Girls U20 Staff Announcement
Vaughan – May 10, 2019 - On behalf of the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) and the Team Canada High Performance Director, Steve Dockerty, we are proud to announce the 2020 Junior Girls U20 Team Canada staff for the World Junior Championships to be held in Rovaniemi, Finland the week of June 30-July 5.
Canada has had incredible success at international competitions over the years and program will be sending 22 players along with staff members to capture gold against the rest of the world. The Junior Team Canada staff will be scouting the CanAm Junior Championships in Brampton to select the players for the World Junior Championships.
Team Canada High Performance Director, Steve Dockerty who was represented Canada in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2016 is now spear heading the entire Junior program, had the following to say about how the program has taken shape. “Our 2020 squads will definitely be competing for the gold again. Even Canada has won in the past we will work harder to improve the program. We want players that will be part of the Team Canada family for years to come. We have established a team of strong individuals and players from across the country.
Dockerty continued, "We have such a strong group of coaches who all have been with the sport of ball hockey for numerous years.”
It is with great pleasure to introduce the following selections for the 2020 Girls U20 Junior Team Canada program:
Head Coach: Melissa Miller
Coach Miller success comes down to three core pillars - culture, talent, and the system of play/game style. She stresses great culture as a must-have ingredient at the elite level, regardless of how good the other two factors are. Without this there is nothing. She has used this as a player very early playing in various leagues and has elevated her play to the Provincial ‘A’ league and continues to represent Canada on Women’s Team Canada where she has won three Gold medals and one Silver in her four World Championship appearances. She currently coaches the boys ball hockey school team and Miller was an assistant coach in 2018 and returns to the program as head coach. She is a student of the game with a masterful ability at team dynamics and group building. She will teach, guide and elevate players to their potential.
Assistant Coach: Isabel Menard
Isabel has a great understanding of the international style of play and an appreciation of what it will take as a player to compete at the World level. She continues to be an active player in various women’s and co-ed leagues and member of Women’s Team Canada. Isabel has 5 years coaching experience and has coached in Switzerland and is currently coaching fundamentals to young girls. Her greatest strengths are to lead by example and these young women will learn and prepare under her guidance and coaching. The tactician, motivator and leader will give the 2020 team an opportunity to win gold, but the bigger message will stay with the young women they coach for rest of their lives.
Assistant Coach: Natasha King
Natasha has been playing the sport for 20 years and has had success at the U14, U16, U18 Girls Ontario provincial championships. Since graduating to the Women’s division been a member of Team Canada capturing three Gold medals and one Silver in her four World Championship appearances. Her ball hockey experience is not limited to playing as she has coached both ball and ice hockey. She has coached at the local minor ball hockey house league program and been a member of the U14 provincial team. Currently she is coaching a midget girl’s ice hockey team. Her strengths are her dedication, hard work, spirit, and knowledge of the game.
These individuals will have a big impact on the chemistry of the team. If success can be defined in other ways, like making progress, giving effort, how much did we learn, or how much better were we at the end of the tournament than at the beginning, the staff will be teaching important life lessons to the team and bringing home gold.
The NBHAC will be announcing the U16, U18, U20 staffs in the following weeks and support staff in June.
#wbhf2020rovaniemi #WeReady #WeAreTeamCanada #BeTheStandard
Junior World Championship in Finland
The World Ball Hockey Federation Junior Championships will be hosted in Rovaniemi, Finland.
The WBHF Junior Championships is largest ball hockey tournament offering U14, U16, U18, U20 and Girls U20 divisions and in 2020 the tournament will take place June 30 to July 5.
The Junior Championships are hosted bi-annually and will welcome over 500 players, coaches, team managers, club officials and families.
One of the features for the Championships will be the Athletes Village which has four hotel properties less than 100 metres from the double pad arena. The arena is part of a bigger sport complex which is an official Olympic training centre for the following various sports, ice hockey, cross country skiing, ski jumping, snowboarding, figure skating, paralympic skiing and athletes from around the world visit for their training.
