Derek Popke and Vancouver Hockey School will be leading our skill development program for our rep players. For our goalies, we will be partnering with Pro Formance Goalie School to provide a goalie development program that will include development during team visits as well as an option for weekly user pay goalie school.
Skills with Vancouver Hockey School
During the 2024/25 season, Vancouver Hockey School coaches will be leading skills sessions for all of our Thunderbirds rep teams. Together with the teams' coaches, the Vancouver Hockey School will lead 7 scheduled sessions with each team in U11 and U13. Your coaches will provide the dates of these sessions as part of the team's calendar.
In addition to these sessions, the Vancouver Hockey School coaches will also be leading additional weekly sessions as part of a High Performance Program for U11 and U13 players.
High Performance Program - click here for more information
The High Performance (HP) Program is an in-season skills program designed for dedicated T-Birds U11 and U13 rep players who want to train, work hard, and take their game to the next level.
HP sessions are instructed by Derek Popke, Stan Sibert, Brandon Campos, and coaches with the Vancouver Hockey School. You can read the Vancouver Hockey School coaches bio’s at www.vancouverhockeyschool.com.
Players are placed in appropriate skill groups in order to maximize the teaching efficiency and learning experience of each individual player. Sessions do not conflict with T-Birds practice or home game slots.
*Players from outside associations will be invited to the program based on open spots.
Goaltender Development with Pro Formance Goalie School
Pro Formance is one of the leading goalie development programs in BC and has been training goalies in the Vancouver area for the past twenty years. Led by their Chief Instructor, Rob Fuchs, along with other instructors, PFGS will join our Thunderbird rep players during team practices over the season to work closely with each netminder. In addition to the team visits over the season, all U11 to U18 goalies who want to take their skills to the next level will be able to join ProFormance instructors in our Thunderbirds Goalie School.
Thunderbird Goalie School
The Thunderbird Goalie School is an in-house initiative for the association that provides the opportunity for additional instruction for goalies at all age levels from U11 to U18 in three groups. Groups will be dependent upon registration and will be separated by skill level.
Note: Goalie to Instructor ratio is a maximum of 4 to 1.
Registration information for 2022-23 season will be distributed once finalized.