After consultations and many hours of conversations with parents and families, Bonnyville Minor Hockey Association and the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs have elected to have the new U13AAA Yaks team return to a traditional model for practices.
This means that practice times will occur in the evenings, instead of morning skates like originally scheduled. These practices will happen 2-3 times a week in Bonnyville.
Understanding the wide interest in participating in the elite hockey model, the U13AAA Yaks want to alleviate any potential issues families had accessing the program for players outside of Bonnyville, while still allowing the student to maintain their daily school schedule.
The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs will continue to oversee hockey operations with head coach Chad Taylor at the helm, who has personally spoken to many of the interested families, and is eager to get started.
To give more time to adapt to this change, the tryout schedule has been moved.
Tryouts for the U13AAA Yaks are combined with the Lakeland Panthers AA tryouts on Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25, with multiple skates guaranteed.
With a one time tryout registration fee players who are invited to be on the U13AAA Yaks, will still ultimately have a choice between the U13AAA Yaks and Lakeland Panthers U13AA programs.
The pilot program of U13AAA under Hockey Alberta is a new venture to establish a clear developmental progression from the grassroots to the elite system.
The commitment to providing an elite hockey experience for young athletes remains the goal for Bonnyville Minor Hockey Association and the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs, and we are excited for the upcoming season.
For tryout dates and time, more information is available under the U13AAA Yaks FAQ tab, or email BMHA registration at yaks@bonnyvilleminorhockey.ca.
