TORONTO, ON - Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) President Joe Drago and Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Commissioner David Branch are pleased to announce that the inaugural 2007 OHF/OHL Under-16 Program of Excellence was a success.  The camp took place on the weekend of April 27-29 at the Kitchener Auditorium in Kitchener, Ontario.

A total of 120 players (72 forwards, 36 defenseman and 12 goaltenders) from across the OHF took part in the event and formed six teams. An OHL coach led each team with the support of an assistant coach and trainer from OHF Member Partners:  Alliance, GTHL, OMHA, NOHA and OHA.

The OHF/OHL Under-16 Program of Excellence gave players an introduction to high performance hockey and provided them with an opportunity to learn what it takes to achieve their hockey dreams.  Each team participated in two practices and three games.  In addition to the on-ice sessions, players also took part in off-ice seminars on nutrition, drug and alcohol awareness, sports psychology, team building, team video, hockey for life, and fitness testing.

There was a feature panel which participated in a question and answer session with guest speakers that included Peter DeBoer (General Manager/Head Coach – Kitchener Rangers), Mike McGurk (Player – Toronto St. Michael's Majors), Marty McGurk (Parent of Mike McGurk), Kelly Nobes (Head Coach – Wilfred Laurier University men's hockey team), David Tennant (Education Consultant – Kitchener Rangers), and Rob Kitamura (Director of Central Scouting & Player Development – OHL). 


ABOVE: Team Blue at the Inaugural OHF/OHL Under-16 Program of Excellence in Kitchener.

The second OHF/OHL Under-16 Program of Excellence camp will take place on the weekend of May 11-13 at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ontario.  All the players for the Oshawa camp have been notified and rosters will be available early next week. 

For more information on the OHF/OHL Under-16 Program of Excellence, visit the OHF Website at www.ohf.on.ca or www.bestofbothworlds.ca/development. 

The OHF is one of three Hockey Canada Branches operating in the Province of Ontario and is the largest of all thirteen across Canada. The OHF is comprised of seven Member Partners and has a membership base that represents over forty percent of Hockey Canada.  

For more information please contact: