A Vacation Message to Our Hockey Group
Expensive Associates,
As we shut out 2024, I wish to take a second to specific my immense delight and gratitude for the outstanding progress we’ve made collectively this yr. It’s been a yr of development inside our system as we proceed to put the foundations for a sustainable, profitable and accessible future. As we mirror on 2024, there’s a couple of key moments that stood out specifically. I’m excited to revisit a few of our key achievements with you.
Occasion Internet hosting and Competitions
In 2024, we had been proud to host two main continental championships: the Indoor Pan American Cup, which we hosted in Calgary, Alberta, and the Junior Pan American Championships, hosted in Surrey, BC. Due to a collaborative method with companions from throughout the group, each occasions proved vastly profitable. The Junior Pan Ams proved a particular spotlight with each our junior males and junior ladies qualifying for subsequent yr’s Junior World Cup – nicely carried out to all concerned!
Along with worldwide occasions, FHC continued to increase the nationwide internet hosting portfolio. In complete, 4 nationwide tournaments had been held in 2024. Starting in Summer season with the annual youth nationwide championships, the place the U18 occasion was held in Surrey, BC adopted instantly by the U16 Championship in Calgary, Alberta. The involvement of all three Atlantic provinces within the U18 occasion, with PEI on the rostrum was a specific spotlight on area whereas Discipline Hockey Alberta’s ‘Hoe Down’ get together on the underneath 16 occasion was definitely an off-field spotlight!
One other off area spotlight this yr was the Corridor of Fame celebration. Held in Richmond BC, we had been honored to welcome lots of our esteemed group members to the ceremony. It definitely showcased the easiest of our sport from coast to coast and the event was a beautiful alternative for pals far and vast, younger and outdated, to reconnect over shared hockey tales. Congratulations to our Lessons being celebrated at this occasion.
Shifting into Fall, FHC was excited to steer the inaugural FHC USPORTS Nationwide Match, hosted in York, Toronto. Congratulations to all 4 college finalists and to the College of Victoria for getting gold! As FHC takes on management of the USports portfolio, we stay up for continued development within the coming years. One other occasion which can proceed to develop in our nationwide internet hosting portfolio is the Canadian Masters Cup. This thrilling occasion occurred in Brampton, Ontario and our due to the group for supporting!
All through 2024, our senior nationwide groups continued to showcase their abilities on the worldwide stage. They demonstrated excellent resolve within the Olympic qualifiers, sadly arising brief for Paris however exhibiting that our younger groups are nicely on the right track for 2028, with each groups ending strongly later within the yr on the Nations Cup. In the meantime our youth and growth squads additionally traveled throughout the globe as we proceed to construct a powerful expertise pathway—visiting the Netherlands, Scotland, Wales, Malaysia, and Japan.
The expertise pipeline additionally continues to reveal unimaginable development at grasp’s stage. This yr we had been delighted to ship seven masters groups to Auckland for the WMH Masters World Cup. Effectively carried out to all who pulled on our Canada shirt this yr!
2024 Highlights
Males’s Nationwide Group: A notable victory over #14 ranked Korea, ending fifth on the Nations Cup.
Girls’s Nationwide Group: A robust sixth place end on the Nations Cup, with a powerful win over Korea.
House Internet hosting in collaboration with provincial and membership companions: Profitable supply of IPAC and JPAC.
Masters World Cup: Canadian groups excelled, with six of our seven Nationwide Groups ending within the High 10 of their respective division.
FHC USports: College of Victoria secured their sixth consecutive nationwide title and first-ever Discipline Hockey Canada USports college event title.
Junior Groups: Following dwelling performances at JPAC, the boys’s and girls’s junior groups have certified for the 2025 Junior World Cups.
In issues of governance, FHC continued to prioritize improved governance of our system. All through 2024 we as soon as held month-to-month PSO member conferences. We engaged the group in updating the danger administration registry by a collection of workshops and continued to strengthen the board with skills-based Director appointments. The board additionally started the method of growing the brand new Strategic Plan which can come into impact in 2026 and contain broader engagement by 2025. We stay up for working with you! Lastly, FHC labored with the boarder sport group to contribute positively to the Way forward for Sport Fee. This fee is charged with reimagining a greater high quality, protected and nicely ruled sport system to serve everybody and it was an honour to contribute.
Gratitude and Acknowledgements
After all, none of those highlights could be attainable with out our workforce of groups who contribute tirelessly in so some ways.
A heartfelt thanks to our sponsors and companions—The Indian Maharadja, OPRO, GTR, The Cove, Coast Physio, Boulevard Journey, and all our sport companions—for his or her unwavering assist. Particular due to the provincial organizations of British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario for his or her dedication in internet hosting occasions with us. Due to the Alberta group as a stand out of their assist in delivering an amazing IPAC dwelling internet hosting – the primary in Alberta! We additionally deeply respect the continuing assist of our membership accomplice West Vancouver, in addition to our group membership organizations for JPAC: India Membership, Panthers and Dashmesh, in addition to assist golf equipment Lions, Gobind Sarvar, United Brothers, Sikh Video games, West Coast Kings, Elite, and plenty of others. A real group effort made the JPAC occasion a powerful success. Moreover, we’d prefer to thank our worldwide companions in Japan, Malaysia, and Europe who we proceed to construct robust worldwide commitments with for the betterment of our fantastic sport.
Thanks additionally to our fantastic board of administrators, committee members and our small however mighty workers workforce. You make life a pleasure! A particular due to Olympian Deb Whitten who stepped down from the board after 6 years of service. Fortuitously, Deb continues to contribute to governance by her involvement on committees. Due to Deb and different outgoing Administrators: Nick Sandhu, Derm Coombs Ben Martin and Krissy Wishart.
Wanting Forward to 2025
As we glance towards the brand new yr, we’re excited in regards to the challenges and alternatives that 2025 will deliver. It can be one other enormous yr, together with:
A concentrate on World Cup qualification for our senior groups.
Our Junior Nationwide Groups may have two prime tier worldwide occasions: with an inaugural Junior Pan Am Video games in Summer season earlier than the Junior World Cup in December
Continued enlargement of the expertise pathway youth and growth excursions
A Masters concentrate on persevering with to construct success at Pan American competitors
Supply of a brand new competitors construction and expanded home alternatives
Strategic overview of the present Strategic Plan and supply of a brand new FHC Strategic Plan to serve 2026 – 2030
We’re dedicated to constructing on our successes and pushing for even larger accomplishments in 2025. For the reason that unification of the boys’s and girls’s associations in 1991, we now have not had each qualify for the World Cup in the identical yr. That might be a spotlight for 2025!
On behalf of Discipline Hockey Canada, I want you all a joyful vacation season stuffed with peace and happiness. Thanks to your continued dedication and assist of our sport. Collectively, let’s make 2025 one other unforgettable yr for Canadian area hockey.
With kindness,Susan Ahrens (CEO) and the FHC GroupThe Discipline Hockey Canada workplace shall be closed from December 21-January 5.