The age of birth’s for the 2020 World Junior Championships are below with the current World Champion):
U14 – 2006 and 2007 (Slovakia)
U16 – 2004 and 2005 (Canada)
U18 – 2002 and 2003 (Canada)
U20 – 2000 and 2001 (Slovakia)
Girls U20 – 2000, 2001 and 2002 (Canada)
WBHF President, Domenic Di Gironimo, “this is an exciting opportunity for the WBHF as we welcomed St Hockey recently that have programs in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and expanding into other European countries in the next five years” he continued, “the partnership with St Hockey and the Russian and China Olympic committees will assist in growing the sport.”
The championships already have received confirmation s from Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden, United States of America and hosts Finland and look to welcome other teams in the coming months with final confirmations in February 2020.
#wbhf2020rovaniemi #WeAreBallHockey
World Ball Hockey Federation Returns to Slovakia
The World Ball Hockey Federation will be returning to Nitra which will host the 2020 Men’s and Women’s Championships the week of June 20-27.
Nitra is one of the oldest town settlements in Slovakia. The Nitra Castle is the most visited monuments and the upper town is comprised of a harmonious group of particularly well-preserved historical buildings, the Franciscan Church, burgher houses and art gallery. A permanent exhibition at the Nitra Museum shows the history of the city, its surrounding areas and Slovakia. The Nitra State Gallery, the Gallery of the Young, and the Art Gallery present Slovakian works as well as temporary exhibitions by foreign artists. The cultural life in Nitra is very rich.
The areas around Nitra provide several interesting activities. A hiking path will take you to Zobor Peak (588 meters), from the top of which is a lovely view of this wine growing region. The region of Nitra attracts visitors by its protected natural riches and the national natural reserve at Zobor and the one at Lukpa are home to numerous species of animals and plants. The forest of chestnut trees in Jelenska Gastanica is particularly interesting to discover.
WBHF President, Domenic Di Gironimo, “the city of Nitra will be a wonderful home for the participants of the 2020 World Championships” he continued, “this will be a wonderful opportunity for Russia (Women’s) and the Czech Republic (Men’s) to defend the championships they won in 2018 in Russia.”
#wbhf2020nitra #WeAreBallHockey
WBHF Grows the Game
Men’s Team Canada Staff Job Openings
Our goal is to build a program that is recognized as the best in world. We have a reputation for excellence in our sport coupled with a strong sense of community, which fosters growth. We will prepare and assemble a Team of Ball Hockey Players from Canada to compete for Gold Medal at the World Championships.
The goal is to field teams that set extra-ordinary standards for competitiveness, sportsmanship and team continuity. To create a “life experience” for members of Team Canada.
Athletic activities are an important part of our youth’s life experiences and this is reflected in our achievement in inter-provincial competition. We are seeking an outstanding individuals including, General Manager, Head Coach, Team Doctor, Therapist and Equipment Manager to be a part of our Team Canada program for each of our Men’s team.
The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada strives for excellence - in the quality of its players and community leaders and in the long tradition of athletic achievement. We are currently seeking a qualified candidate’s for the following contracts in preparation for the 2020 World Championships.
Women’s Team Canada Staff Job Openings
Our goal is to build a program that is recognized as the best in world. We have a reputation for excellence in our sport coupled with a strong sense of community, which fosters growth. We will prepare and assemble a Team of Ball Hockey Players from Canada to compete for Gold Medal at the World Championships.
The goal is to field teams that set extra-ordinary standards for competitiveness, sportsmanship and team continuity. To create a “life experience” for members of Team Canada.
Athletic activities are an important part of our youth’s life experiences and this is reflected in our achievement in inter-provincial competition. We are seeking an outstanding individuals including, General Manager, Head Coach, Team Doctor, Therapist and Equipment Manager to be a part of our Team Canada program for each of our Women’s team.
The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada strives for excellence - in the quality of its players and community leaders and in the long tradition of athletic achievement. We are currently seeking a qualified candidate’s for the following contracts in preparation for the 2020 World Championships.
