HOCKEY SEMI ANNUAL MEETING

JANUARY 20-21, 2017

AGENDAS & REPORTS

Hockey Manitoba Semi Annual Meeting

Table of Contents

Hockey Manitoba Fall Council Agenda ...... 2 Minor Council Agenda ...... 3 Female Council Agenda ...... 4 Development Council Agenda ...... 5 Senior Council Agenda ...... 6 President ...... 7 Financial Report ...... 9 Executive Director ...... 11 Past President ...... 13 Chair of Hockey Development ...... 13 Hockey Development Report ...... 14 Chair of Senior/Adult Rec. Hockey ...... 16 Chair of Minor Hockey - Rural ...... 16 Chair of Minor Hockey - ...... 17 Chair of Female Hockey ...... 18 Central Plains – Minor Council Representative ...... 19 Eastman – Minor Council Representative ...... 19 Norman – Minor Council Representative ...... 20 Parkland – Minor Council Representative ...... 21 Westman South – Minor Council Representative ...... 22 Pembina Valley – Development Council Representative ...... 23 Westman South – Development Council Representative ...... 24 Central Plains – Female Council Representative...... 25 Eastman – Female Council Representative ...... 26 Parkland – Female Council Representative ...... 27 Pembina Valley – Female Council Representative ...... 28 Westman South – Female Council Representative ...... 29 Winnipeg – Female Council Representative ...... 29 MWJHL - Female Council Representative ...... 30 Director of Officiating ...... 31

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Hockey Manitoba Semi Annual Meeting

January 20-21, 2017 - Winnipeg, MB Canad Inns Polo Park

Tentative Agenda

Friday January 20th

5:00 – 6:45 PM Board of Directors' Meeting Ambassador I

7:00 – 8:00 PM Assembly Session / HM Presentation Ambassador 2

8:00 – 10:00 PM Council Workshops Various, TBA

10:00 PM Hockey Manitoba Hospitality Ambassador K

Saturday January 21st

8:30 AM – 12:00 PM Minor Council Ambassador 2 Female Council Ambassador D Development Council Ambassador E Senior Council Ambassador I

12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch Break - Meal Provided Ambassador K

1:00 – 3:00 PM Council Meetings Cont'd

3:15 – 4:15 PM Assembly Session Ambassador 2

1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Agenda 3. Approval of 2016 Fall Council Minutes 4. President's Report 5. Financial Report 6. Executive Director's Report 7. Hockey Development Report 9. Board of Directors' Reports 10. Council Representative Reports 11. Council Reports & Business Arising 12. Notice of Motions 13. Annual Meeting 14. Other Business

4:15 – 5:00 PM Board of Directors Meeting Ambassador 2

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Minor Council Meeting

January 21, 2017 Canad Inns Polo Park Ambassador 2

Tentative Agenda

1. Opening Remarks, Introductions and confirmation of credentials – review voting structure 2. Adoption of Agenda 3. Approval of previous Minor Council Minutes - Fall 2016 • Business arising - outstanding items 4. Notice of Motions 5. Online Registration Discussion 6. High School Hockey - Update 7. Manitoba Midget Hockey League - Update 8. Provincial Playoffs • 2017 Provincial Playoffs – Update / Review • Bantam AAA Provincials – Format – Playoff with Hockey Winnipeg • Rural Hosts – Western Bantam, rotation of rural hosts • Other discussion 9. Hockey Development - Update 10. Regional Development Strategies - Discussion 11. a) Hockey Manitoba update b) Hockey Update 12. Update Pilot Projects 13. 2017 AGM Agenda Items 14. Other Business 15. Adjourn 16. Workshop with HDC Council and Female Council

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Female Council Meeting

January 21, 2017 Canad Inns Polo Park Ambassador D

Tentative Agenda

1. Opening Remarks, Introductions and confirmation of Credentials – review voting structure 2. Adoption of Agenda 3. Approval of previous Female Council Minutes – Fall 2016 • Business arising - outstanding items 4. Notice of Motions 5. Rural Provincials - Team placements 6. Global Game 7. Long Game Matrix 8. Bantam AAA • Team rankings • Showcases • Bantam AAA Provincials – Format • Rural vs Hockey Winnipeg 9. Hockey Development - Update (Dustin) 10. Meeting - Update 11. Morden - Update 12. Reports • MFMHL • MWJHL • WWHL 13. Midget AA Pilot Project - Update 14. Female Rostering - Mark 15. Girls Hockey United Weekend 16. Female Hockey Fights Cancer 17. Esso Fun Days 18. 2016 AGM - Agenda Items 19. Other Business 20. Adjourn

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Development Council Meeting

January 21, 2017 Canad Inns Polo Park Ambassador E

Tentative Agenda

1. Introductions, voting structure/review, roll call 2. Approval of Minutes from previous meeting 3. Approval of today’s agenda 4. Notice of motions

5. Official Development a. Update on Structural change “State of the Union!” - Esther/Harvey/Bernie b. Recruitment & Retention of female coaches and officials - Group discussion c. What does the Branch need to do to help regions get involved in the officiating program

6. Player Development a. Expanding regional programs and Peewee AA requests - Group discussion b. Team Roster size - Group discussion c. Program information & updates - Development Staff i. Female peewee prospects ii. Rising Stars iii. Director’s Cup Prospects iv. POE d. Should there be an on-ice clinic for players on checking/body contact?

7. Coach Development a. Initiation program i. Faceoff festivals ii. IP mentorship b. Getting our trained coaches certified - update and discussion c. Specialty Clinics - possible coaching requirement? d. Checking clinic - should female coaches be made to take them? e. Off-ice ideas for team functions - Group discussion i. Examples 1. Rule emphasis - video examples of slew foots, head contact, etc 2. Education - videos - etc of cross - skill development etc. 3. Other ideas? 8. Other topics a. Novice and Atom categories - Bernie

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Senior Council Meeting

January 21, 2017 Canad Inns Polo Park Ambassador I

Tentative Agenda

1. Opening Remarks

2. Chair Report

3. Director / League Reports

• Senior “A” Provincials

4. League Issues?

5. Hockey Canada updates

• Clarification of import rule • Level V Officials at

6. Notices of Motion

7. New Business

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President’s Report

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to our Hockey Manitoba semi-annual meeting. I would hope that all had a safe and enjoyable festive season and I wish you the very best in 2017.

We have a very busy agenda this weekend. We’re in our third year of our new governance model and we continue to find items that can be improved on. Some things that can still be worked on are: 1. Sports Schools 2. Female High School hockey 3. Junior Council 4. Half ice hockey for novice until Christmas.

We need input from everyone and the three general meetings we have in Hockey Manitoba every year are a great place for everyone to share their ideas of where improvements can be made. We will be dealing with the regular business of Hockey Manitoba and also dealing with the Notices of Motion brought forward that will take effect June 1st, 2017, if passed.

