Youth hockey had been around North Carolina for nearly 20 years before June 19th, 2006. The Raleigh Youth Hockey Association (RYHA) started with a vision to grow the game at the recreational house level to someday support competitive travel hockey with a mixture of NC natives and transplants. But the game changed that night when Justin Williams' empty netter sealed Game 7, and by the time Rod Brind'Amour raised the Stanley Cup moments later, the bar for what youth hockey could become in the Triangle area raised as well.
The Carolina Junior Hurricanes were born the next season as the World Champions partnered with RYHA to not only support the growth of the game, but to set the stage for players and families to build their own life-changing experiences through competitive hockey
The 2022-23 season, the 15th anniversary of the Junior Canes, brings a new opportunity to raise the bar once again. Programs like First Goal and Canes Girls Hockey have made entry into hockey easier than ever, and the continued growth of house leagues and local travel associations truly allow a place for everyone to play.
The youth hockey landscape in North Carolina is ready to support programming specifically designed for high-performance and high-potential players who desire a professional, development-focused training environment, a high level of commitment, and a hunger to chase those moments in competition that will shape them for years to come.
PRIORITIZING CULTURE IN 2022-23
- Removing barriers to success for our athletes
- First Annual Junior Canes Day
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NEW FOR 2022-23
- Player Development refresh
- Re-designed Tier 2 program
- Coaching Development
- Player Advancement
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2022-23 HOCKEY PROGRAM
- Tier 1 AAA
- Tier 2
- Tier 1 & 2 Girls
- Super 8
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PRICING & AFFORDABILITY
- Dues distribution chart
- Sample payment schedules
- Financial resources
PRIORITIZING CULTURE IN 2022-23
NEW FOR 2022-23
Player development program refresh
In addition to team practices, each Junior Canes team participates in a session dedicated to individual skill development. Based on membership feedback, we are excited to roll out exciting changes to the 2022-23 player development program that will promote player activity and better enable our coaches to work directly with players on making corrections so good habits are taught and reinforced.
USA HOCKEY SITE VISIT
In late 2021, the Junior Canes hosted directors from USA Hockey to observe our on-ice, off-ice, and Super 8 player development sessions to seek feedback and recommendations for improvement.
PLAYER EVALUATION DATA
From the 2021-22 pilot run of our new player evaluation tool, TeamGenius, our hockey staff was able to identify trends and skill gaps from our evaluation data to pinpoint our biggest opportunities for improvement in skill development.
MEASURING IMPROVEMENT
To test the desired improvements to the Junior Canes Player Development program, we used Helios Core smart sensors to test the work rate and activity level of athletes completing a session using the old format and new format for PD sessions. Under the new PD session format, players achieved 45 minutes of work time during a 60 minute session, slightly more than the work load of a competitive game (37-45 minutes) and hitting the desired targets for work-rest ratio.
NEW 2022-23 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
- Fully-dedicated Director of Player Development solely responsible for the PD sessions and not assigned to coach a team
- Rotating staff of PD coaches to bring different areas of expertise and diversity of feedback and instruction
- Station-based practice plans to reduce coach-player ratios to between 1:6 and 1:8 for more direct instruction and correction
- Improved player experience with a wider variety of drills and activities
- Continued use of the Power Edge Pro (PEP) equipment within individual stations to maximize the benefits of each repetition
- Consistent stations within the rotating circuit to focus on training priorities identified from player evaluations
- Passing & receiving
- Skating
- Shooting to score
- Ongoing use of SenseArena VR Goalie Training to supplement on-ice goalie development during PD sessions
2022-23 PD COACHING STAFF
Colin Muldoon
Marc Genest
Cody Staves
Mike Tefft
Aaron Harstad
Re-designed tier 2 program
THE PROBLEM
The intent behind the letter designations (AA, A, B, etc.) is to classify a team by its level of play.
In our area, teams are given designations in advance of tryouts before the team's level of play is known, which has made it very difficult for families to know exactly what they're committing to.
- There's no set criteria for a program to designate a team as "AA"
- The demand for "AA" level programming has outgrown the available offerings
- Letters have become more important than development and competitive success
Traditionally, the Junior Canes have offered an "AA" and "A" program, with the "A" programming being a scaled-back version of our "AA" programming with less ice, fewer games, and fewer program components.
