Philosophy

Hockey Canada, the national sport governing body responsible for amateur hockey in Canada, established the Program of Excellence in 1981. The purpose of this program is to identify the most talented young hockey players and to provide these players with an opportunity to compete internationally at an early age.

The Program of Excellence will allow Canada to identify and train our most gifted young players as well as present them with the opportunities to measure and sharpen their skills against top calibre international competition.

Through the Program of Excellence, players are exposed to superior coaching and training methods that are designed to better prepare our national teams to compete against the top teams in the World.

Objectives

The primary objective of the Program of Excellence is to maintain Canada’s position as a major force in international hockey. By participating in talent identification camps and select competitions at an earlier age, players will have more time to develop both physically and mentally. The time allowed for this development assists our most talented players in becoming better prepared to compete successfully in prestigious international competitions such as the World Junior Championship, the Winter Olympics, and special international tours.