| You are listening to the call of Paul Henderson's 1972 Canada Cup goal. |
SUMMARY INFORMATION An Overview The final details for the 2012 Buffalo Prospects Hockey Spring program are being put together. We are celebrating 14 successful years developing the best players in Western new York and Southern Ontario. We will be adding a 2005 birth year team to our AAA Tournament Teams programs. We will also continue to offer 4 "Pure Development" groups for AAA, AA, and House players with birth years of 2005-1999. The program will retain its three parts for all Tournament Teams and Pure Development Groups: (1) The very valuable individual & specialized skills clinics. We continue to believe that it is necessary to devote part of these sessions to power skating and edge work. (2) The highly popular and productive intersquad games. These provide an opportunity for players to compete against each other and practice their individual skills. (3) Team practices, which emphasize development for all players and enable tournament bound players to compete even better at tournaments. Initial evaluations for the Spring 2012 program will be held on December 31, 2011, at The Amherst Pepsi Center. The second and final evaluations will be held on the President's Day School Holiday: February 20, 2012. Times for the evaluations will be posted on this website and at the Buffalo Prospects office in December. *********** Value For what we are offering, there is not a better value to be found anywhere (the entire Prospects program costs 30-50% less than a week at hockey school!). ********** Growth Our program has grown from 30 to 40 to 150 to 300+ players over the last 14 years. We have positively affected over 2,000 local players Over the last three years, many of our teams had between 40 and 60 players trying out for the 27 available tournament team slots. In 2008, we added the Pure Development groups because of the demand to provide more players of various levels with the same quality development program (but no tournament competition). ********** Evaluation Information Cost is $10. Print off Form that can be found under "Waiver" button at home page. Wear a jersey with your last name on it. Bring copy of your birth certificate and be prepared to leave it along with the program fee of $475 ($275 minimum deposit required to reserve your spot if you are asked to be a core or alternate player that day or if you sign up for the Pure Development program. The second and final payment needs to be made by or at the second evaluation.) ******************** "Release" Not Applicable This summer program is designed to supplement, not compete with or conflict with, your winter team. Players from any and all organizations are welcome. Indeed, one thing that players and parents have raved about for years is what a great opportunity Prospects provides to make friends in the hockey community across Western New York. Note: the financial "releases" tied to your winter programs are not necessary to participate in the Buffalo Prospects program. |
FAQ's What does the program consist of? About 12 weeks of twice-a-week sessions devoted to team systems, individual skills, and competitive inter-squad games. We typically skate once on the weekend (Sun) and then once during the week (Tue, Wed, or Thu). We also take birth year tournament teams to between 1 and 3 skill-appropriate tournaments. Who does the instruction? The team sessions are done by the coaching staff and the individual skills are done by a set of highly qualified guest instructors including NCAA, NHL, OHL, and Prep School Coaches. For Pure Development groups, the team sessions are done by various Buffalo Prospects coaches and instructors. Individual skills are done by the same set of highly qualified guest instructors. What else do the birth year coaches do? They oversee the tournament teams at the tournaments, conduct the team practice sessions, and assist at the individual skill sessions. When will the birth year tournament team coaches be announced? Most of the tournament team coaches will be announced before the end of the calendar year. We have many qualified candidates at each year. Surely, all coaching assignments will be completed after the final evaluation in February. How many players will be asked to commit to the tournament team program at the first evaluation? For tournament teams, we will nail down between 15 and 20 of the 27 slots at the first evaluation. At the conclusion of the evaluation, a list of selected players will be posted. The final slots will be filled at the final evaluation. If you are not selected, you will be strongly encouraged to either come back to the second/final evaluation OR to sign up for the Pure Development Program. Spots for the Pure Development Program are limited and will fill quickly. What do the tournaments cost? Generally speaking, the per player tournament fee for tournament players is approximately $80-100 (for 4-5 games). Tournaments that have premier pricing will require higher per player costs. Will the alternates play any tournaments? We cannot promise that every tournament group player will be able to play in the tournaments. All players will benefit from all of the development aspects of the program and the opportunity to play with and against the best local players. Are players allowed to "play up?" AAA summer hockey is 2-5 times more concentrated and competitive than local winter hockey. Nearly every one of the most successful players to come out of Western New York over the last 15 years played at their age in summer hockey (including Patrick Kane). To avoid unnecessary controversy and hard feelings (and provide players with the optimal level of competition for them) members of the Prospects program will continue to play at their age level as they always have. When does the program start and end? First sessions are scheduled around the third week of March, and the program ends about the third week in June. What if I have the occasional conflict with lacrosse, baseball, etc? Players are bound to miss some of the sessions. We understand many of these athletes excel in other sports, too. Are the evaluations 100% right on? We have set everything up to do our best (putting top flight instructors on the ice, having multiple knowledgeable evaluators in the stands, etc.). When picking such a large amount of players, we are sure to make some mistakes. If there was a magic wand to wave over each kid, we would! How will we know where we stand at the end of the first evaluation? A list of names will be posted with tournament team players who should leave their registration form, program payment, and birth certificate. Those not on the list are welcome to a) ask their coach (in Buffalo Prospects Jackets) where they stand, b) come to the next evaluation, c) sign up for the Pure Development program. |