For years, this tiered structure satisfied our travel hockey market because we had a small population of players who were both ready to compete at a "AA" level and desired full-commitment programming, and a larger population of players who wanted the travel hockey experience without the level of commitment.
With the growth of the game in our area, the youth hockey community has outgrown this tiered structure. The talent pool at our tryouts has grown considerably larger and deeper, and families of players who are not selected for our "AA" teams - many of whom are ready to compete at that level and have the desire to put in the commitment required from that level - are forced into outdated, scaled-back "A" programming with the Junior Canes, or driven to piece together "AA" level programming by supplementing other programs with additional-cost, tryout-based tournament teams and extra training.
THE SOLUTION
Beginning in the 2022-23 season, the Junior Canes are standardizing programming across all Tier 2 teams to align with our traditional "AA" package of program components.
Teams will be designated as Black, Red and White rather than "AA" or "A", with our Black teams being our top Tier 2 team within each birth year, followed by Red, and then White.
By standardizing the components of programming, ice time, number of games, etc. across all of our Tier 2 teams, we are offering best-in-class travel hockey programming to both high-performance and high-potential athletes to support the growing talent pool in our area and so no player is forced to compromise their desired travel hockey development and competitive experience.
| AAA | Tier 1 | AAA | Independent | 14U-16U |
| Tier 2 Black | Tier 2 | Hybrid AAA/AA, AA | Independent, NSH, CHL | 13U-18U |
| Tier 2 Red | Tier 2 | AA, Hybrid AA/A, A | Independent, NSH, CHL | 13U-18U (team option) |
| Tier 2 White | Tier 2 | A | CHL |
Coaching development
Our coaching staff is the backbone of our program, and we are excited to make some improvements in the upcoming year to not only better support our coaches, but to ensure that our athletes have the ability to benefit from our entire staff, and not just their own team's coach.
- Lincoln Flagg, our Director of Coaching and Education, is not coaching a team in 2022-23 in order to better support our coaching staff with in-person practice evaluation and feedback
- Our Tier 1 AAA teams as well as our Tier 2 13U+ teams will be utilizing Hudl video to break down game film and catalog by topic and player to allow our coaches to spend more time reviewing video with teams and players, and less time editing video. Additionally, our 12U and younger teams will have access to these videos to review and use as coaching tools for our younger teams.
- We are implementing internal processes to allow our coaches to communicate more effectively to discuss players to better facilitate player movement within our association from year to year
- Our group of experienced staff coaches who are not assigned to a single team will be available to rotate through practices upon request
- We have worked hard to create consistency across our co-ed and girls programs which will allow our coaches to have access to the same resources and support across Tier 1 AAA, Tier 2, and Girls Tier 1 & Tier 2
player advancement
HUDL VIDEO CAPABILITY
Tier 1 AAA and 13U+ Tier 2 teams will have the ability to create highlight packages, game film and prospect profiles utilizing Hudl
SHOWCASE EVENTS
Tier 1 AAA coaches will meet pre-season to build out a collaborative schedule of premier showcase events to attend together as a program to maximize exposure to scouts and recruiters.
Tier 2 teams will continue to have the ability to schedule their own tournaments, but are encouraged to utilize Director of Coaching & Education Lincoln Flagg and Executive Directors Steve Henley and Jocelyn Langlois as resources to select high-exposure Tier 2 or open Tier 1 events where appropriate.
This follows a similar process in our girls program where strategic placement in showcase events has led to a 100% rate of 19U Premier players moving on to play collegiate hockey.
PLAN FOR SUCCESS
With new evaluation processes and technology (TeamGenius), improved Player Development program, and increased flexibility in our re-designed Tier 2 program, our Junior Canes process is specifically designed to identify high-performance and high-potential athletes who will benefit from our programming, develop them as hockey players, compete at the appropriate level in the short-term, and continue long-term player evaluation to promote them when they are ready.
All of this centers around the player and family experience, which includes competitive success.