Since our Season Opener in Sept, I’ve been involved in the following: • Pembina Valley Fall Meeting in Miami • Gary Smart’s funeral. A good friend that I refereed with for years. He was on the PV exec and sat as a PV rep at development council. Gary leaves behind his wife and 2 teenage children. He will be missed. • Our board met with Dale Hawthorne regarding Level IV, V, VI issues. • A number of our Hockey Manitoba Board and Staff attended the Hockey Canada Winter Congress meeting in . Joe Drago continues as Hockey Canada Chair and elected to the board for 2 year terms were Barry Reynard BC, Michael Brind’Amour Que, Goops Wooldridge PEI and Ed Pupich OHF. • Brenda and I travelled to Montreal from Jan 2-6. We were able to take in 4 of the World Jr Hockey games. I attended Hockey Canada Strategic planning meetings on the 3rd, led by Eric Sorenson, who has been hired by Hockey Canada to formalize and strategic plan for the new Hockey Canada governance structure. Peter also attended as Branch Presidents and EDs were invited. The games were great and very exciting to watch. Like all Canadians, I think a shootout to determine the best Jr team in the world is just wrong. • We will be attending a Western Branch President’s meeting in Edmonton in Feb. Also we’ll meet with Ron Robson of the WHL while we’re there.

The New Year is always busy as we go through our regular planned events: 1. Development program 2. Director’s Cup 3. League and Provincial playoffs 4. Inter-Provincial playdowns 5. Hockey MB Cup 6. CCM POE Skills camp 7. Extended season programs.

Other significant events in 2017 are: 1. Esso Cup in Morden 2. “Jr B” Westerns in Arborg 3. Cup Western regionals in Steinbach

A special thank you to our Hockey MB board for dealing with many registration and discipline hearings. I’m always available to talk to anyone about ideas or ways we can improve the way we do things in our Hockey MB group. By working together we can make things run smoothly.

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Finally a huge thank you to the board, staff and all the volunteers that have and will make all the events so successful. It’s a pleasure working with all of you and I wish you productive deliberations this weekend and the very best throughout the balance of the season. You all contribute in making my job as your President easier and enjoyable.

Respectfully,

Bill Whitehead

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Financial Report

It is once again an extremely busy time in the office leading into the second half of the hockey season. We have been working diligently to keep our financial records up to date, and reconciling our accounts is a significant task considering the increasing amount of online payments, credit card/debit terminal transactions, etc.

We have been experiencing some difficulties with our accounting software (Accpac) over the past number of weeks/months, and have been working with our IT consultant along with a firm that specializes in Accpac to resolve them accordingly. This has created a delay in some processing and data entry, thanks to Bonnie for her patience in this regard.

Financial Statement & Forecast

We have included the Income Statement for the month ending December 2016 for information purposes, however the more pertinent document we have submitted is our initial financial forecast for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2017. At the time of writing the report we do not yet have the results of this forecast, however we will present and note a few items of significance within our verbal financial report. We should point out that a balanced budget was approved last year by the Board of Directors.

Bank Balance & Investments

Our current bank balance currently $605,180. Please note a significant amount of payments will be made shortly to major expenses such as Hockey Canada insurance and material fees, and a number of large of program expenses will occur over the coming weeks/months. In addition, we will be re-investing $100,000 into GICs that were utilized last summer.

Our current overall investment balance as of December 31, 2015 is $647,302. Recently, our GICs at RBC Dominion Securities have matured, and we are considering options including investing into GICs exclusively with Assiniboine Credit Union (ACU). ACU is our general main account and can offer consistently higher GIC interest rates than RBC. In addition, ACU is considering contributing sponsorship funding to Hockey Manitoba with the commitment to invest with them, that would be directed to grassroots hockey programs. The Administration & Finance Committee will review and make the necessary decisions in the best interests of our organization.

Sponsorship

We continue to enjoy ongoing Official Partner agreements with Canad Inns, CCM and Cargill Ltd. Hockey Manitoba did not renew its agreement with Royal Sports, however we are pleased to have established an Official Partner agreement with Pro Hockey Life for the 2016-2017 season. We continue to maintain our other partnerships with the WHL, Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, MB , Esdale printing, Budweiser, MTS Iceplex, Aaltos, Tavern United, among others.

Our sponsorship revenue continues to steadily increase, and should exceed $140,000 this fiscal year. We also have additional assets and opportunities that will be reviewed moving forward.

Bingo

We continue to allocate 80% of bingo revenues to our regions and leagues, in addition to teams travelling that are representing the branch. However, information has recently been received that MB Lotteries is discontinuing paper bingos, and therefore no longer requires volunteers to work bingo events. Funding will continue to be received and Sport Manitoba will update us on any new developments. There is no evidence at this time that the amount of funding received will be significantly reduced moving forward.

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Funding Change

Hockey Manitoba has entered into a 3-year agreement with this local company which facilitates legal online raffles and fundraising opportunities for our organization and most importantly our teams and associations. Not only does Hockey Manitoba benefit financially through a partnership agreement with Funding Change, our teams now have an easy, legal and attractive method of initiating raffles and raising funds to offset their costs.

Hockey Manitoba launched its first online raffle in December to test the system, and we are pleased that a total pot of $4,170 was collected and approx. $1,200 was raised that will be allocated directly to Officials Mentorship initiatives in Manitoba.

We plan to launch our Hockey Manitoba Jackpot online raffle shortly which will provide every single minor hockey team in Manitoba the ability to conveniently sell tickets to the raffle (which should have significant sized pots) while raising funds for their team.

Hockey Canada World Junior Funding

As has been reported, attendance for the recent IIHF World Junior Championships in Montreal/Toronto was significantly lower than budgeted or anticipated due to a variety of reasons. Our budget included a $60,000 revenue item for branch funding, which we should note is significantly less than our branch has received in past years to remain conservative. However, there is a distinct possibility that branches will receive limited funding from this year's event. Obviously this has a major budget impact, however there has been various other funds received through World Championship events (that were not included in our budget) that should cover some of this variance, along with other new sources of revenue that should reduce the overall financial impact to our organization.

Grassroots Hockey Funding

As outlined at the Fall Council Meeting, Hockey Manitoba will receive $117,000 in funding from Hockey Canada over the next three years, and Hockey Manitoba will supplement this with additional funds from our current Mentorship budget. The funding will be applied to the continued promotion and operation of the Initiation Faceoff Festivals, cross ice hockey and Long Term Player Development, parent education and the creation of a branch wide Initiation Mentorship program. We are pleased with the first year of this program and a full update will be provided this weekend.

Hockey Manitoba has also committed to match Hockey Canada's grassroots funding over the next three years, which will be in part in the form of Grass Roots Hockey Grants supporting initiatives targeted toward:

• Player recruitment and development at Initiation and Novice age groups • Coach development opportunities at Initiation and Novice age groups • Officials recruitment and development at the entry level

This allocation continues to be reviewed and discussed, with an official announcement on the criteria and allocation process planned at the Annual Meeting in May 2017.

As always, we are happy to answer any of your questions throughout the weekend. Good luck to everyone for a productive Semi Annual meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Dale Fossay, Vice President & Scott Furman, Director of Business Operations

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Executive Director's Report

1. The Dodge Caravan Program targeted for teams aged 7 to 8 in Manitoba continues to be very popular and is filled faster than any other Province which demonstrates our Branches continued commitment to the program. This is the 9th year of the program and teams are awarded $500 to be applied towards the purchase of jerseys for their team when they display the name bar “Caravan Kids” on their jerseys. Over the term of the program almost 750 Hockey Manitoba teams have benefited with close to $375,000 being awarded to minor hockey. The program has benefitted from technology with Dodge introducing online registration the past 2 seasons which has been a time saver for our office and a more seamless delivery for our member teams.