DETAILED INFORMATION The Purpose The purpose of this program for our Tournament Teams is to provide a select group of committed, skilled players (and their parents) with an innovative set of development activities right in our own backyard that cannot be acquired anywhere else. The purpose of this program for our Pure Development Groups is to provide a variety of skill level players (and their parents) with this same set of development activities, but without the tournament competition. It is also fueled by a deep desire on the part of the instructors, coaches, and managers to give back to the sport that has provided them with invaluable life lessons, lessons that they are applying to their work - in and out of the game of hockey - every day. Perhaps the greatest of these lessons is the creation of a dream and the pursuit of it. Many of us who are involved in this program were told we were "too small" or "not smart enough" or "not well enough connected" to "make it". Nevertheless, with the help of many, we forged on. And, the results speak for themselves. Now, our passion is to help others pursue excellence in this game and in their personal lives. This passion must have been apparent to groups of parents at a bunch of birth years who, after seeing what we were doing with 88' and 90' teams for several summers, asked us to start teams at different birth years so their sons could benefit from the program. We didn't (and still don't) feel pressure to run teams at any given year, so we said we'd give it a whirl - and, if there was sufficient interest, we'd go forward. Next thing we knew for the summer of 2002, we had 7 teams up and running. We added a few new ingredients (people, programs) to the mixture for the summer of 2003, and we are more convinced than ever that we have the best recipe for successful player development. Birth year tournament groups will consist of a pool of up to 27 players per birth year to draw from (this number includes 3-4 goalies). Having 27 players involved at each birth year will insure a) that the clinic ice will be up tempo and b) the scrimmage games will have enough per side, and c) that the teams going to the tournaments will not be short handed. Pure Development Groups may be a single birth year or two combined birth years consisting of up to 30 skaters and 3-4 goalies. DETAILS Team Skills Clinics (9 sessions): will focus on individual skating & skills and some team concepts. They will be jointly run by our staff instructors along with your birth year coaches. Individual Skills Clinics (4 sessions): will focus on individual skating and skills. They will be primarily be run by our guest instructors. Many of these people coach at the college or junior level. The same concepts will be presented across all birth years. Each clinic will feature a power skating & edge work component followed by a specialized topic for the day. The specialized topics may include: Clinic - Checking & Physical Play Clinic - Puck Handling Clinic - Shooting & Scoring Clinic - Shooting & Scoring Clinic - Passing Clinic - Other Games (7 sessions): will consist of two 25 minute halves. Buffalo Prospects teams and Pure Development groups will be divided into 2 teams (ie. Team Blue/Team White). Purpose is creativity and skill development. Buzzer blows every 1 minute for automatic line changes. Certified referee. No check for all levels. Severe penalties for any inappropriate behavior. Before each scrimmage game, we will run a high-tempo 20 minute instructional session focusing on skating, individual skills, or team systems. Tournaments (1-3 for tournament groups) will be in Canada, Rochester, and/or Buffalo. The tournaments will probably require missing at least part of a school day. Individual teams may go to one additional tournament. Coaches Birth year coaches will be selected by and serve at the discretion of the Board. They will be on the ice for all clinics, coach the scrimmage games, and coach the tournament games. Most of the coaches have advanced USA Hockey certifications and are screened by the Board. They will be provided with a set of recommended operating guidelines and principles. If it is in the interest of a given team, funds may be used to secure the services of a paid coach or staff. Insurance Players must have personal, family insurance that is in effect for the US and Canada to cover injuries. Due to insurance issues, "pay as you go" players will not be permitted. Absences With other sports and family activities in the summer, absences are inevitable. The schedule has been designed with the expectation that everyone will not be able to make every event. And that's ok. However, we are unable to provide make-up sessions or allow players to skate with other groups. Cost The cost for the development program (20 sessions) is $475. This includes ice, instruction, jerseys, socks, and other accessories. The tournament fee will be approximately $80-$100 per tournament. Keep in mind that these costs can be offset through a variety of fundraising activities. Recognizing the tough times we are all facing this year, we have decided to offer a $50 discount for the second, third, & fourth member from the same family participating in the Prospects program in 2012. |
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| The best skill development and value since 1999 |