JTC Staff Job Openings
Junior Team Canada Staff Job Openings – General Manager (U16, U18, U20 & Girls U20)
Our goal is to build a program that is recognized as the best in world. We have a reputation for excellence in our sport coupled with a strong sense of community, which fosters growth. We will prepare and assemble a Team of Ball Hockey Players from Canada to compete for Gold Medal at the World Championships.
The goal is to field teams that set extra-ordinary standards for competitiveness, sportsmanship and team continuity. To create a “life experience” for members of Team Canada.
Athletic activities are an important part of our youth’s life experiences and this is reflected in our achievement in inter-provincial competition. We are seeking an outstanding individuals including, High Performance Director, Head Coach, Team Doctor, Therapist and Equipment Manager to be a part of our Team Canada program for each of our Junior U16, U18, U20 & Girls U20 teams.
The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada strives for excellence - in the quality of its players and community leaders and in the long tradition of athletic achievement. We are currently seeking a qualified candidate’s for the following contracts in preparation for the 2020 World Junior Championships in Europe.
WTC Name Staff for Master's Worlds
The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Sue Smith to the position of General Manager for our Women’s Team Canada (WTC) Master’s program which will participate at the World Championships in Mississauga, Ontario in June of 2019.
Sue has a passion for our sport and enjoys working with the players who have the drive, desire and determination needed to succeed within the team. Over the past 10 years, she has worked with so many players/teams in the Toronto Women’s Ball Hockey League. She prides herself on player development and looks forward to working with the coaching staff and players working on strength & speed and assisting with the mental part of the game.
Smith added, “this is a wonderful opportunity to continue working with the great staff and players within the NBHAC. I have worked with many different individuals towards a common goal and this will be no different. We will have practices leading up to the championships and attempt to win gold.”
Joining Sue on the staff is Lorne Graham who has had previous coaching history as the head coach of various men’s, youth and women’s team in the Oshawa Ball Hockey League winning the Ontario Provincial Master’s Championship in 2018. Lorne’s involvement in ball hockey commenced in early 1980 and his strength as a coach is in his ability to see the whole picture and the attention to details.
The team’s assistant coach is Melissa Miller who has been a player on Women’s Team Canada since 2013 winning three gold and one silver medal and most recently was the assistant coach on the Girls U20 gold winning team in 2018. Melissa’s involvement in ball hockey has been at the high school level for the past six years and currently plays in the Greater Toronto Women’s Ball Hockey League.
Both Graham and Miller stress the teaching of the fundamentals of the game and strive to work in a team environment which supports the development of a strong work ethic where players and coaches can work together to achieve excellence.
The NBHAC has a selected a GOLDEN staff to lead the group of ladies in the Championships
#WTC #wbhf2019mississauga #BeTheStandard
Men's Team Canada Goalie Makes Quite A Bet
From BarDown.com
Hockey loving couple makes fantastic bet over outcome of Leafs, Bruins game
Some people become sports fans based on their geographical location, while others latch onto certain players or characteristics about a team, including players, logos or team history.
But for some individuals, the fandom can be started based on the team their parents cheered for. You probably know someone that was born in a certain province or state, but chose to go against the consensus because their father or mother grew up a fan of a different club.
Prior to puck drop between the Leafs and Bruins on Monday night, Paul Zernett , who cheers for the Leafs, and his wife Leah, a Bruins fan, raised the stakes with quite the bet regarding what team their newborn son will one day cheer for.
Okay, that's very, very good.
But what happens when the young boy reaches an age where he no longer wants to be "brainwashed" and decides to cheer for a team like, say, the Montreal Canadiens or Ottawa Senators? It might take some time, but boy, wouldn't that be interesting.
What we know is the Junior Team Canada program will have a prospect in 16 years
WBHF 4 vs 4 CHAMPIONSHIPS in the TURKS and CAICOS
The National Ball Hockey Association of Canada will be attending the inaugural 4 vs 4 World Ball Hockey Championships in the Men’s, Women’s and Master’s divisions being hosted from October 21 to 26 in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbeans.
#wbhf2019turksandcaicos