2. Hockey Manitoba is in the process of pursuing payment from coaches that attended clinics during the 2016 - 2017 season but failed to register on a team. This is annual issue that continues to be a challenge each season. The past 9 years the Branch has taken steps to notify coaches when they registered for a clinic by receipt confirmation that if they were not on a team then they would be invoiced. The trend for total revenue continues to decline each year which indicates that ongoing education to our members is being effective. Challenges continue with the introduction of checking clinics 3 seasons ago whereby a number of coaches did not achieve the necessary certification requirements. Certification of coaches remains an ongoing issue each year however the situation has become a lot more manageable with the introduction of online courses for Safety and Respect in Sport. The staff has been very diligent in monitoring this aspect of the program and which we have stayed on top of with regular reminders to membership.

The introduction of the Respect in Sport Parents program last year which was launched province wide achieved a 97% certification with a similar success this season. Follow up continues for those parents that failed to achieve this status with the consequences of player in eligibility.

3. Hockey Canada has approved the following skill academies in Manitoba for 2016 - 2017. These include Ecole Seven Oaks Middle School, Ecole St. Malo, Gillam School, Institute Collegial Saint Pierre, Morden Collegiate, Morris , Portage Collegiate Institute, River East Collegiate, Rivers Hockey Academy, Shaftsbury, St. James Academy School, St. Emile School, Starbuck High School, and W.C. Miller Collegiate.

Hockey Manitoba approved and application from Pilot Mound that began operation of a Sports School for the 2015 – 2016 hockey season. This was the first Sports School in rural Manitoba and is primarily catering to a boys program. They met the necessary criteria for approval and Hockey Manitoba approved them to host beginning this last fall. Hockey Manitoba has approved “The Rink” as Sport School program beginning this past fall of for midget boys and they will be associated with Shaftesbury Collegiate as their educational partner.

4. Paul Carson from Hockey Canada extended the opportunity for Hockey Manitoba to host the Bauer First Shift events in Manitoba this year and the program was held in 9 location in October. Three additional locations have been identified and will be held in late January. Each program includes/included full head to toe equipment, 6 weeks learn to play hockey focusing on fun while learning basis skills. Cost of the program is $199.

5. Hockey Manitoba is scheduled to host the Western Canada Junior B and the Regional. Two teams for each championship from Manitoba will participate in the 5 and 4 team respective tournaments..

Steinbach is schedule to host the TELUS Cup Regional and the Keystone Cup will be held in Arborg.

6. The Western Branches Presidents are scheduled to meet with the WHL in Edmonton on February 15 th – 17 th to review our respective programs and concerns. Hockey Manitoba/WHL have extended our The Western Branch Presidents will continue to discuss mutually programming needs.

7. The launch last year by the four Western Branches continue to extend membership for a summer hockey policy that would operate under the auspices of the Western Branch umbrella and would encompass the sanctioning and protection of the Hockey Canada brand enjoyed marginal success. Only teams and tournaments that 11

registered with the respective branches would be eligible to participate in tournaments. Discussions have continued between the Western Branches and Hockey Canada in an effort to have them provide a portable insurance package that would extend to play against non members.

8. Construction is moving swiftly along regarding the addition to the Sport Manitoba Building which is targeted for completion in April 2017 and will host some of the Canada Games events in July of that summer. Disruption has been minimal and I am confident that it will be a welcome addition to the facility inventory in Manitoba. The building looks very impressive.

9. In conjunction with the respective Hockey Canada branch Technical Director/Executive Director’s met last October in Toronto and are scheduled to meet again in April in . The agenda in Toronto included updates and workshops on the following topics programs –Chevrolet Power of Play, Esso Medals of Achievement, Boston Pizza Design Mask RBC Fundraising, Governance, Skate Canada, Operational Support Model, Regional Strategies, Officiating, Risk management HC Safety, insurance, Participation 150, Regulations and Communication.

Both groups will continue to participate in monthly conference calls and the next scheduled in person is planned for April for Calgary.

10. Hockey Manitoba continues our probation assigned by the Manitoba Lotteries in regards to our Bingo allocation by Sport Manitoba due to a violation and missed bingo’s last year. Fortunately the Lotteries have advised the PSO’s that volunteers will no longer be required due to the dwindling number of players that use paper. Despite this change the PSO’s will still be eligible to receive the allocation of bingo funds each year.

11. Hockey Canada has discontinued the Chevrolet helmet program for 5 year old players and re-direct the Chevrolet brand exposure to an alternative program in which targeting pee wee aged players. The 2nd year program is called “Chevrolet Power of Play” and is looking to build a grassroots movement among the Pee Wee age group to inspire kids to reinforce the important values that are learned through the game. Coaches give out a Most Inspirational Player Award at the end of each game based on players displaying the qualities that make us the best we can – teamwork, heart, leadership, fun and determination. Awards are not based on skill but rather based on the qualities that all team players can emulate. The new program has a small financial benefit for each branch with minimal engagement. The goal last year was set for 1,000 coaches/teams participating throughout the country. A fund of $85K was created to reward branches for their support with each branch earning $50 for each team registers to receive a team kit. The coach kit will consist of a Bauer hockey bag; lesson plans to support 10 inspirational words that will be the mantra of the program; 20 branded pucks; tape ball starter kit; 25 pairs of laces and 25 rolls of tape. This program is similar to the Canad Inns Alto’s Player of the Game Awards that Hockey Manitoba has launched this season.

This year there the goal was 3,500 in which Hockey Manitoba was allocated 170 teams. We achieved 96% activation with 164 teams registering.

12. The pre-novice program appears to be well received with the feedback regarding the ½ ice format being very positive. Hockey Manitoba is ahead of the curve in regards to the introduction of this delivery model and is only one of a handful of provinces to initiate this format. The delivery of the Face-off program was extremely successful and we expect the program to continue to grow for next year.

13. Finally I have been attending the Manitoba Hockey Foundation meetings on behalf of Hockey Manitoba. The Foundation continues to do some great work and is supportive of grass roots hockey. I look forward to attending future meetings on behalf of our organization.

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Past President’s Report

My report is short and sweet!! I continue to serve on as many appeal and discipline hearings as possible. The busiest of times was through the registration season. Best of luck to all Regions as League and Provincial Playoffs approach.

Happy New Year!! May the rest of the season be enjoyable!!

Respectfully,

Brian Franklin

Chair of Hockey Development Report

Happy New Year everyone!

This weekend’s agenda is once again very full. There never seems to be a shortage of items to discuss in HDC! I will begin with my thanks to the office staff - everyone on the development side of the game continues to dedicate their time and efforts for the players, coaches, and officials in our branch.

Thanks also to the members of HDC for their leadership and vision - regardless of this weekend’s ½ ice novice motion results - we have at least produced discussion and spirited debate regarding the best way to proceed with developing the game in this age category.

