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Welcome� to �McKnight Hockey�2026-27

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Agenda

  1. Welcome
  2. Land acknowledgement
  3. What’s new this season?
  4. Evaluations
  5. Transition to team formation
  6. Coach Selection
  7. Coach Development
  8. Game and Conduct Update
  9. McKnight Hosted Tournaments
  10. Financials
  11. Volunteering and recognition
  12. Q & A

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Land acknowledgement

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With gratitude, mutual respect, and reciprocity, we acknowledge the ancestral home, culture, and oral teachings of the Treaty 7 signatories which includes the Siksika Nation, Piikani Nation, Kainai Nation, the Stoney Nakoda Nation, consisting of the Chiniki, Bearspaw and Good Stoney Bands, and the people of theTsuut’ina Nation. We also recognize the Métis people of Alberta Region 3 who call Treaty 7 their home.

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New this Season

McKnight Specific

    • New board members
    • Reminder of the volunteer requirements (10 Team hours and 5 Club hours)

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Evaluations

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Evaluations – U7

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Evaluations – U7 Continued

  • Junior and Senior Teams
    • You may be asked to consider having your player move to a junior or senior team given
      • (a) we do not have an equal split of players in a way that affords equal teams; we have a number of players that may mean we are trying to create a fifth team which will have to play in Jr or Sr division but could be comprised of both jr and sr skaters and/or:
      • (b) your player’s skill level may indicate a benefit from a shift
    • Adjustments like this are at the request of the sort coordinator and will be done in large part with consultation of parents

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Evaluations – U9

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Evaluations – Pathway Skates Explained

  • It is a program aimed at leveling the playing field for those players that have not skated during the spring/summer
  • It means there are skates before the evaluation process begins and will mean that there are still 5 evaluated skates
  • The progression will – in a broad way – be:
    • Conditioning / Skills
    • Skills / Game Rules (off side & icing in particular)
    • Skills and Game Play
    • Game Play
  • These are NOT evaluated skates, and as such, we do not want helmet numbers on until this stage of the process is complete

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Evaluations – U11

  • Arranging this program with hybrid goalies has historically created some scheduling challenges and we will work through those as best we can as an evaluation team
  • The program sets dates for allowance of things like the start of game play to meet their objectives

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Evaluations – U13

  • The evaluation team at this age group is experienced and knowledgeable
  • This is the first exposure for players to position based evaluation
    • Players are evaluated based on Forward, Defence and Goalie
    • They will go through the evaluations and skills based on position
    • Some players were registered as “PLAYER” and those will need to be remedied
    • Players can decide to change evaluated position after the FIRST evaluation skate (skills session) only, and that will be done under the direction of the U13 Evaluation Coordinators

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Evaluations – U15 and U18

  • The evaluation team at each of these age groups is experienced in the evaluation program
  • The most significant difference between U13, and U15 and U18, is the body contact component
  • There are both body contact and non-body contact in these age groups and the schedules differ with body contact evaluations going first and followed by non-body contact evaluations

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Evaluations – House League

  • House league is a collaborative league where McKnight and the Raiders partner in U9 and U11
  • Each club runs evaluations for one age group with athletes present from both clubs
  • Evaluations are “sort based” with the aim being building parity teams

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Evaluations – Team Sizes

  • Hockey Calgary has team size guidelines and the difference in team size cannot vary by more than one player throughout an age group
  • Hockey Calgary provides a full team grid which will is provided to all member clubs. They retain discretion to make changes once they have a sense of how many teams each member club is likely to have, but it is not at the discretion of McKnight Hockey
  • Parity teams are defined by the Hockey Calgary grid as referenced above
  • One example of the grids set out by Hockey Calgary is on the next slide
  • It is, in many respects, dictated by Hockey Calgary; see: https://www.hockeycalgary.ca/assets/file/2026-27_Regulations_FINAL.pdf

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Evaluations – Parity Divisions and Team Sizes: EXAMPLE ONLY

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Evaluations – Team Formation

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Coach Selection

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Coach Selection

  • Coach Selection - Current Process
      • Key principles
        • Evaluations set the teams based on player evaluations
        • Committee places coaches based on points; preference and feedback considered
      • Scoring
        • Certifications (7)
        • Coaching Experience (4)
        • Playing Experience / Level (3)
        • Philosophy (3)

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Coach Selection - Continued

Coach Selection - Current Process

      • Feedback “stoplight” approach
        • Green – all positive feedback, or minimal negative isolated feedback
        • Yellow – some negative feedback, sometimes from multiple sources
        • Red – larger amount of negative feedback from multiple sources, repeated over multiple cycles, and/or escalation to McKnight or Hockey Calgary

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Coach Applications Close Sept. 10

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Coach Selection and Coach Development

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Coach Certifications Due November 15

