The Player Pathway Practice Skate is a series of practice sessions for registered players prior to formal evaluation during competitive tryouts or house league sort-outs. This is an initiative created by Hockey Canada to provide players and goalies an opportunity to get back on the ice in a friendly setting before any formal tryout or sort-out evaluation.
Pathway Skates are optional skates to be provided to all registered players and goalies, included in registration. These are not mandatory to participants, there is no obligation to attend, and these sessions are not evaluated. They are an opportunity to hit the ice before the formal season starts, and will combine skating, hockey drills and a few small area games.
Players and goalies will be placed in a group with other children their age, at least one week before sessions begin. Groups will consist of players of all different skill levels. In order to be able to control the maximum number of players on the ice, your child must only attend the sessions they are assigned and will not be able to switch to a different hour.
These groups will be communicated to you prior to the start of the sessions.
Full equipment is required prior for any Pathway Skate. Please see the NMHA Equipment Guide for the list of equipment and some tutorial videos.
New for 2024-25
Hockey Canada has expanded the Pathways program to include U9 to U15 for the 2024-25 season. We are committed to offering diverse pathways for players from U9 to U15 to thrive in our hockey community. More information on Hockey Canada’s player pathways can be found at the links below:
Schedules
The U9-U11 competitive and house league registrant Pathways schedule is here.
The U12-U15 competitive registrant Pathways schedule is available here.
The U12-U15 house league registrant Pathways schedule is here.
Questions?
These sessions are coordinated among our competitive and house league programs. For any questions, please contact the appropriate Convenor or Director for your child’s age and registered program.