Pictured is one of two NHL-sized pads found in the main school building at the Canadian International Hockey Academy in Rockland, Ontario.
The junior hockey scouting season unofficially kicks off with the Steve Richey Memorial Tournament of Champions in January.
It features U16 and U18 teams from across the province and beyond and is named after the late Steve Rickey who was a scout for the Peterborough Petes and coached minor hockey in the area.
Most of the games for the three day tournament last month took place in Peterborough but on Friday, some of the games spilled over into the CMCC. Among the teams competing here were two from a private hockey academy operating in Rockland, outside Ottawa, called the Canadian International Hockey Academy.
Founded in 2001, this private school combines quality education with elite hockey training in a tranquil setting outside the nation’s capital. After ten years development, the school opened its doors to students in 2011, offering a range of facilities spread over a 33 acre campus featuring extensive outdoor amenities including three soccer fields, two beach volleyball courts, two tennis courts and an outdoor rink. And that’s just outside.
The school accepts male students from grades seven to twelve. This year’s enrolment is 94 half are Canadian. Some of the international students have never seen ice before they arrive, but they do come with skills. Among them are elite roller hockey students from Australia, Saudi Arabia and Mozambique. Upon arrival, students are divided into three levels based on their skills to ensure players are competing with others at the same proficiency.
Academics are delivered in partnership with Blyth Academy, which is an organization that supports a network of private high school across the country. Classes follow the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum and graduates earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Class sizes are small and academic support for students is strong.
Most students live on campus, but some are day students living in the vicinity. Living on campus is not for everyone, but there are strong supports for students. Days are structured and well-supervised with several sets of live-in House parents in the dormitory. School days run from8 am until 4:30. In addition to academic classes each day includes 90 minutes of on-ice training and another 90 minutes of fitness training under the direction of a former NHL sports performance coach. No travel to a rink is required because two NHL-sized rinks are incorporated into the academic building. Evenings are kept free of scheduled activities to give students time to work on homework, do their laundry and just be kids.
Where do graduates go from here? European players can often return home to play professionally. Some might be picked up by OHL teams before graduating, and others move on to university varsity teams.
Tuition cost is not the only barrier to entry for this school: prospective students are interviewed to screen for academic skills and to determine if they are mature enough to cope in this kind of environment. The organization provides the opportunity to explore their programs with week-long summer camps, including a girls-only program for $1,150.
To learn more about this unique combination of academics and elite hockey training, visit the school’s website at www.cicacademy.com.