen and committed to maintaining the high standard that North Toronto is known for. We are so fortunate to have so many bright and capable people throughout the association who contribute enormous amounts of their time in various capacities with only one goal in mind: to provide the best possible hockey experience for the youth of our community
I think we have one of the best hockey programs in the city, and as noted we are constantly trying to make it better. One of my goals this year is to formalize the feedback from parents and players to ensure that our efforts on the board are aligned with the aspirations of the players and their families. To this end we hope to host some open houses at the arena and conduct some formal feedback surveys – look for these over the next few months. However, we welcome feedback at any time, and I encourage you to contact us by e-mail with any concerns, comments or suggestions you may have. Please look on the web site for the e-mail addresses for the area you are concerned with – or contact me- my e-mail is president@nthockey.com and I’ll make sure it gets directed to the right person.
A second goal of mine is to encourage greater parent participation in the association in a wide range of capacities. Our Annual Christmas Select Tournament is a great way to get actively involved in the association in a wonderful North Toronto event. Held from Boxing Day to New Years, we expect to have nearly a hundred teams competing this year and will soon be looking for volunteers in a variety of roles, so if you are looking for a rewarding experience and an opportunity to get involved in a great event, shoot an e-mail to Liz Ross at elizabethross@scotiabank.com .
Look for another update in the new year – until then, best wishes for a happy and healthy festive season.
-Stephan Goodman
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