Senators Spring AAA Hockey Development 

Entering it’s seventh season, the SSHD AAA Hockey Club has established itself as the finest spring hockey development program in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. The club hosts AAA teams for male and female athletes from U7 to U14, which will include some of the very best players from across Eastern Ontario. The program features exclusively professional non-parent head coaches and fully integrated development which includes league play, tournament play, advanced individual skill sessions run by professional instructors, and off-ice training from the region’s leaders in each domain.

If you are serious about using the spring to give your player the best possible development boost, and they are considered to be one of the most focused, coachable, and hard-working players on their team, then we have a great opportunity for them and your family.

The Senators Spring AAA Hockey Development Program is the perfect answer to provide players with additional skill development, fun, and the competitive-minded push they need before they head into an off-season of other activities. The SSHD AAA program focuses first and foremost on advanced skill development, lead by our professional full-time coaches from the Ottawa Senators Hockey Programs, along with a combination of traditional gameplay through local and out of town tournaments (team dependent) and non-traditional league games through the Ottawa Senators Spring Youth Leagues (4 on 4 & 3 on 3). This is a development program for serious athletes only, and while a key part of our club philosophy is to push players to their limits during development, it is also to focus on each athlete loving their experience. Our coaches strive to ensure a fun but extremely challenging environment. Off-ice development is equally important and all SSHD AAA club members will be exposed to an educative and focused program delivered by Fitquest Inc’s professional strength and conditioning coaches (team dependent).

Coaching staff will be led by professional full-time coaches and skill instructors, including SSHD AAA Head of Hockey Operations Jake Bullen, Club Head Coach Marcus Quinlin, Coach & Player Development Specialist Tyler Druce, Lead Goaltending Consultant Dave Stathos, Club Director Andy Bryan, and more. Click here to see bios of key club staff and the list of Team Head Coaches by level.

2025 SSHD AAA Roster Announcements: Individual player status notifications will be sent out by e-mail, while full team rosters will be announced once finalized via private postings to TeamSnap, the official program management and communication tool of the SSHD AAA Hockey Club.

The Ottawa Senators Spring Hockey Development Program is only accepting applications from competitive players capable of playing at a Spring AAA level. Players are not permitted to apply to a specific team within a level, and no withdrawals are permitted.

Program Features by Level

^{**Each SSHD AAA Team will be entered in the appropriate divisions at tournaments based on the overall calibre of the team.}

The 2025 edition of the SSHD AAA program will begin the week of April 7 for all age groups. With the introduction of spring tryouts for the AAA & AA levels, the 2011-2014 age groups will participate in a reduced schedule during the tryout period to better accommodate those trying out!

ATTENTION GOALIES! Senators Spring AAA Hockey Development goaltenders will be coached by former professional goaltender Dave Stathos and other elite coaches from the Dave Stathos Goalie Performance Center team, delivering unmatched value with the best possible development opportunity for those goalies who select and then qualify for our program!

Eligibility – Is this program right for your athlete?

The Senators Spring AAA Hockey Development Club is exclusively for those players and parents who are serious about their development. Our players are expected to be some of the most hard-working, focused, disciplined, and coachable in youth hockey. Players must be capable of playing at a competitive spring hockey level and of being pushed to perform to the best of their abilities in all games and practices. All players must also have a proven track record of being good teammates, and being respectful to coaches, officials, and the opposition. Our goal is to have highly competitive teams at each level with all club members being good players and good people. Players who have had discipline or behavioural issues with their minor hockey coaches are asked to refrain from applying to the SSHD program. Parents are expected to be positive influences who fully support all players and coaches in their development-first, team-first approach. At all times, players, coaches and parents must represent the Senators organization with class and pride.

Commitment Required (Effective 2024 Season)

The SSHD AAA Hockey Club recognizes that the nature of spring hockey can mean players have conflicts with other spring / summer activities (competitive soccer, baseball, etc..). Missing a development session is not recommended, however is acceptable when conflicts are unavoidable. However, ALL players are expected to attend ALL “Team Sessions”, games, and tournaments. Any exception to this may only be permitted with the express permission of the Team Head Coach, or Club Management well in advance of the conflict date. Missing SSHD AAA activities for other spring hockey programs is NOT permitted.