Our 2022-23 program design sets us up to deliver an 8U through 18U process that prepares our athletes for each "next step", whether it's age group to age group, team to team, Tier 2 to Tier 1 or youth hockey to the next level.
2022-23 JUNIOR CANES HOCKEY PROGRAM
Tier 1 AAA
The Junior Canes are the only area program approved by USA Hockey and Carolinas Amateur Hockey Association to compete at the Tier 1 AAA level.
Tier 1 AAA, the highest level of youth hockey in the US, is a highly competitive tryout-based program that attracts the best players throughout North Carolina and surrounding states. Our program runs from 11U through 16U when our athletes typically move on to Junior hockey.
14U, 15U and 16U AAA teams compete for the Southeastern Tier 1 District Championships to advance to USA Hockey’s national championships.
In conjunction with the Carolina Hurricanes, our 12U AAA team represents North Carolina in the annual Tournoi de PeeWee in Quebec, the world’s most famous youth hockey tournament.
Teams have a combination of weekday and weekend practices based on the geographic makeup of each team. The program includes Hudl video and prospect profiles for all Tier 1 AAA players.
Each Tier 1 AAA program includes "floating ice slots" to allow teams additional slots to use as practices, turn-in for more home games, or exchange for additional showcases.
11U and 12U AAA teams will have coach-led, station-based off-ice sessions in the RBC Hockey Development Center located upstairs between the two rinks at Invisalign Arena. 13U through 16U teams will have one session each week at Athletic Lab across the parking lot in the Wake Competition Center campus.
| 11U AAA | Cody Staves |
| 12U AAA | Jocelyn Langlois |
| 13U AAA | Nagib Ward |
| 14U AAA | Mitch Eisenburg |
| 15U AAA | Kevin Hedley |
| 16U AAA | JP Parisi |
TRYOUT DATES
11U - 16U Tier 1 AAA (co-ed)
April 29th - May 1st
Invisalign Arena
Registration fee: $175
TRYOUT PROCESS
- All players should be available to attend all sessions - full schedule will be posted mid-April
- Players will be assigned to teams for a series of scrimmages and small-area games
- A round of cuts will be made after each session
- Offers will be made throughout the tryouts, players have 48 hours to pay their acceptance fee
- Any player not receiving an offer will be given a $45 discount towards Tier 2 tryouts
- All players receive an evaluation report
Tier 2 PROGRAM
Tier 2 is USA Hockey’s main offering for travel hockey, built to serve a diverse population of hockey athletes at different stages of their development - from elite to advanced. The Junior Canes offer a competitive tryout-based Tier 2 program for athletes from the Triangle area and surrounding regions who have the foundation, the dedication, and the desire to develop and compete at the highest levels.
NEW FOR 2022-23
As we now have one single, consistent tier of programming for all Tier 2 teams, the Junior Canes are no longer using "A" and "AA" to designate our teams. Instead, we are using Black, Red and White designations where Black is our top team in each birth year, Red is our 2nd team, and so on.
Junior Canes Tier 2 teams either compete in the SuperSeries National Showcase Hockey (NSH) Southeast Division, the Carolinas Hockey League (CHL), or in a series of independently scheduled games, all dependent upon the team's appropriate level of competition.
All 13U through 18U Tier 2 teams have the option to be National Bound in order to compete in the CAHA State Championship for the right to advance to the USA Hockey Tier 2 National Championships.
All teams have three weeknight practices with a consistent schedule for the entire season (two team practices, one player development session). Teams will have two off-ice sessions each week, occurring either before or after on-ice sessions. Depending on age, teams will either have one off-ice session in the RBC Hockey Development Center located upstairs between the rinks in Invisalign Arena, or will visit Athletic Lab across the parking lot in the Wake Competition Center campus. The other off-ice session will be at a regular practice location.
Teams receive budget for 4 tournament/showcase entry fees, which could be stretched into more events with BOGO offers should a team wish to increase their game count. In addition to tournaments, teams will have 12 home games, and between 12-15 away games.
POINTS OF CLARIFICATION
For 9U and 10U teams, the pre-season CHL placement event will satisfy the CAHA requirement for half-ice games. All games, tournaments and exhibitions will be full ice with full-sized nets.
