The Boston Bruins’ Learn to Play program is designed to help aspiring youth hockey players develop their skills and confidence on the ice. We’re excited to bring this program to Essex Skating Facility this fall, hosted by Essex Youth Hockey!

Keep an eye out for registration information as the spots fill very fast

Program Details:
* When: Every Sunday at 10:00 AM in October
* Where: Essex Skating Facility
* Ages: 5–9 years old (must be able to skate on their own, unaided)
 

What’s Included:
* A full set of equipment to keep (retail value $550)
* Pair of skates
* Professional, personalized fitting
* Four weeks of on-ice instruction led by certified coaches

The Boston Bruins are thrilled to share their passion for hockey with the next generation of players. Spots are limited, so don’t wait!

24-25 Season in Review

This morning Essex High School players were on the ice helping out in our Newbies program, our entry-level program primarily for children between 4 and 7 years of age which focuses on the fundamentals of skating in a supportive and fun environment.

Thanks to all who came out!

Thanks to all the teams that participated! It was a huge success and everyone had such a great time. 

All the photos form the event are 
HERE

EYHA is excited to continue to offer Early Fall and In-Season Advanced Skills sessions for skaters and goaltenders. These sessions will be led by our Director of Player Development and include EYHA coaches and former Professional, College, and Junior Hockey players and coaches. These sessions align with USA Hockey and Hockey Canada's off-season recommendations and the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model. We offer these sessions at an affordable price because we are community-oriented and motivated by the development of our players. The purpose of these sessions is to help expand the “skill toolbox” of EYHA players to provide our players with new “solutions” they can take with them into gameplay next year. Each week’s session will have different themes designed for exposure and repetition of newly acquired skills.  Advanced skills sessions, both fall and in-season, are required for all Tier 2* players. NOTE: Based upon evaluations, T2 might be reclassified as T3.

These skills sessions are an opportunity for all 2011-2017 birth years and 2018 players who are playing 8U. The Early Fall Skills sessions will kick off the week the kids go back to school and will primarily be on Sunday nights to accommodate other fall sports (which we highly encourage our athletes participate in). These sessions are not only a way to get one skills session in per week, but also a crucial step in preparing for the upcoming season, enhancing your skills, and taking your game to the next level.

Our in-season skills are designed for our highly motivated players to acquire a 3rd sheet of practice ice per week to accelerate their development. These sessions are not designed to be physically intensive, but rather to expose players to new and “different” skills to put into their toolbox, and to present to them new solutions to problems on the ice. EYHA players who participated in these skills in prior years showed accelerated development and built their confidence and resiliency to handle problems on ice. These sessions will occur on weeknights in season.

Livebarn is installed @ the Essex Skating Facility and it is spectacular! Sign up now with the code esf1-live and get 10% off, and it also gives 30% back to EYHA! https://watch.livebarn.com/en/register

Check out the news about the new facility opening up in South Burlington from EYHA partner Elev802!

READ HERE!

EYHA is excited to partner with Elev802 for this coming season at their new, larger facility on Shelburne Road.

Throughout the season, approximately twice per month, each of our 10U-14U travel teams have a team practice at the Shelburne facility coached by the Elev802 staff. There is no additional cost for our players to attend these sessions as they are included in EYHA season registration fees. This model of supplementing our team practices with high-quality skills instruction is part of the long-term development of EYHA players.

Essex Youth Hockey Association provides boys and girls an opportunity to learn about and pursue their interest in the game of hockey. We are a local organization run entirely by parent and community volunteers as board members, coaches, ice schedulers, equipment coordinators and, above all else, fans of kids who love hockey.

EYHA serves the communities of: Bolton, Essex, Essex Junction, Huntington, Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Westford

RINKS: EYHA primarily skates out of 4 rinks:

Essex Skating Facility 

Waterbury Ice Center 

Elev802 

UVM’s Gutterson Rink 

PROGRAMS:

NewBees (ages 4-7)

• Beginner skaters
• Program runs on Saturday mornings
• Generally NewBees skaters move on to House after 1 or 2 seasons (age dependent) for further skill development.

HOUSE (ages 6+)

• Co-Ed skill development in a fun, supportive, environment
• Skills taught include: 
  • fundamentals of ice skating
  • understanding the game of hockey
• Program runs weekend mornings

TRAVEL (8U / G8U / 10U / G10U / 12U / G12U / 14U / G14U)

• Both Co-Ed and Girls teams
• Evaluation process for team selection (dependent upon team numbers)
• 2-3 practices weekday evenings
• 1-2 games weekends (travel generally within VT)
• 2 Tournaments per season (generally within the Northeast)

EYHA 

P.O. Box 344

Essex Junction, VT 05453

The Essex Youth Hockey Association’s mission is to introduce the youth of our area communities to the great game of ice hockey, such that every child, through their participation in the program, can enjoy a positive, character building sports experience while creating a passion for the game.

EYHA believes that through the development of every individual, the collective team benefits from the resulting depth, diversity, and cohesion. This produces a level of confidence that brings success in the competitive hockey environment.

Emphasis will always be placed upon education, personal development, teamwork, and sportsmanship. The individual conduct of board members, coaches, players, and parents will be maintained to ensure a positive culture in which all can honor the sport, and exemplify an organization in which to be proud of.

And above all else… "It’s always about the kids"