U9 Development Support Program: September Newsletter

by Trevor Buhnai | October 1, 2026 4:45 pm

September Newsletter

The Western Branches of Hockey Canada – BC Hockey, Hockey Alberta, Hockey Saskatchewan, Hockey Manitoba, and Hockey North – are excited to bring you the first newsletter of our 2026-2027 Under-9 (U9) Development Support Program! The goal of this monthly communication is to share resources that can help you deliver U9 hockey in your region and assist your players as they transition from cross-ice to half-ice, and eventually to full-ice by the end of the season.

All U9 coaches within the membership of Hockey Canada’s Western Branches will receive this newsletter each month throughout the 2026-27 season, providing you with supplemental coaching resources specifically aimed at assisting the development of seven and eight-year-old players.

These newsletters will include the following:

Reminders of and links to existing resources already available to you:
- U11 Pathway document and its deliverables
- U11 Pathway delivery schedule for each stage (Prep/Evaluation, Development, Regular Season, Playoffs, Off-Season)
- Provincial coaching homepages
- Player assessment protocols
- Hockey Canada Network App
Newly created resources that coaches have asked for:
- Drills to support player learning
- Interviews with subject matter experts
- Practice Plans
- Support for goaltender development

Please have a look at what we have to share with you this month:

Did you know you’ve already entered the Prep/Evaluation Phase of the U9 Pathway?

This stage lasts four weeks (roughly September 1-29).

In this stage:

No evaluation/selection/tryouts prior to the first week of school, or during the first week if it starts the week after Labour Day (Sept. 1)
Minimum of four practices/skill sessions prior to formal evaluation/ selection/tryouts starting
Minimum of three formal evaluation/selection/tryout sessions
- Recommendations:
  - One skill session, one small-area-games session, one game
  - Players play both forward and defence (full-time goalies allowed)
  - Select players based on skill rather than position
  - Players grouped with like-ability players for maximum growth. Players should not be cut.

After that, you’ll move on to the Development Phase. In this 8-week phase (roughly September 30 – November 24):

Ideal practice-to-game ratio is 3:1 – three practices to one game played
- Verify with your home MHA, district, and/or provincial branch as to when U9 gameplay is permitted to commence in your area
- Rotate all positions, no full-time goalies
- Surface size for U9 gameplay should be half-ice (100’ x 85’)
- Progression to full-ice permitted after January 15

Focus on skill development:
- Fundamental movement skills (striding, turning, stopping)
- Manipulation skills (shooting, passing, puck control)
- Motor skills (agility, balance, coordination)
Fun and safe environment to promote self-confidence

For full details, please review the U9 Player Pathway document in its entirety HERE

Need evaluation resources for the Prep/Evaluation Phase? Here are a few tryout practice plans and evaluation rubrics you might find useful:

The drills in these U9-specific practice plans are designed to give coaches ideas on getting their players ready for player selection / tryouts by incorporating a multitude of skills required to play the game. There are 4 practice plans in this series that include key teaching points, key evaluation points, drill diagrams, and video demonstrations to provide insight on the details within the drills.

Find them by logging into the Hockey Canada Network App (HCNA), Clicking the “Featured” tab in the bottom left of the screen, then scrolling through the “Practice Plans” section to find the U9 Player Pathway option.

You can also find them here:

Practice 1 | Practice 2 | Practice 3 | Practice 4

Need practice plans for the Development Phase? Here are 32 pre-made plans for U9 hockey: CLICK HERE

HCNA Tutorials: iOS | Android

Player evaluation can be one of the most difficult tasks for a local hockey association to deal with. This resource provides uniformity and consistency in the evaluation process and aims to assist you in providing a fair and impartial assessment of your players.

Find this resource by logging into the Hockey Canada Network App, Clicking the “Featured” tab in the bottom left of the screen, then scrolling through the “Practice Plans” section to find the U9 Player Pathway option.

You can also find it HERE

RELATED:

Hockey Canada’s U9 Skills Evaluation Resource
Assist you coach selection efforts with Hockey Canada’s MHA Coach Development Plan
U9 coaches need Coach 1. Contact your provincial branch to check requirements and sign up for a clinic
BC Hockey, Hockey Alberta, Hockey Sask, Hockey Manitoba

Even more U9 specific resources are available on Hockey Canada’s website HERE

Skating is still the most important skill in the game of hockey. In today’s game and like in any generation before, if you can skate you can play. While the fundamental and technical components of skating – balance, coordination, stride, turning, crossovers, etc — remain very important, coaches also need to make sure to teach their players how to “skate the game” so they can achieve success. Use lessons that combine multiple game-observed skating skills at once – e.g. deceptive skating, quickness, change of pace, change of direction, north, south, east, west and other different components that can be seen regularly occurring in a game.

Have a look at Hockey Canada’s video (linked above) to see some drill examples and more details on teaching players to “skate the game”.

Tips to Help Coaches Communicate Effectively

Good communication is a cornerstone of a successful team. Please have a look through these resources available to you that are aimed at optimizing communication within your team:

What can a four-time Stanley Cup champion teach you about getting the most out of your team? Florida Panthers’ assistant coach Jamie Kompon stopped by BC Hockey Coaches Club in September to share practical insights on building trust, creating purposeful practices, and developing a culture where players love coming to the rink. Through candid NHL stories and answers to minor hockey coaches’ questions, he explores player motivation, effective feedback, and connecting individual skills to team success. Watch the full interview for ideas you can bring to your next practice—and inspiration to keep growing as a coach.

At the U9 level, hockey is about learning, confidence, fun and long-term development. Hockey Canada’s approach to small-ice hockey (cross- and half-ice) and small-area games is rooted in one simple idea: Kids have fun and learn the game best when they are involved in the play, not watching it. As a volunteer, you may be asked why U9 hockey looks different than what adults remember. Here are some resources to help you answer the “why”, focused on promoting the benefits of hockey development on smaller ice surfaces that can help strengthen understanding and confidence in half-ice hockey and support retention within your association.

We thank you in advance for your efforts in helping your U9 players acclimate from cross-ice to half-ice and beyond within your local program this year!

Have you created resources that have helped your U9’s development previously? Would you like to share them with other U9 coaches in Western Canada to assist their development efforts? Email us your best resource for review and we may share it in an upcoming newsletter. coaching@bchockey.net

We hope you found this newsletter helpful! We look forward to reconnecting with you again next month.