For teams with "shared ice" practices, shared ice does not mean "half ice".
Small-area games make up the majority of the components of any youth practice plan, which means that 50% to 75% of the ice isn't being utilized for 50% of practices.
Some associations advertise full-ice practices for 10U and 12U teams, which means multiple teams work on the same full sheet of ice simultaneously.
Our shared-ice teams strategically scheduled to allow teams the opportunity to go through small-area games on their own, as well as full-ice skating drills, breakouts, flow drills, etc. to work on skills and systems of play on a full sheet with their partner.
| 9U Minor Black | Wyatt Bartlett |
| 9U Minor Red | Dylan Thibault |
| 9U Minor White | Ray Irvine |
| 10U Major Black | Patrick Kimball |
| 10U Major Red | Stephan Zandelin |
| 10U Major White | J.P. Carter |
| 11U Minor Black | Tim Polley |
| 11U Minor Red | Bobby Hathaway |
| 12U Major Black | Kevin Charleston / Mike Vallier |
| 12U Major Red | Brandon Stalte |
| 13U Minor Black | Nick Ceglio |
| 14U Major Black | Dustin Harris |
| 14U Major Red | Billy Austin |
| 14U Mixed White | Colin Frament |
| 15U Minor Black | David Wright II |
| 15U Minor Red | Bob Gipp |
| 16U Major Black | Jon Hryn |
| 16U Major Red | Steve Farrar |
| 16U Major White | Rob Lewis |
| 18U Black | Anthony Vellieux |
| 18U Red | Andrew Barron |
TRYOUT DATES
9U - 18U (co-ed)
May 13th - May 15th
Invisalign Arena
Registration fee: $145
TRYOUT PROCESS
- All players should be available to attend all sessions - full schedule will be posted early May
- Players will be assigned to teams for a series of scrimmages and small-area games
- Offers will be made throughout the tryouts
- Players have 48 hours to pay their acceptance fee
- Players will receive an evaluation report
Girls Tier 1 & Tier 2
The Junior Canes are fully committed to the growth of girls hockey in North Carolina and surrounding areas. With innovative, flexible programming to serve a wide geographic footprint, we cater to both the local and regional competitive female hockey player.
Tier 1 AAA, the highest level of girls hockey in the US, is a highly competitive tryout-based/invitational program that attracts the best players throughout North Carolina and surrounding states. We offer Tier 1 teams at 14U, 16U and 19U, all National Bound and set to compete for the Southeastern Tier 1 District Championships for the right to advance to USA Hockey’s national championships. Our Tier 1 19U program has a 100% rate of players moving on to play collegiate hockey.
Tier 2 travel is a tryout-based program more focused on providing the local and regional athlete with the opportunity to compete against other top level girls programs across the region. Our 14U and 16U Tier 2 teams are National Bound and will compete for the opportunity to advance to USA Hockey’s Tier 2 Girls National Championship.
| 19U Tier 1 AAA | Mike Gazzillo |
| 16U Tier 1 AAA | Alexis Tzafaroglou |
| 16U Tier 2 Black | Bob Buchanen |
| 14U Tier 1 AAA | Eric Smith |
| 14U Tier 2 Black | Steve Henley |
| 12U Tier 2 Black | Tim Healey |
| 12U Tier 2 Red | To be announced mid-April |
| 10U Tier 2 Black | Mike Tefft |
| 10U Tier 2 Red | Justin Price |
TRYOUT DATES
14U, 16U & 19U AAA Girls
April 23rd & April 24th
Invisalign Arena
Registration fee: $175
10U - 16U Tier 2 Girls
May 13th - May 15th
Invisalign Arena
Registration fee: $145
TRYOUT PROCESS
- All players should be available to attend all sessions - full schedule will be posted closer to tryouts
- Players will be assigned to teams for scrimmages and small-area games
- Offers will be made throughout the tryouts
- Players have 48 hours to pay their acceptance fee
- Players will receive an evaluation report
Super 8 Program
Supplementing the 8U season of the Polar Hurricanes Hockey League (PHHL), our Super 8 program is an open-registration development program designed to give players 8 and younger an introduction to travel hockey before their transition from house to Tier 2 during the 9U season.