Our officials program will be getting an update in the near future; thanks to Harvey Nichol and his committee for taking on this task. Just as we have for our coaches and players - Hockey MB officials need improved education, support, and development programs.

We are seeing more and more requests for extra regional teams and/or AA programs. These requests are now moving down to include the peewee age category. As a branch we need to weigh the pros & cons of this emerging trend.

Respectfully,

Tony Franklin

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Hockey Development Report

COACH DEVELOPMENT

With the change to the coaching program and separate clinics at the Coach 1 and Coach 2 levels we saw one of our best years in regards to deficiency numbers in the coaching program. Regions and associations did a great job in promoting their clinics and working with the office to ensure that Coach 1, Coach 2 and Checking clinics were readily available to coaches across the province. We are preparing to run a High Performance 1 Seminar this upcoming July in Winnipeg and hope to accommodate somewhere in the realm of 30-40 coaches.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Cross-ice hockey was a major step in the long-term development for our branch. The emphasis must continue on effective operations for associations & IP coaches stemming from consistent Branch communication that clearly defines our expectation of cross-ice hockey as per our motion (not half ice or 3/4 ice). It is extremely visible when watching cross-ice of why the development research in LTPD tells us this is our best model for Initiation & Novice player. We must discuss a staged process to ensure cross-ice and modified ice can be implemented into Novice (8U) category. With all this coach education & communication specific to these age categories is very important.

Hockey Manitoba Rising Stars Program – Yellowhead (Shoal Lake), Pembina Valley (Miami), and Brandon  January 27 - 29, 2017

CCM Rising Stars PLUS+ will run approximately April 2 - May 6, logistics of ice and facilities are being coordinated by staff along with working with regions on establishing the transition of player invitations from CCM Rising Stars (seasonal program) into the new PLUS+ program (spring development). The PLUS+ program curriculum will heavily focus on key positional skills and tactics we need our players to improve upon as they head into Bantam based on our assessments with our DC Prospects and U-16 POE program over the years. Factoring in proper development principles for this age group this program will be approximately 3 days per week which also includes off-ice dryland and/or development sessions.

Despite a very inconsistent effort, U-16 (Male) Team Manitoba won Bronze at the Western Canada U-16 Challenge Cup back in October. Plans are underway for the 2017 Program of Excellence; coaches will be interviewed and named in the next several weeks. U-16 POE Spring Camp will run April 6-9 in Winnipeg, followed by the U-16 TOP-40 Camp which will likely run May 4-7 partially in conjunction with the Director's Cup Prospects Tournament and CCM Rising Stars Cup.

The Director's Cup Prospects Program will continue to serve as an important stepping stone to the U-16 Program of Excellence covering important concepts & tactics required of players’ competition with Team Manitoba, Bantam & Midget AAA, Junior hockey and eventually Team Canada. This year's program will continue to emphasize physical performance, mental performance, and skill. As always both player and coaches are provided extensive mentorship and development through this 6-week curriculum.

After a hard fought, but disappointing finish at the U-18 National Championship this past fall in Regina we are onto another year of the Female Program of Excellence. We are excited to be moving forward with a U-16 Program to work in conjunction with our current U-18 Program. Coaching applications have been circulated and we are preparing for coaching interview to select our staffs in advance of the Spring Camps coming up in April. Top 40 camps will run simultaneously in mid May in Portage.

We are continuing to move forward with the Female Peewee Prospects Program this upcoming Spring which will cater to 2004 and 2005 born female players in the province. The program will follow a similar structure to the previous Female Bantam Prospects with some aspects of the Directors Cup incorporated as well. Registration is well underway and looking good in rural Manitoba with registration in Winnipeg beginning next week.

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OFFICIALS DEVELOPMENT

Official’s clinics were completed in November and we are pleased to see an increase in registration from 1561 in 2015- 2016 to 1625 in 2016-2017. The new Level III online course was launched this clinic season and was very successful and we will look to expand on the content and the format for next year. The Level III Seminars were also very well received by our Level III officials working the Provincial Midget, MMJHL, KJHL and MJHL. Our Director of Officiating, RICs and supervisors are working diligently to ensure that our up and coming officials are working leagues to ensure their development.

The Officiating Program welcomed past Provincial RIC Ian Heather to the 2016 Season Open in September to deliver a “Success through Mentorship” to association RICs. The session directly followed a presentation by NHL Linesman Ryan Galloway on Redefining Teamwork: A Vision for Success. The presentations were very well received and we will look to incorporate an officiating component to the Season Opener from this point forward.

Manitoba saw officials participate in the following at the start of the season:

OPOE – Nolan Powell (Referee) and Wyatt Rapsky (Line) U-17 Development Camp – Brett Thiessen (Line) Western Canada U-16 Challenge – Ben Croker (Referee) and Matt Granger (Line) National Women’s U-18 Championship – Amy Martin (Line)

An online raffle to support the officials was launched in mid-December. We are in the process of developing criteria for minor hockey associations to disperse monies raise. More information will be provided when available.

Hockey Manitoba is looking to re-establish the Officiating Committee. Further details will be provided over the weekend once more information becomes available.

Prepared by Bernie Reichardt, Kyle Prystupa, Dustin Stewart, Esther Thiessen, Devin Himpe Hockey Development Staff

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Chair of Senior Male Hockey/Adult Rec Report

Allan Cup Inter-branch play will take place in Manitoba from March 24 – 28. Rosetown will be the Sask. rep and MB. is to be determined. Manitoba play-offs between Iles de Chenes and the South East Prairie Thunder will take place in early March.

All Senior Leagues are now nearing the end of their regular season play and various league play-offs will begin in mid- Feb. The down-swing in suspensions continues again this season.

Senior “A” Provincial play-offs will be discussed this week-end and locations and dates finalized. Wayne Deschouwer and Ray Laing will hopefully spearhead this event.

As discussed several times prior to this meeting, I feel that our Branch has to take a step forward and put a staff person into our office whose task would be to oversee the Officiating Program. This position would co-ordinate clinics and over- see all aspects of the Officiating Program. All Regions would need to buy into this program and make more than an attempt to make it work. All other Western Branches have at least one person dedicated to Officiating and in some cases several. I urge all delegates to seriously consider this and discuss it.

Respectfully,

Ray Brethour

Chair of Minor Hockey – Rural Report

The new online system has a few hiccups at the start but got back on track.

We are now looking to the regions to rank the Male Bantam AAA teams so we can draft the draw for their Provincials.

The Provincial team placements were completed by conference call. To date we have had 2 teams withdraw and they will be assessed the 500.00 fine each. We hope to have the draft draws ready soon. My thanks once again to Esther for all her work in looking after Provincials.

This is an area we will need review as there have been concerns and issues from the Associations that are being brought up this season

As always I have participated in a few registration Appeals and Discipline hearings this season.

Have had some communications with some of the regions. To date it has been a quiet season.

Hope everyone had a great 2016 and we are all ready for 2017.

Respectfully,

Ken Gladden

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Chair of Minor Hockey - Winnipeg Report

With the first half of the hockey season past us, now is the time to start planning for playoffs and the other opportunities available to certain age groups. This is also a time to begin planning for next year and how we can improve the game.

I attended the U16 tournament as a representative for Hockey Manitoba in October. I found this to be a rewarding experience in gaining a good understanding of our POE program.

