Female Hockey Review
After a thorough review of Female Hockey within Alberta, Hockey Alberta implemented an entirely new Female Hockey Model beginning in the 2016-2017 season.
The new model focuses on player development and provides players a system of hockey to develop their skills within. Over the course of the review the feedback that was gathered stated very clearly that the players and stakeholders within the female game were not satisfied with the female hockey system in Alberta and it needed to change.
Two items that were highlighted from that process were that the number of teams at the highest level of Midget hockey had to decrease and that a developmental system had to be built to help players develop skills and progress to the next level of hockey. In the past Alberta has seen more than 20% of all Midget and bantam female players playing under the “AAA” title.
This, along with the lack of a developmental level of hockey to provide support, was identified as a large part of the problem. There were players being moved up to a level that their skills were not capable of placing them at and, on the contrary, players were being forced to play on teams with beginners when their own skill set exceeded that level.
This new model provides structure for the top two levels of Midget (AAA and Elite) as well as the top level of Bantam (Elite) hockey. The Elite level provides the players with an opportunity to play at a level that enables skill development and focuses on helping them get to the next level, bridging the gap between grassroots programs and AAA.
Female Hockey Review Timeline >