PRICING AND AFFORDABILITY
DUES DISTRIBUTION CHART
While the Junior Canes are a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, we understand that this doesn't mean it's not a huge financial commitment to play travel hockey.
With nearly 60% of all expenses going to cover the expense of renting ice for practices and games and $0.89 of every dollar going directly to instruction and competition, our promise to our membership is twofold:
- We are committed to providing the highest possible value by delivering an experience that makes youth hockey worth the commitment
- We are committed to full transparency to create trust and ease of mind
Facilities: includes ice rentals for practices, player development sessions & games
Coaches: includes stipends to cover coach travel, USA Hockey licensing and education & background checks
Competitions: includes tournament fees, league dues, and referees
Operations: the overhead of running the business
Equipment: pucks, coaching bags, practice jerseys & socks, etc.
SAMPLE PAYMENT SCHEDULES
Payment dates and installment amounts are subject to change, will be finalized before tryouts begin. Total amounts will not change.
TIER 1 AAA CO-ED
| 11U (2011) | $1299 | $649 | $649 | $649 | $649 | $649 | $649 |
| 12U (2010) | $1349 | $674 | $674 | $674 | $674 | $674 | $674 |
| 13U (2009) | $1599 | $799 | $799 | $799 | $799 | $799 | $799 |
| 14U (2008) | $1774 | $887 | $887 | $887 | $887 | $887 | $887 |
| 15U (2007) | $1939 | $969 | $969 | $969 | $969 | $969 | $969 |
| 16U (2006) | $1939 | $969 | $969 | $969 | $969 | $969 | $969 |
TIER 2 CO-ED
| 9U & 10U (2012 & 2013) | $1210.50 | $564.90 | $564.90 | $564.90 | $564.90 | $564.90 |
| 11U & 12U (2010 & 2011) | $1342.50 | $626.50 | $626.50 | $626.50 | $626.50 | $626.50 |
| 13U & 14U (2008 & 2009) | $1405.50 | $655.90 | $655.90 | $655.90 | $655.90 | $655.90 |
| 15U & 16U (2006 & 2007) | $1468.50 | $685.30 | $685.30 | $685.30 | $685.30 | $685.30 |
| 18U (2004 & 2005) | $1312.50 | $612.50 | $612.50 | $612.50 | $612.50 | $612.50 |
GIRLS TIER 1 & TIER 2
| 19U Tier 1 | $2748.75 | $1178.04 | $1178.04 | $1178.04 | $1178.04 | $1178.04 | $1178.04 | $1178.04 |
| 19U Tier 2 Black | $1005.00 | $469.00 | $469.00 | $469.00 | $469.00 | $469.00 | ||
| 16U Tier 1 | $773.75 | $464.25 | $464.25 | $464.25 | $464.25 | $464.25 | ||
| 14U Tier 1 | $906.25 | $388.39 | $388.39 | $388.39 | $388.39 | $388.39 | $388.39 | $388.39 |
| Elite Player Development | $598.50 | $279.30 | $279.30 | $279.30 | $279.30 | $279.30 | ||
| 14U Tier 2 Black | $1297.50 | $605.50 | $605.50 | $605.50 | $605.50 | $605.50 | ||
| 12U Tier 2 Black | $1198.50 | $559.30 | $559.30 | $559.30 | $559.30 | $559.30 | ||
| 12U Tier 2 Red | $978.00 | $456.40 | $456.40 | $456.40 | $456.40 | $456.40 | ||
| 10U Tier 2 Black | $937.50 | $437.50 | $437.50 | $437.50 | $437.50 | $437.50 | ||
| 10U Tier 2 Red | $937.50 | $437.50 | $437.50 | $437.50 | $437.50 | $437.50 |
FINANCIAL RESOURCES
FINANCIAL AID & SERVICES
The Junior Canes offer limited financial aid on a first-come, first-serve basis. Financial Aid applications will be available prior to tryouts.
In addition to aid, we offer:
- Sibling discounts
- Alternative payment plans
- Hardship waivers
FINANCIAL PLANNING & INVESTMENTS
RBC Wealth Management
Bob Gipp
(919) 571-6256
bob.gipp@rbc.com