I attended the Hockey Canada Winter Congress in November. There was very little time for councils to meet as the meeting format was changed for the better. In Minor Council, there was lively discussion about councils and their purpose or effectiveness. Tom Renney also addressed Minor Council and was very outspoken that he thinks they should exist but need to be productive. He also stated that they need to be in a format that people would want to volunteer for these roles.

There were a number of congresses held with workshops and I participated in one around developing branch recruitment plans. I found this to be very productive and a positive step forward.

I have been working with the staff of Hockey Manitoba to find ways in which Hockey Winnipeg can participate in the CCM Rising Stars program as well as evaluate the process in which we participate in Directors Cup.

Respectfully,

Chris Hall

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Chair of Female Hockey Report

Hockey Manitoba participated in World Girls Hockey Day, we had teams in each age category take part in the Long Game. There were a number of additional events that took place such as Jamborees, Bring a Friend and Esso Fun days.

I have attended a number of Esso Cup host committee meetings in Pembina Valley, the committee has exceeded its sponsorship goal. Hockey Canada has visited Morden twice and has been very pleased on how things are coming together. The next three months will be very busy for the committee, along with training for our volunteers.

I participated in a number of appeal hearings since September, all have had their challenges.

I had the pleasure to attended Hockey Fights Cancer event in Selkirk, this year the MFMHL participated with all the teams wearing special jerseys that they purchased. Congratulations to Denis Park and his entire volunteer group, along with the players of the MFMHL who raised money for a cause that has had an effect on someone in our lives.

Our first Bantam AAA Showcase was hosted at the MTS Iceplex and from all accounts it was a great weekend. The second Showcase was held during Girls Hockey United weekend. The off ice presentation by Dustin was very well received by both players and parents. The Bantam AAA season will be capped off with the Bantam AAA Provincials in mid March.

Hockey Manitoba hosted Girls Hockey United weekend, which included the Bantam AAA Showcase, MJWHL All star game, MFMHL, Scotia Bank Hockey Fest and a number of exhibition games at all levels. A second component of the weekend was the on ice skill development for goalies, defenseman and forwards. I would like to acknowledge the office staff for their organizational skills and time committed to this weekend. I attended the entire weekend and the highlight for me was seeing all the smiles on the ice of the young girls who participated in the Scotia Hockey Fest.

At the end of November I attended the Hockey Canada Fall Congress meeting in Montreal, as usual Female Council had a full agenda, which I will touch on during the weekend.

On a somber note, we lost two dedicated volunteers in the past few months with the passing of Gary Smart and Roger Chartier our condolences go out to their families.

Respectfully,

Bert Dow

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Central Plains - Minor Council Report

For the 2016–17 season Central Plains was faced with a large number of obstacles during the off-season and during the early fall… however at this point it has not proved to be the standard of operation for our programs this season.

Currently all 5 of our AAA programs have been functioning quite well thus far. Our AAA midget showcase hosted in Portage was very successful and it was something that we will consider hosting again. We would like to thank Interlake for working together for the successful operation of the combined city midget team. This team has proven to be very beneficial for our region (and hopefully theirs) in the development of players for our provincial teams.

With the addition of a Director of Development, Rod Sveistrup, to our board and the implementation of a regional strategy to address player development we are confident that the is headed in a positive direction.

All of our regional development programs are operating with registration complete, ice booked, coaches and mentors in place. As well, we have a number of male and female players preparing themselves for the U16 and U18 Hockey Manitoba Programs of Excellence.

Respectfully,

John Ferg

Eastman – Minor Council Report

The 2016-2017 season has been one of the busiest to date within the . With the Region’s continued growth, new programs have been offered for our members.

• Two Regional Pee Wee AA teams have joined the Winnipeg Pee Wee AA league. Teams are comprised of a North/South split of the region. Feedback has been very positive from the players/parents involved in these programs. • EMHA has implemented a Coach Mentorship and Skill Development program for all Pee Wee aged players, as well as the Eastman players in our Bantam AA program. Players and Coaches attend a session once per month for six months. This program is following the Hockey Canada Coach Mentorship model, with practice plans being provided to the coaches along with the mentorship from instructors on how to improve on the skills of players. There are a total of 544 Players plus Coaches registered for this program. There have been some challenges with implementing a program of this magnitude, but overall, it has been well-received.

Eastman is hosting two Male Rural Provincial tournaments, as well as the Female Bantam Rural AAA Provincial tournament.

The TELUS Cup West Regionals 2017 are also being hosted by Eastman this year. The event is being held in Steinbach, March 30-April 2, 2017 with the Eastman Provincial Selects as the host team. There is a committee comprised of Eastman Board Members, as well as a group from the team to organize the event.

Respectfully,

Ken Kutzak

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Norman – Minor Council Report

Norman held 3 Face–off Festivals in the region. We are asking for reports on these programs and will share their comments with Hockey Manitoba. Norman would like to know or will be asking other regions how their Face-off Festivals went to compare what we experienced.

Norman Associations are struggling with our Officials program, just too many games for amount of officials available. We are spread out and hard to cover everyone without high costs and low numbers.

Norman Midget League is in full swing again this season. Our Bantam, Peewee League failed to get going with low interest.

Aboriginal Tournaments scheduled at the same time as the Director Cup Prospects Try-Out weekend causes our region issues with enrolment, as we have a large Aboriginal base of players.

We have had a struggle registering some communities this season as well.

Thanks to my board members as well as Hockey Manitoba Staff as we move on to the last half of the season with more challenges I am sure.

Respectfully,

Ron LaRocque

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Parkland – Minor Council Report

Parkland Minor Hockey Association has experienced some recent vacancies of elected officers with the resignation of Rob Hrechka from the Director of Development position in September and the resignation of Devin Zimmer from the President position in December. These positions have been filled until the Spring AGM when an election for positions shall take place.

In the interim, Darcy Boychuk has been selected to fill the position of Director of Development and Ann Ransom has been selected for the position of President. Tannis Poluck has been selected to fill the position of Secretary (vacated by Darcy Boychuk). Ann Ransom will continue to hold the position as Treasurer. Phil Fafard will continue as Director of Female Programs.

The integrity in any decision making process is in the exploration of varying points of views, opinions and ideas. In recognition of this, the Executive Council of Parkland Minor Hockey Association is developing three Advisory Committees to assist in addressing regional issues and/or realizing opportunities in governing minor hockey activities within the .

Each Advisory Committee will be chaired by a member of the PMHA Executive. The Chairs will report activities and provide updates on actual expenditures to assigned budget at the Fall, Semi-Annual and Annual meetings of the PMHA. The activities of all Advisory Committees MUST be approved at these meetings. Each Minor Hockey Association is asked to appoint a representative to these Advisory Committees. These representatives must be accountable to their respective Minor Hockey Associations, meaning, the representative appointed must report for, and back to, their respective association.

PMHA Executive Council: (Chair: President of PMHA) This Council would oversee the governance of the Parkland Minor Hockey Association as per the Constitution and By-Laws.

