Program of the Month - September 2008

The Greater New Haven Shoreline Youth Hockey Organization is one of the oldest Youth Hockey Organizations in Connecticut and continues to offer a place for all players to play today.

How many players play with your program? The Warriors have nearly 320 players registered to date and expect that number to increase with registration remaining open for a number of our teams.

How many teams and what teams do you have in your program? We have 10 travel teams from the Mite to Bantam level, four Midget teams, and two teams at the mite house, or developmental level, for a total of 16.

What is (are) your home rink(s)? The Warriors make our home at the Northford Ice Pavilion. We also maintain our office within the facility.

Where are your players from in Connecticut? Traditionally, the majority of our players come from the shoreline towns that stretch east from New Haven and as far north as Middlesex and Durham. We also have players that come from outside our traditional area who have found that our program's philosophy is a good fit for them.

When was your program founded? The Greater New Haven program is one of three youth hockey organizations in the area that can trace its roots to the original New Haven League that was started in 1946 by Lynn and Lester Patrick of the New York Rangers, Yale coach Murray Murdoch and John Barzee of West Haven.

It was formed in 1972 when the North Branford Youth Hockey League merged with the North Haven Youth Hockey League. The league went dormant in 1995 due to a lack of available ice time, but was reorganized in 1998 as the Greater New Haven Shoreline Youth Hockey Association.

What is the mission of your program? The Warriors' mission is to provide area youth, regardless of ability or skill level, the opportunity to play the game of ice hockey in a safe, fun and enhanced learning environment and assist them in developing both physically and mentally.

What are the goals of your program?
a. Continue to focus on player's individual skills at all levels.
b. Expand our house or developmental program.
c. Continue to expand Warriors teams' participation at more competitive levels.
d. Continue to recruit, train and empower a quality coaching staff.

What is the vision of the program over the next few years? We envision the Warriors as being the best youth hockey organization that we can. An organization that offers something for every player, coach, parent and volunteer.

What are you doing to make your program fun for the individuals involved? The puck drops on our season with our annual Opening Night. Local personalities, introduction of coaches and board members and recognition of team accomplishments all take place on the ice followed by a free skate and plenty of food. We also have Halloween and Christmas parties for the players and travel to two tournaments each season as an organization to build camaraderie. We end the season with separate banquets and awards for each of our levels.

Do you have a cross-ice or in-house program? We play cross-ice games towards the end of the season within our clinic program and as preparation for potential full-ice games with our Mite developmental teams.

If so, what are the ages of the players in the program? Ages usually range between four and eight years old depending on the level with some exceptions.

How many players are there in your cross ice program? There are approximately 60 players in our clinic and Mite development programs that will participate in cross ice games.

Do you have off season programs available for your players? This past season, the Warriors conducted a skills development camp for our players with former NHL player and Coach Robbie Ftorek. Individual coaches also conduct organized team activities for their teams during the off season.

What are you doing to grow hockey in the area you are located? In addition to our Learn-to-Skate and Clinic offerings, the Warriors recently teamed up with Nike/Bauer Hockey to conduct a pilot program called First Strides - an opportunity for kids starting at the ages of three who have never played the game before to try hockey at no cost. To read more about the First Strides Program check out our Grow the Game Section.

Are there any notable people who are alumnus of your program? We feel that all of our "graduates" are notable in that they've played a demanding sport, some at the higher skill levels, while balancing the requirements of school, family and other sports, learned from it, and went on to achieve in a variety of areas. What is most gratifying to us is the fact that we are now seeing some of our alumni wanting to give back to the organization as coaches, volunteers, etc.

Who are the main people involved with the leadership of the program? The Warriors are led by Dave Thibault, who took over as President of the organization prior to the 2006/2007 season. Under Dave and the current board of directors, volunteers and coaches, Greater New Haven has seen significant growth in all areas of the program. Our Executive Board also includes, Holly Obier as the Vice President, Dawn Child as our Secretary and Steve Van Bramer as the Treasurer.