The architects of a mentorship program between the Olds peewee AA Grizzlys and their AJHL counterparts hope it's the start of a lasting new partnership.
Chris Bell is the Olds Minor Hockey Association's peewee AA coach. He said the mentorship program arose from a discussion with Olds Grizzlys president Shane Dixon and Brett Hopfe, the team's head coach and director of hockey operations.
“They're really interested in helping the young kids achieve their goals,” Bell said.
Peewee players are aged 11 to 12 years old and are matched with a Grizzlys player, based on factors such as hockey position and personality.
Minor hockey players will keep in contact with their mentors, who can provide advice for life on the ice or away from it.
“It's kind of like a big brother mentorship program, which I thought was a really neat idea,” Hopfe said.
The plan is to have the peewee players attend Grizzlys practices. Then the older players will return the favour by assisting peewee coaches with their practices, something that Hopfe said his players will benefit from.
“You see the game at a different level when you're coaching. You break it down more in your head,” he said. “I think that will help them with their mindset going through this year.”
On Sept. 23, the peewee Grizzlys attended the junior A team game against the Brooks Bandits and the next day, spent time with their mentors in the dressing room.
Bell said the mentorship program would benefit the AJHL team by making fans out of his players.
Those AA players could potentially play for the junior A club in the future, he added.
“We would hope it's going to keep their dedication level high. To say, ‘I want to play for the Grizzlys and I'm learning not just about the way the guy plays, but the way he … practices',” he said.
Developing a pipeline of talent that would feed his team is something Hopfe is looking forward to, in addition to an AA hockey team in Olds.
“It's something that we wanted for the last few years. This is going to help that out tremendously,” he said. “With having an AA program, it's going to push kids to be better … and that's something we're really excited for as a Grizzlys organization, to get AA hockey back in the town of Olds.”
Peewee players would take what they learn and in turn, mentor younger novice players, Bell said.
“We see their dedication, work ethic off the ice and we also see that if we are able to be good hockey players, we've got to find a way to give back to the community and be good citizens,” he said.
That kind of community service is integral to the character development the Grizzlys emphasize, Hopfe said.
“That's something that we strive for here, bringing in these kids. We want them to be productive members of society when they're done playing.”
Dixon could not be reached for comment.