PMHA Minor Council Advisory Committee: (Chair: President of PMHA) The Presidents of each minor hockey association within the Parkland region will act as members of the Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee will review all motions being brought before Hockey Manitoba’s Minor Council and provide guidance on the vote to be made on behalf of Parkland region.

PMHA Development Council Advisory Committee: (Chair: Director of Development) Each Minor Hockey Association is asked to assign a representative who is accountable to that association (i.e. attendance and reporting). The Advisory Committee will provide guidance on voting on motions being brought before Hockey Manitoba’s Development Council. The Advisory Committee will also be responsible for providing direction on the activities to be implemented for the education and development of players, coaches and parents in the region.

PMHA Female Council Advisory Committee:: (Chair: Director of Female Programs) Each Minor Hockey Association is asked to assign a representative who is accountable to that association (i.e. attendance and reporting). The Advisory Committee will provide guidance on voting on motions being brought before Hockey Manitoba’s Female Council. The Advisory Committee will also be responsible for providing direction on the activities to be implemented for the development of female players and coaches as well as promotion of female hockey in the region.

PMHA Officials Council Advisory Committee:: (Chair: Regional RIC) Each Minor Hockey Association is to be represented by their Association’s Referee-In-Chief. The Advisory Committee will provide guidance on voting on motions being brought before Hockey Manitoba’s Official Development Committee. The Advisory Committee will also be responsible for providing direction on the activities to be implemented for the training, education and development of officials in the region.

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TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION January 1 st to February 15 th , 2017: Minor Hockey Associations to recruit and appoint representatives to PMHA Advisory Committees. February 15 th to 28 th : Meeting Notices to be sent to appointed Advisory Committee representatives.

March 2017: Inaugural meetings for the Advisory Committee members of the Development, Female and Officials Councils will be held. Meetings will be co-facilitated by President of PMHA and the respective Advisory Committee Chair. The meeting agenda will include introductions, review of Advisory Committee roles, responsibilities, accountability and time commitments. A facilitated strategic planning process will be used in developing the activities to be implemented in 2017/18. Each plan developed will be brought forward at the PMHA AGM for review, discussion and approval. Budgets for 2017/18 will be part of the planning process.

Respectfully,

Ann Ransom

Westman South - Minor Council Report

Firstly, I would like to welcome Derek Shearer (Female), Jim Bartley (Development), Landon White (Referee Coordinator) and Frank Bennett (Secretary-Treasurer) to the Westman South Executive. I am very excited to have each of these gentlemen on board in Westman South. We are looking to add a Coach Coordinator over the coming year.

We had a very interesting regional meeting in December as there were a number of new minor hockey representatives from the various associations who brought forward some different perspectives on the game. During the discussion about the Notices of Motions we had some good discussion. In particular, the motion about half ice hockey for Novice age players created some strong opinions, both in favor and against. No matter what the outcome of the vote, the discussion provided a greater understanding of the positions of the various factions. It is important that the discussion continue as perhaps we will end up with an idea that is Made in Manitoba and satisfies the various concerns that our membership has brought forward relating to the concept.

Thank you to Mr. Tony Franklin for representing Hockey Manitoba at this meeting.

Respectfully,

Guy Williams

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Pembina Valley – Development Council Report

PVMHA has the following development information to report for the Semi-Annual Meeting.

PVMHA would like to acknowledge in this report the passing of a great friend, hockey development supporter, dad, husband and community builder who is greatly missed. Gary Smart was always focused on bettering the game and was undoubtedly a character person to whom we can all take pride in knowing and sharing our time together. We can move forward in a direction knowing that we would make him proud and honour his memory in continuing with the great efforts as he made for all of us.

COACH DEVELOPMENT

COACH MENTORSHIP CLINICS

Coach Specialty Clinic dates as follows: - Sept 26 – Winkler – Goalie – Completed - Oct 3 – Carman – Developing D – Completed - Oct 11 – Morris – Small Area Games – Completed - Oct 17 – Altona – Shooting and Scoring – Completed - Oct 24 – MacDonald – Skating- Completed - Nov 14 – Rock Lake – Puck Control – Completed - Dec 18 th– Swan Lake – Skating – Completed

COACH CLINICS

- -Checking Clinic – November 6 – Miami – 10:00-2:00pm - Coach 1 – Intro – November 20 – Miami – 9:00-2:30pm - Coach 2 – Coach – November 27 – Miami – 9:00-2:30pm

OFFICIALS DEVELOPMENT

REF CLINICS

- Morden – September 24 – 9:00am start - Swan Lake – October 15 – 9:00am start - Starbuck - October 22 – 9:00am start - Altona – October 27 – 9:00am start

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

IP FACE OFF EVENT

Manitou successfully hosted 21 teams at the IP Face-off event in Manitou Dec 10 th . Peter Woods from Hockey MB gave the parent information presentation. Ryan Hutton and Chris Laing spent the day on the ice working with the coaches and players. Thanks to Manitou and the executive for being excellent hosts and to Elm Creek Minor for the use of the dividers and mini-nets.

RISING STARS and RS PLUS

PVMHA has over 60 participants divided into 4 teams playing in 3 tournaments (Brandon, Shoal Lake, and Miami).

PVMHA in partnership with Miami Rink is hosting 8 teams in a Rising Stars Tournament on Jan 27-29 th

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Players from each region will be evaluated via player report card and invited to participate in the Rising Stars Plus Program. Coaching staff is in place (Chris Laing)

PEEWEE DEVELOPMENT SKATES

This program was available to all major female and male peewee players and coaches.

PVMHA is hosted 8 Development Skates with Doug Sinclair on Nov 27 th , Dec 4 th , Dec 11 th and Jan 15 th . All 8 sessions averaged 20 players. Feedback from players and parents was very positive.

FEMALE PEEWEE PROSPECTS

34 players have registered for tryouts for the 17 player roster. Try-outs are Feb 5 th in Miami 6-8pm. Coaching staff is in place (Brian McElroy)

DIRECTORS CUP

DC tryouts are being held in Morden on Jan 27 and 28 th . 37 players have registered to tryout. Coaching staff is in place (Reid Sloan).

Respectfully,

Shawn Dias

Westman South – Development Council Report

There are three Rising Stars teams participating in the Jan. 27-29 th weekend

The Directors Cup Program is underway. We will be taking applications for a manager with the completion of tryouts in February. We are accepting player registrations for the tryouts that will take place at the end of January and early February.

We have been asked about the possibility of a Minor Peewee team being established to run during the same weekend as the Rising Stars Program next year.

There have been questions on whether there should be a Body Contact Clinic to be offered near the end of the season to all Major Peewee players in our Region.

Respectfully,

Jim Bartley

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Central Plains – Female Council Report

Central Plains has offered both a Midget and Bantam “AAA” program within the Region for the 2016-17 season. The Midget Capitals continue to compete in the MFMHL rostering 15 skaters and 2 goalies this season while the Bantam Capitals have played within the Hockey Winnipeg “AA” Bantam league, participated in the Hockey Manitoba Showcases and will attend the Rural “AAA” Provincials rostering 16 and 2.

Central Plains looks forward to having players participate in both the Program of Excellence U18 and new U16 program within Hockey Manitoba's Developmental and High Performance Stream.

