Allow me to introduce myself as the Head Coach of the Oakridge Minor Novice 'MD' 3 team. My name is Karl Robb, this will be my third season coaching in Oakridge minor hockey in addition to past coaching experience. I hope to enjoy a season of fun, development and introduce a team first approach to competitive sports. I hope to share my love for the game of hockey with these young athletes
We want to focus on continuing to develop and expand the foundation that was started in Tyke such as having fun, being part of a team, working hard, and respecting others. Being a good teammate will be a very big part of our team. Skill development will be the base of our program as kids develop their skating and hockey skills while instilling a love of hockey. Practices will be very structured, these young athletes will be expected to work hard and be mature and disciplined. If they do that they will find our time on the ice as rewarding and fun. As coach I try to find the age appropriate balance of work and fun.
Time/Travel Expectation:
MD offers young hockey players a more competitive alternative than House League. You can expect to be at the rink 3-5 times a week
Although I fully understand the demands on family time, it will be expected that athletes attend all practices and games; on time. We will practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm Oakridge (see Team Calendar). We will be playing approximately 30 league games against the 5 other teams in our league; West London Hawks, South London Bandits, North London Nationals, Sarnia & Stratford. The short trips for games in Sarnia and Stratford would be on weekends. As well, we will be participating in only 3 tournaments: 2 local (Bob Stark and St.Thomas) and one travel tournament; The Fatheads Tournament in Detroit. We have already secured reasonably priced accommodation at a hotel with a designated Mini stick area.
Budget
We will be using a lot of extra ice, also paying for tournaments etc. You can expect a team fee of $800-$1000 for the season. This will be in addition to Association Fees. We will be doing fundraising to help with these costs.
Holidays/Vacations:
League games are scheduled during Thanksgiving and March Break. Playoffs begin in February and go through to April, including March Break. We will have a very light schedule over the Christmas break. We won't penalize kids for missing games due to vacations and other commitments - just let us know in advance when you will be away.
Assistant Coaches
Once the team is picked I will interview for Manager and assistant coach.
If you are interested in having your child try out please ensure that you select the MD and tryout option when registering for Oakridge hockey prior to September. Although it is tough at this age and as a parent I understand the risk; I encourage your child to try out even if you think he is on the bubble. It can be a positive experience and also set them up for next year when there are two teams. I will make sure feedback is given to all respecting parents.
I hope to see your child at tryouts in September!
Thank you,
Karl Robb