Minor Hockey Profile - York-Simcoe Express

Eurocamp hockey instructor and the 2009-2010 Temiscaming Royals Director of Hockey Operations Randy Edmonds will be giving us an insightful look at Minor Hockey Programs outside our area in a series of minor hockey features. In part II of this five-part series Randy looks at the York-Simcoe Express. Enjoy!

The York-Simcoe Express is a hockey club which is made up of 7 organizations in southern ontario primarily north of Toronto and play in the Eastern AAA league with such teams as the Barrie Colts, Markham Waxers, Peteborough Petes and Oshawa Generals to name a few.

Last season three of their teams won the OMHA titles and the PeeWee Majors won the All-Ontario Championsips.

The smaller organizations feed YSE and they include Aurora, Beeton, Keswick, Newmarket and Bradford totally a population of approx. 200,000 people for the region - compared to only about 75,000 in the Nipissing District.

Last years #1 overall OHL draft pick Daniel Catenacci to the Soo Greyhounds - B.J. Crombeen (St. Louis) and Steve Downie (Tampa Bay and former NHL first round pick) are some recent graduates that went through this successful program.

This past summers OHL Draft featured 11 players drafted from the minor Midget team alone including the #1 and #3 pick in the first round.

The recent U-17 World Challenge Cup Team Ontario featured three YSE graduates that lost the Gold Medal Game to Team USA in Timmins this past Christmas.

This organization, unlike the GTHL (Toronto), features Novice AAA and interesting enough next seasons coach for the Novice AAA is already named this was done back in December.

The minor Atoms have won both the Silver Stick at the AAA level and the Bell Capital Cup in Ottawa this season at the AAA level and are currently ranked #1 in Ontario and the Novice Major AAA lead the league. During the month of January the minor atoms alone had 26 ice sessions from tournaments, games and practices.

The major PeeWee team will participate in the prestigious Quebec Pee Wee Tournament this month as well.

The obvious advantage this region has to our NDHL region is population and a bigger pool of players . I read recently Canada has 85,000 girls who play hockey and Sweden has 3,500 and USA has 55,000 you can see the advantages that brings.

But is it only population based?

Sudbury has a similar population to draw from but has nowhere near the success? Why is that?

Maybe the organization has something to do with it as well as a good pool of players. For example, any organization that names a Novice coach in December in my eyes is on the ball. This gives the coach ample time to go out and watch kids play not depending on a 50 minute tryout to make tough decisions.

Can you imagine the Tampa bay Lightning using a 50 minute tryout to select Steve Stamkos - last season a dud and this season a success?

It is called professionalism at the minor hockey level.