The Region will operate a Peewee Female Prospects program and currently have a head coach in place. Central Plains will host the Final Peewee Female Prospects Tournament in at the PCU Centre continuing its trend of being a prime location for Hockey Manitoba Developmental Programs such as Director's Cup, Program of Excellence Camps and various other developmental programs.

Central Plains is in strong support of the current motion to change the boundaries for Female Midget “AAA” Hockey in order to continue to grow female hockey while maintaining a strong developmental and competitive environment at the “AAA” level. Central Plains’ teams will be attending Provincials within both the Atom and Peewee Age Groups this season.

Continuing to be a concern at the Regional Level is the lack of ability for the Midget Capitals to actually use Midget Aged Players as Affiliate Players as they go the High School Programs in Portage and Sanford and therefore are not eligible to be utilized as it is not Hockey Manitoba sanctioned. This issue has been raised previously and brought forward on numerous occasions especially from families who have daughters that do not attend these 2 high schools as it now makes it almost impossible to form Bantam or Midget teams for these players to participate on.

It would be of great benefit if the High School teams were Hockey Manitoba sanctioned like their Male Counterparts and if they had guidelines as the “AAA” Midgets do in regards to use of Bantams at a full time level or as AP’s. It is of no benefit to any program to watch players drop out of hockey because of a lack of ability to form teams. At this time there are 24 teams in the High School league, 280-300 players, with a majority not signing Hockey Manitoba Rosters. This is a huge loss to our provincial association and an issue that should be looked into and fixed.

Central Plains looks forward to continuing to promote Female Hockey within the Region and through Hockey Manitoba’s Female Developmental and High Performance Programs.

Respectfully,

Ferdi Nelissen

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Eastman - Female Council Report

Female Registrations – 2016/2017

Below is a breakdown of female players by age and category for this season: Initiation – 80 (71 in 2015/2016; 79 in 2014/2015) - 40 (2010), 28 (2011), 12 (2012) Novice – 81 (76 in 2015/2016; 74 in 2014/2015) - 45 (2008), 36 (2009) Atom - 93 (99 in 2015/2016; 70 in 2014/2015) - 48 (2006), 45 (2007) Pee Wee – 65 (66 in 2015/2016; 79 in 2014/2015) - 24 (2004), 41 (2005) Bantam – 66 (69 in 2015/2016; 73 in 2014/2015) - 27 (2002), 39 (2003) Midget – 70 (50 in 2015/2016; 37 in 2014/2015) - 10 (1999), 28 (2000), 32 (2001)

Female Teams

For the 2016/2017 season the following are the female teams in the region and whether they are single or dual rostered:

Atom: Springfield – dual Rat River – dual St. Adolphe - dual La Broquerie – single Ste. Anne - dual

Pee Wee: Springfield - dual Ste. Anne – dual Ste. Anne - dual

Bantam: La Broquerie – single (currently 8 th in Hockey Winnipeg A1) Springfield – single (currently 6 th in Hockey Winnipeg A1) Bantam AAA – single (currently 1 st in Hockey Winnipeg AA)

Midget: Steinbach (A1) – single (currently 5 th in Hockey Winnipeg A1) Steinbach (AA) – single (currently 3 rd in Hockey Winnipeg AA) Sagkeeng (A1) – single (currently 3 rd in Hockey Winnipeg A1) Midget AAA – single (currently 5 th in MFMHL)

Respectfully,

Brad Kirk

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Parkland – Female Council Report

Female Midget AAA – The Board of PMHA does not support motion #6. We have not been given adequate rationale as to why we need to make changes to the status quo. Our objections to the rationale listed in the motion are provided below.

Proposed Wording: To change the Hockey Manitoba boundaries specifically for Female Midget AAA hockey (MFMHL). There will now be eight (8) regions forming teams, including Winnipeg, Interlake, Eastman, Central Plains, Pembina Valley, Westman South, Yellowhead and Norman. The Parkland and Brandon regions have been divided into other regions, along with other changes as illustrated in Appendix 1. Note: There are no changes to the Winnipeg, Interlake, Eastman or Pembina Valley regions.

Rationale for change PMHA Response (provided with the (We do not support the motion) Motion) To maintain a Female players interested in an opportunity to play at higher competitive competitive balance and level of hockey will not have an opportunity to play “close to home”. IF the provide females an Parkland region were to be dissolved, players from the region would have opportunity to play close to travel to Shoal Lake, Portage or Thompson to play AAA hockey. to home at the highest Furthermore, dissolving the “Parkland Region” will remove the incentive in level. development of players to take pride in playing for the Parkland.

This motion is in strict contrast to Hockey Canada’s approach to “keep as many kids playing at as high a level of play for as long as possible” as expressed at Hockey Manitoba’s Season Opener. To reduce the number of The current process requires regions to state if they are “open” on or open zones, allowing before July 1 st . This allows adequate time for players within an open region players to know up front to make arrangements to attend AAA tryouts in other regions as tryouts which region they must occur in late August. try out in. New regional layout We do not support this rationale as being significant in dissolving the should reduce the Parkland region and any opportunity in forming a AAA female team in the number of current "out future. of region" players making up a team. Some regions currently Dissolving the Parkland region will not address the issue of attracting, have a limited number of retaining and developing female players that can compete at AAA level. The players available within Parkland region in fact feels that dissolving the region will augment the their regions to form a issue. Midget AAA team. A collaborate effort is needed in addressing the reduction in enrolment in minor hockey programming if we are to meet Hockey Canada’s goal of increasing enrolment by 400,000 in the next 3 years. This includes discussion regarding the attraction, retention and development of female hockey. The Parkland region would like to see more members involved in that discussion, as opposed to less. The regions that where Our region concedes that we need to work harder to recruit, retain and

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incorporated into develop more female players. We have implemented several new initiatives another region (Brandon this season to address this issue including enhancing the Female Hockey & Parkland) have not Development Camps, hosting the WGHW events, supporting the formed a Midget AAA development of a single rostered Atom female hockey team, and hosting team in a number of Female Atom Provincial Championships. years and are also struggling at the Bantam We acknowledge that the efforts taken now will take time to see results. AAA level. We are not willing to give up!

In Closing, motion #6, as presented, will result in impeding any future success of the actions undertaken by the Parkland region in the attraction, retention and development of female hockey. We believe the motion only serves to augment the issue of maintaining a competitive balance and providing females an opportunity to play close to home at the highest level.

We believe the current policies allow each region an opportunity to provide AAA hockey as an incentive in the attraction, retention and development of female players (coaches and officials) to play at the highest level of competition, close to home.

Respectfully,

Phil Fafard

Pembina Valley – Female Council Report

Another exciting year of female hockey has continued in Pembina Valley.

With Pembina Valley being selected as the host for the Esso Cup the region is eagerly anticipating the national women's midget ice hockey championship in April and working very diligently to contribute to a great national event.

Pembina Valley Hawks Midget Female AAA are off to a good start in league play with a record of 12-2-1-2 and look to continue this success into the second half leading into hosting the Esso Cup.

Pembina Valley Hawks Bantam Female AAA have an early record of 4-7-2 with the young team having to deal with the tragic passing of team mate Adrienne Groening. I would personally like to thank all the regions and folks that reached out to us during this extremely difficult time with special mention to Coach Sutton and Graham for their leadership during this timeframe.