2025 Evaluation Process:

Based on the success of the 2024 season and increasing demand from players who wish to become part of the SSHD AAA club, evaluations are taking place early once again through a combination of methods which are designed to NOT take away from existing minor hockey commitments which should remain your top priority. This is to allow for an extended recruitment period and for players to be informed of their status as soon as possible for planning purposes. Players will be confirmed or released from teams as soon as an adequate evaluation has taken place. As a result, players should register immediately to begin the evaluation process. Only those players deemed to be capable of playing at a competitive Spring AAA level and are a good fit to represent our brand, will be selected. This means that spots will remain available until a full roster has been set. There is no expected timeline for this process to be complete and it will vary by age level (i.e. teams rosters could be announced as “complete” at any time).

IMPORTANT SSHD EVALUATION NOTE: To ensure SSHD evaluators have the ability to accurately assess all registered players, each evaluation session taking place during the minor hockey season will often include players from multiple age groups and a very wide range of abilities. These sessions may include those who will not ultimately be accepted to the program as well as players who will play on our Division 1 Elite teams, and everything in between. As a result, no conclusions should be drawn about the overall caliber of player applied to the SSHD AAA hockey club. To reiterate, only those players deemed capable of playing at a competitive spring level will be accepted.

Evaluations will continue until all teams are formed. Players are NOT expected or encouraged to miss their regular sanctioned team activities. We believe your Hockey Canada team comes first. Conflicts should be communicated to club staff (e-mail: [email protected]) who will work to find alternative evaluation times as they deem necessary. In some cases, player evaluations will be arranged with SSHD club staff where conflicts exist. ALL players must submit their registration (application) now in order to be considered and evaluated. Once a player is registered, club staff will work with parents to ensure each player is adequately evaluated for a decision to be made.

**Age levels with more than one team will see players separate by evaluated abilities (White, Red Black) at the sole discretion of club staff to ensure the best possible development experience for all involved.**

Full-Season Cost Breakdown:

Program Deposit/Evaluation Fee

A $90 evaluation/application fee is included in initial deposit amount above. The full amount is non-refundable should your player be selected for the SSHD AAA program. If they are not selected, the FULL amount (less the evaluation fee) is refundable or may be placed as a credit on file towards another Ottawa Senators Hockey Program (Weekly Skills, Camps, Youth Leagues, and more). Evaluation fees cover costs of evaluators, ice time, jerseys, travel and more and are not tied to a minimum number of evaluation sessions. All players share evenly in evaluation costs of the club regardless of the amount of evaluation they may require.

SSHD AAA Jerseys & Shells

All teams will wear the Red (away) and White (home), other than the our Black teams who will wear Black as their away uniform.

SSHD AAA Team Gear

Each and every aspect of the SSHD AAA program is professional quality, and the apparel and other team gear that each player, parent, or fan has access to is no exception. Full details and convenient ordering will be available through our partners at Gadar Promotions by visiting the online store, which will be live in the New Year.

SSHD AAA Skill Development Dates:

Senators Spring AAA Hockey Development Teams will practice weekday evenings and on every non-tournament or holiday. Most weekday development sessions, off-ice training and activities, and classroom sessions will take place at the Bell Sensplex (West Ottawa) or online for maximum convenience, with sessions at some levels taking place at the Cavanagh Sensplex or Richcraft Sensplex (East Ottawa). Please note, the Monday at 12 a.m. dates listed in the registration are simply placeholders until the full schedule is released via Team Snap.

Weekly team development sessions will run for ten to twelve consecutive weeks from the first week of April through Mid-to-late June. Up to 4-5 additional weekend ice-times will be released with the team schedule and can take place at any of our three state-of-the-art facilities; the Bell Sensplex (West Ottawa), Richcraft Sensplex (East Ottawa) or Cavanagh Sensplex (Kinburn).

With the introduction of spring tryouts for the AAA & AA levels, the 2025 edition of the program will be running are reduced schedule for the 2011-2014 born players during the tryout period to best accommodate those involved.

SSHD AAA Spring Competitive / Advanced Youth League Dates:

Youth League dates will be posted in January 2025.

SSHD AAA Tentative Tournament Schedule

The tournament schedule for each team will be posted in November 2025.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Senators Spring AAA Hockey Development Program is the best spring hockey program in the city. Don’t just take it from us, click here to see what our past players had to say!

Please call 613 599 0222 or email [email protected] for additional information.

Refund Policy: Read our Refund & Cancellation Policy.

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