OHF update sheds light on changing minor hockey landscape

A local hockey coach was fined and suspended for 15 games for trying to poach players during the season. CTV Windsor’s Bob Bellacicco explains.

Rule changes by the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) last year opened borders for players ranging from U10 and older and from AAA to house league.

Tampering became a big issue, according to the OHF.

The OHF released a list of 16 centres hit by sanctions ranging from recruitment violations to private skates prior to evaluations.

Riverside Minor Hockey was on the list.

“The tampering rule in my opinion and in the opinion of others were kind of vague,” said Jay Jubinville, the vice president of Travel. “Even the ones that they came out with in that new bulletin that you just read are still somewhat vague.”

A coach received a 15-game suspension, and the association a $5,000 fine.

Riverside is on the list, but the incident happened almost a year ago.

Jubinville said the coach was with another association at the time of the alleged infraction after finding out he was getting a team with Riverside.

“Our coach did not promise anybody anything other than he would like to see them at our tryouts and that’s what got him suspended,” said Jubinville.

Jubinville said the new landscape has turned centres against each other, “The person who made the complaint went directly to the OMHA and OHF.”

He also believes the borderless landscape is good for players, but could have a negative impact on associations.

“You always have the ones that follow coaches, and if that coach decides to leave that centre to go to another centre, say Riverside’s got a super team at U11 this year and in two years at U13 all those kids move to Windsor because the coach went there and they want to follow the coach,” he explained.

He also feels the associations are forced to roll out the red carpet.

“It’s turned it into a business,” Jubinville said.

Riverside Minor now provides their coaches with a stipend to be behind the bench. They’ve also added additional programming like power skating and skills development in order to be competitive on and off the ice.

“You [have to] offer the best package or players will look somewhere else,” said Randy Levac, first vice president for LaSalle Minor Hockey.

They are looking at adding a coaching stipend, but for now have added a video room and dry land training area at the Vollmer this season to compete for players.

Levac said coaches have not been picked, but will be announced on Feb. 15.

“Once you tell the coach he’s got the team, it’s pretty hard to keep it to yourself. But that’s what they have to do. It’s open borders now so it’s almost like a dog fight now to see who gets what,” said Levac.