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Coach Development

    • Coach training available through Hockey Alberta and costs covered by McKnight
    • We are targeting offering additional skills training sessions during the season, including body contact for coaches
    • McKnight has partnered with Hockey Calgary to provide online resources for coach planning and training

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Game and Conduct

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​McKnight Game and Conduct�Procedures and Policies�

  • Parent, Player, Volunteer and Coach Fair Play Code of Conduct Forms
  • Communication Flow Chart
  • Discipline Flow Chart
  • Maltreatment, Bullying and Harassment definitions
  • Incident Report – Minor and Major

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Communication Flow Chart

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Parents/Player

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Team Manager/Coaching Staff

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Division Coordinator

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Head Coordinator

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Applicable Board Executive

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McKnight Board of Directors

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McKnight President/Designate

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Hockey Calgary

Discipline Flow Chart

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Importance of the Social Media, Parent, Player and Volunteer Conduct policies:

  • Documents can be found online

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  • Expectation: Every team sets up a time and place pre-season to review the code of conduct and policies with their players and parents. (can be done online or in a team meeting setting)

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  • Players/Parent must sign Fair Play Code of Conduct and social media policies prior to first game

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  • Team manager to follow up

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Definitions:

MALTREATMENT, BULLYING AND HARASSMENT:

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MALTREATMENT MEANS VOLITIONAL ACTS THAT RESULT IN HARM OR THE POTENTIAL FOR PHYSICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM. MALTREATMENT CAN TAKE MANY FORMS, BUT GENERALLY INCLUDES ANY ACT, LACK OF AN ACTION OR DELIBERATE BEHAVIOR, BY A PERSON(S) IN A POSITION OF TRUST THAT CAUSES PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND/OR SEXUAL HARM OR DAMAGE TO ANOTHER PERSON.

 

BULLYING IS DEFINED BY THE COMBINED USE OF NEGATIVE AGGRESSION AND POWER. IT OCCURS WHEN ONE OR MORE INDIVIDUALS ABUSE POWER AND DIRECT VERBAL, PHYSICAL OR SOCIAL AGGRESSION AT ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL. HARM INFLICTED BY BULLYING MAY BE PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, OR EDUCATIONAL.

 

HARASSMENT INCLUDES ENGAGING IN A COURSE OF VEXATIOUS COMMENTS OR BEHAVIORS THAT ARE KNOWN OR OUGHT REASONABLY TO BE KNOWN TO BE UNWELCOME, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO UNWANTED BEHAVIOR THAT IS BASED ON DISCRIMINATION PROHIBITED BY HUMAN RIGHTS LEGISLATION AND INCLUDES SEXUAL HARASSMENT.

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Infraction Report Processes: When in doubt, ask!

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  • Forms can be found online – your team manager or division coordinator can help

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  • Can be filled out by player/parent OR coach/team manager and sent to the division coordinator

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  • Examples of minor infractions: See Policies and Procedures Section 5.6

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  • Examples of major infractions: See Policies and Procedures Section 5.7

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  • Game and Conduct Committee, through a review process will determine if the incident is minor or major.

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  • The Committee will report decision to the parties involved, the division coordinator and applicable team staff

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  • - Appeals can be made if there is an issue with Procedural Fairness: See Policies and Procedures Section 10

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Sponsors and Partners

  • Robb Shewchuk
      • Sentinel
      • Tuxedo
      • Prohockey Life
      • Many McKnight hosted tournament sponsors are coming forward
      • We are currently working on more sponsorships; we would ask for the members to support this effort

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McKnight Hosted Tournaments

    • Round-Up Tournaments
    • Mandatory for each team to participate

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      • U7, March 5-7
      • U9, March 11-14
      • U11, March 18-21
      • U13, November 26-29 (excl. U13AA)
      • U15, dates are still being determined
      • U18 BC, November 26-29
      • U18 NBC, November 19-22

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McKnight Hosted Tournaments

The Round Up Tournament helps support McKnight Hockey in several important ways:

    • Provides funding for player assistance
    • Supports player and coach development
    • Helps McKnight maintain some of the lowest registration fees in Calgary
    • Guarantees a tournament opportunity for our members
    • Please remember – McKnight is a not-for-profit organization

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Volunteering

  • Currently each family is required to complete the following number of volunteer hours per registered player
      • 5 Hours at the McKnight Club level
      • 10 Hours at the team level
  • Volunteer roles and positions are outlined on the McKnight website
  • We encourage new families to participate in any of the volunteer categories including:
      • Board Member
      • Evaluator
      • Coach
      • Manager
      • There are also additional roles at both the club and team level

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Financials

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Financials

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Volunteer Recognition

  • Coach of the Year – Warren Ekdahl
  • Manager of the year – Stacey Rector
  • Volunteer of the year – Jessica & Mike Mehain
  • Jeff Lailey Community Service Award – Rob Wiles

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Question and Answer Period

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