Learn To Play
Learn to Play Hockey Program
Angela Norton & Erin Sexton
Learn to Play Hockey Program &
House League Directors
Kevin Wilder
On-Ice Instruction & Coaching
Goal of FYHP Learn to Play Hockey
Welcome to the Framingham Youth Hockey Program! The Learn to Play Hockey program is designed to provide children between the ages of 4 and 10 the opportunity to learn to skate and acquire the skills required to play hockey. The program emphasizes having fun with hockey (the children should be enjoying their time on the ice) while encouraging the development towards higher levels of ability.
The Learn to Play Hockey program (LTPH) is the lifeblood of a continually strong youth hockey program in Framingham. It is rewarding to watch the children progress from pushing chairs to competitive travel team skaters. The experience the skaters have in our LTPH program sets a tone that will encourage them to continue to skate with our program throughout their school years and beyond.
Session Dates
- Session 1: September 30 - November 19
- Session 2: November 25 - January 21
- Session 3: January 27 - March 17
Color Groupings
To easily identify skaters by skill level, skaters will be placed into one of five groups based on their proficiency. Blue, Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green. The Blue Group is for novice skaters with no or limited skating ability. As they progress through established sets of skills, they are then moved up to Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green Groups respectively.
Each skater will be given a colored sticker for his or her helmet indicating the color group assignment. Evaluation of the players will occur periodically throughout the season, allowing for players to move up to the next level when that player is ready to do so.
New skaters to the program are automatically assigned to the Blue or Red color group.
Typically, two coaches are responsible for evaluating the player’s skill for the color group assignments. Throughout the season, on a regular basis, skaters are evaluated. Please keep in mind there are one hundred+ players, so please be patient. All the players will be evaluated.
Coaching and Organizational Staff
All members of the coaching and organizational staff of the Framingham Youth Hockey Program are volunteers. All Framingham Youth Hockey coaches and volunteers are required to pass a criminal background check (CORI) and have completed all forms and paperwork required by USA Hockey, MA Hockey, and FYHP rules, inclusive of SafeSport Training. An effort is made to match the coaches’ skill level and coaching ability to the appropriate color group(s).
The program is always looking for new volunteers with skating skills to assist with on-ice coaching. If you would like to assist on the ice and are able to fulfill all necessary proceeding requirements, please email fyhp.learnhockey@gmail.com.
FYHP will reimburse individuals who have obtained USA Hockey coaching certification (up to level 3). For more information on this, please visit www.usahockey.com or email fyhp.learnhockey@gmail.com.
House League
House League provides an additional hour of ice time each week for an additional fee and typically commences during the last third of the season. It is open to all LTPH skaters in color groupings red, orange, yellow, and green. The emphasis in House League is on team building, sportsmanship, and game/skill development, rather than victory, while providing the proper introduction to competitive hockey for those skaters interested in trying out for a travel team in the Spring.
Registration and Travel Teams
Registration for the next season will occur in the Spring of each year. Watch for registration dates and times on the website and information shared at the rink.
If your skater is in the Orange, Yellow, or Green color groups at the end of the year and they fall into the appropriate age groups by birth year, your skater should consider trying out for the respective travel team level for the next hockey season.
For more information on the tryout process for travel teams, please review the Tryout Process Policy located within the Documents tab of the FYHP website.
Questions
If you have any questions, please email fyhp.learnhockey@gmail.com
All correspondence by postal delivery should be addressed to:
FYHP
LTPH Program
PO Box 2391
Framingham, MA 01703
