Valley East Minor Hockey is excited to launch our first-ever U9 Tier 1 team, coached by Travis Burton. Travis brings years of coaching experience, including last season in our U9 A Division. He’s known for his strong hockey knowledge, high energy, and ability to teach the game in a fun, structured, and supportive way.
Our U9 program is designed around skill-based development, not competition. Players will be placed into Tier 1, Division A, or Division C based on evaluations. This allows every child to play with others at a similar skill level and build confidence. Division A and Division C coaches have not been selected. If you are interested please register on Spordle!
Program Highlights:
~ 70 ice times throughout the season, with 3 regular ice times every week
~ Weekly goalie clinics
~ Practices focus on skating stride and core fundamentals
~ Modified 4-on-4 games early in the season, with rotating skill development
~ Pass attempts are tracked, not goals — to promote teamwork
~ Every year, the majority of Division C players progress to Division A thanks to focused coaching and a positive environment.
Following the New NOHA Framework
Our program aligns fully with the NOHA’s new U9 structure, which emphasizes development over tier labels. As NOHA Executive Director Jason Marchand writes:
“Tier 1 programming is not equivalent to ‘Rep hockey.’”
“Tiering is about placing like-skilled players together to support skill development and ice time engagement.”
Families register with one association only and commit to the full program — whether Tier 1 or not. U9 remains house league programming, and meaningful development is our top priority.
Have Questions?
Reach out any time — we’re here to help.
Jim McLoughlin
U9 Convenor – Valley East Minor Hockey
[email protected]
705-688-2028