In minor hockey PV has two female midget teams, two bantam teams, five pee-wee, three atom and four novice teams in the region. Much effort has been expended to provide all female players an opportunity and as an executive we continue to appreciate the hard work of all the volunteers in our associations.

On another note I would like to honor Gary Smart. I will miss your friendship, support and passion for our kids and communities. Your legacy makes me want to be a better Man, Husband, Father and member of the community. I am so thankful for having met you. You have impacted the lives of so many. We all miss you.

Respectfully,

Mark Alderson

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Westman South – Female Council Report

Teams:

Atom (3) Provincials and Exhibition only - Deloraine/Boissevain, , Oaklake Pee Wee (3) - Antler River, Glenboro, Souris Bantam (1) - Wawanesa Midget (1) - Melita Bantam AAA - double roster - Wildcats Midget AAA - Wildcats

Female Pee Wee Prospects tryouts are scheduled for January 28 th with 27 players registered.

The region would like to congratulate Ashton Bell on playing with Team Canada at U18 World Championships and being named Team Captain.

Respectfully,

Derrick Shearer

Hockey Winnipeg – Female Council Report

It has been another busy season in Winnipeg. Our female council has been working on a great initiative for the Female program at the grass roots level. We have just had our third female Timbit Jamboree. This event is for all Timbit aged players that are currently registered in the Hockey Winnipeg Timbit program whether they are on a female team or a mixed team, to come out and have fun in some cross ice games. So far, St. Vital, St. James and St. Boniface have had events with great success at all events. The smiles were contagious.

At the other end of the spectrum the AAA team is doing well this season they are currently in third place in the MFMHL. They have had 5 of their 7 graduating players commit to 3 different universities (3 to the U of M, 1 to U of S and 1 to York, joining the three players from last years’ Avros). Three of these girls were also on the U18 Team Manitoba team this year.

The Female All Star day will be held on Saturday the 28 th of January at the Seven Oaks Arena. This will be for the Atom A1, Peewee AA, Bantam AA, and Midget AA levels only. We have had push back over the last couple of years that the girls All Star day was not run like the boys, so we are working to fix that this year.

We will be hosting the Bantam Provincial Championships this year between the winner of the Hockey Winnipeg Bantam AA teams and the winner of the rural Bantam AAA league.

Thanks again to all the female area reps as we are having another great year.

Respectfully,

Pam Campbell

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MWJHL – Female Council Report

The MWJHL continues to evolve in different ways which makes for a positive present and future.

1. HOSTING: The MWJHL is hosting its 9th Lt. Governor’s Invitational Junior Female Hockey Tournament once again Feb.2-5, 2017 at the Iceplex. We will have 12 teams and five of those are guests from (2); (2) and a first from B.C. (1). We are very pleased with the response and interest. A number of U.S Colleges are interested in attending and possibly scouting. 2. HOCKEY SCHOLARSHIPS: Two players last year with the Northern Stars received offers from Morrisville State in New York State and are there currently: Vanessa Klimpke (grad) and Renee Stevenson (3 rd year player MWJL; 3. SEASON PLAY & PLAYOFFS: Our season will end the last weekend in February and playoffs will begin the week of March. All teams are in the playoffs and the top team receives the bye. Six (6) teams begin the Best of 3 playoffs. 4. ALBERTA SHOWCASE- Junior FEMALE HOCKEY..Western Predators will be the MWJHL representatives attending the March 31-April 2, 2017; 5. CARIBOU CLASSIC- The Manitoba Blizzard & the Manitoba Gray Owls attended the Classic in November of 2016 which was again hosted in Thunder Bay – a great host…! 6. ACADEMIC AWARDS: The MWJHL will be offering a minimum of 9 scholarships / bursaries to current players and applications are being updated. They are presented at the MWJHL wind –up. 7. GLOBAL EXPANSION AND TRAVEL: The MWJHL has offered another overseas trip to players and parents and we have two teams again. Locations are Salzburg, Austria, Prague and Germany from Dec.26 – January 5, 2018. 8. PROSPECTS CAMP: The MWJHL will host a Prospects Camp again in late April for Midget grads and High School grads. 9. U19 TEAM- DULUTH TOURNAMENT: The MWJHL will also send a team of graduates from Midget (new and promising) along with a few first year League players to Duluth again in late May. This is an U19 Tournament. Every player attending was drafted to an MWJHL team.. 10. ANNIVERSARY YEAR 14: We will be entering the 14 th season for our Junior women’s league come September. 11. PLAYER TRANSFERS: Also of interest are the number of late rostered players and some transfer players who have returned from CIS and Colleges from the USA and Canada to join our league: 12. ROOKIES : The MWJHL signed over 40 rookies this year… and we are at our highest number ever for players in the league.

Respectfully,

Kirk Kuppers

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Director, Officiating Report

The Official’s certification Clinic Season ended mid- November, with numbers up in all levels (numbers are attached below). This was an exciting year as we introduced the Level 3 online certification, which went well and was well received. In conjunction we introduced a Level 3 Seminar which was a requirement for working in Elite leagues within the Province (MJHL, MMJHL, KJHL, and Provincial Midget AAA).

We had the following Officials attend Hockey Canada Events: • Nolan Powell and Wyatt Rapsky attended OPOE in Vancouver • Brett Thiessen attended the U-17 Development Camp in Calgary • Ben Croker and Matt Granger attended Western Canada U-16 Challenge Cup in Calgary • Amy Martin attended the Women’s U-18 Championship held in Regina • Kelsey Mahoney has been selected to attend a IIHF Ice Hockey U-18 World Championship Division III Group B held, Mexico City in March 2017

We have a busy last half of the season with the selection of officials for these events over the next 2 months, Regional West TELUS Cup Championship being held in Steinbach, Western Canada Jr B Championship being held in Arborg and the National ESSO CUP for Female Midget AAA being held in Morden late April.

Over the next several months we will be working a updating and developing an Officiating Program Manual for Hockey Manitoba. This manual deals with developing Level 1 officials, up to our Level 6 officials and brings awareness to all members the process within the Official’s program.

2016-2017 Officials by Region/Level and Gender

L I L I L II L II L III L III L IV L IV L V L VI Region (M) (F) (M) (F) (M) (F) (M) (F) (M) (M) TOTAL Brandon 12 0 9 1 23 0 4 0 2 0 51 CP 18 0 6 1 16 0 1 0 0 0 42 Eastman 73 20 36 5 43 2 4 0 1 0 184 Interlake 38 16 22 2 27 3 1 1 0 1 111 Norman 39 6 13 1 30 2 0 0 0 0 91 Parkland 22 2 10 2 34 0 1 0 0 0 71 Pvalley 79 7 28 0 46 1 1 0 0 0 162 Westman S 58 6 21 1 41 2 1 0 0 0 130 Winnipeg 183 32 122 14 150 4 16 2 7 2 532 Yellowhead 55 3 25 2 36 0 1 1 1 0 124 Other* 1 3 37 7 68 6 1 1 0 0 124 TOTALS 578 95 329 36 514 20 31 5 11 3 1622

Respectfully,

Harvey Nichol

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