European Hockey Academy’s very first season 2017-2018 is over and we are taking first steps in the new one: 2018-2019. So let’s look back for a while and see, what have we been doing during the past season as well as reveal (at least some of) our plans and tasks for the season ahead of us.
Birth and first baby steps…
Season 2017-2018 was actually the first season for European Hockey Academy project. We have launched first “edition” of our development program to achieve our goal.
During the first season offered EHA its development program through 18 events in 6 different countries, lasting all together 127 days and attended by 321 attendees among 145 EHA members in 10 countries. More about individual events can be found in our Events calendar.
Far more important than (quite boring) numbers above, is what’s hidden behind them. And we can say, that students in EHA’s development program as well as EHA’s organization its self have grown and learned quite a lot. It was a pleasure to observe young ice hockey players to hone their skills and develop both as ice hockey players as well as individuals under supervision of competent coaches and additional EHA’s staff.
To see these players testing their skills within different international forums, meet new friends, see new places, and getting to know them better was a privilege. And to see them celebrate some of their successes was not too bad either – not too bad at all. 🙂
Visit our virtual Hall of Fame to see all achieved results and attended games/tournaments.
As mentioned earlier, EHA’s organization have grown and developed too, and major consequence of its growth, among other things is, that it became a group of entities localized in different countries. Actual and more detailed information about EHA’s organization, membership and conditions is available in section Our organization.
All of this would not be possible without…
Development of youth ice hockey players depends always on people, who are willing to help and support any activity organized for this purpose. Sitting in the first row are, of course, parents and families of these ice hockey players – and no matter how cliche it may sound, they should have the biggest thanks for offering all the hours and (not least) funds during EHA’s past season. Thanks.
People taking care of ice rinks, locker rooms etc etc in venues, that we visited, are together with those, who took care of players’ nutrition, transport, accommodation and all others, in any way more or less involved in EHA’s events during last season should not be forgotten here either. So thanks to them all too.
Even the EHA project is very young and in its concept quite different than other ones targeting youth ice hockey players around the Europe, there were businesses, which by their sponsorship helped it along the way. Let us mention some of them below along with great gratitude.
EHA project and its events were during the season 2017-2018 sponsored and supported by:
What’s next?
As paragraphs above describe briefly our past, this one should indicate some of EHA’s future plans and activities within its development program.
It was mentioned earlier, that EHA’s organization has developed during its first season and this development means also some adjustments and improvements of EHA’s development program.
Let us outline the framework for program’s future goals (or ambitions if you like):
- Education and ice hockey
Even EHA’s development program targets young ice hockey players with great potential and ambitions as well as desire and ability to achieve success in their possible future career as professional ice hockey players, their common education is far more important than that. We in EHA are aware of, that these players are first of all children, young individuals with unconditional need for overall development and education. - Integration within IIHF
Each ice hockey player makes his/her first pushes on the ice in their youth ice hockey clubs. And it’s happening a long time before they reach the level, which qualify them for EHA’s development program. We in EHA know and appreciate that, and will continue the effort to cooperate tighter with core youth ice hockey clubs. Hand in hand with this intention goes the profiling of level and form of integration within IIHF structures. - Soft values spreading
It is a natural equation, that young ice hockey players, that qualify for EHA’s development program, offers also significant count of hours and hereby significant share of their youth to get there. We in EHA know and appreciate that. That is why it’s our ambition to offer participants of EHA’s development program possibility not only to grow as ice hockey players – but to know and see the world, gain new friends (may be for life) and experiences, which they would not get otherwise.
So that they – in many years from now – may walk their own children to first ice hockey practice somewhere in the world as pro ice hockey players, or engineers, or teachers, or… knowing, that all the sweat and hard work was worth it – no matter what.
To be more specific about future activities within described development program’s framework above, let us just mention extending of our Canadian line and introducing the new product – implemented within Canadian line 2019. The product is called “International Spring Hockey Academy” and its description in detail will be available soon.
As natural consequence of extended activity will participants, among well known faces, meet also new people on and off the ice – coaches and other staff – from all around the world. Let us just mention new skills coach from Russia as well as new bench coaches from Canada and Slovakia – all with great international experience.
The digitization and extending of EHA’s virtual platform is another field, where all members and development program’s participant can look forward to improvements within season 2018-2019.
