We hope everyone has had a safe and restful summer.
As the fall approaches, we wanted to take a moment to update everyone on where
we are in planning for the upcoming season. There is still a lot of uncertainty
as to exactly what hockey will look like but here is what we know so far.
The Ontario Hockey Federation, the governing body
of hockey in Ontario, has released the return-to-play framework that sets out
how hockey is to be structured as we return to the ice.
We are still awaiting confirmation from the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association exactly how the OHF framework will be applied to girl’s hockey and hope to have a more detailed update from them soon. We are also working with Milton and Halton Hills to ensure we meet the return-to-play requirements for their arenas.
The OHF framework envisions a staged return to play process with increasing flexibility in each stage. Progression through the stages will be determined by the OHF in consultation with public health officials. We are currently in Stage 3A and as of September, we are expected to be in Stage 3B. This will allow us to run skills development sessions and have 3 on 3 or 4 on 4 games in-house. Please see the latest version of the OHF framework for full information on future stages https://www.ohf.on.ca/media/tukpds4s/ohf-return-to-hockey_0731.pdf
Please also see the link to the OHWA website at http://owha.on.ca/ for information and updates.
We intend to run the best programming possible under each stage of the return-to-play framework. It is not yet certain exactly what this will look like and it may vary by age group and team/level.
If you intend to play with the Twisters for the 2020-2021 Season, it is important that you complete the intent to play registration as soon as possible (more information on the intent to play registration process to follow). Completing your intent to play registration will help us determine ice requirements and how best to structure our programs.
We are not asking for any payment at this time, as we do not yet know exactly what the season will look like or what our costs will be. We know that this is a difficult time financially for many in our communities so we will be continuously striving to ensure value-for-money as we plan our revised programming.
We know many of you still have lots of questions. Many of them do not yet have answers. We thank you for your patience as we work hard to answer them and get ready to go as soon as we are allowed to do so. We will keep you up-to-date as we learn more.
Hockey will be a bit different this year but it will still be Twisters hockey. Our goal is to provide every Twister with as fun, exciting, and safe year as possible.
Looking forward to seeing you at the rinks soon,
Kevin Salmon
President of the North Halton Twisters