Minor Hockey
Programs
Training Tomorrow’s Players
Burnaby Winter Club Minor Hockey offers development-focused programs for players from U7 to U15, helping young athletes strengthen their skills and love for the game.
Development Plan
The following core principles guide player development across all Burnaby Winter Club (BWC) Minor Hockey divisions. Our philosophy emphasizes individual skill mastery, game awareness, and a relentless work ethic both with and without the puck.
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Core Development Principles
Skating Abilities: We emphasize strong skating mechanics, speed, and puck control at various speeds. Power skating sessions are built into our program throughout the winter season to refine stride efficiency, explosiveness, edge control, and balance.
Puck Control Abilities: Players learn to maintain possession, distribute, and receive the puck while reacting to game-like situations. Weekly high-development (HD) sessions focus on puck control under pressure and in motion.
Scoring Abilities: We focus on proper shooting mechanics, attacking principles, and creating scoring opportunities through game-relevant drills. HD sessions reinforce these concepts to help players become confident finishers.
Hockey IQ: Our development model teaches players to apply their individual skills within real-game contexts. We integrate situational learning, decision-making, and awareness to build complete hockey players.
Play With & Without the Puck: We stress the importance of compete level, puck pursuit, and commitment to playing both sides of the game. Players are taught to be effective with and without the puck through competitive and high-tempo drills.
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Development Progression by Division
The focus is on establishing a strong foundation in skating and puck skills. Players are introduced to our core principles through fun, engaging, and skill-specific drills that build confidence and enjoyment of the game.
We continue to build individual skills while introducing basic team play and positional awareness. Core principles remain central, ensuring each player develops strong technical abilities before advancing to more structured systems.
Players continue to refine their skating, puck handling, and scoring skills. Team concepts and structure are introduced progressively throughout the season, helping players understand positioning, support, and game flow.
We challenge players to elevate their technical and tactical skills while deepening their understanding of team structure. Off-ice training is introduced, focusing on movement mechanics, speed, agility, and quickness. Once proper technique is established, players begin strength training under careful load management.
With a solid foundation in place, players are challenged with advanced skating and puck control drills. Greater emphasis is placed on team structure, role definition, and situational play. Off-ice training intensifies, with continued focus on speed, agility, and strength development under proper movement patterns.