Squamish Minor Hockey Association (SMHA) and Whistler Minor Hockey Association (WMHA) were recently advised by BC Hockey that it will not be operating the Sea to Sky Bears Program after the end of the current hockey season. Since learning of this news, SMHA and WMHA have agreed to continue the Sea to Sky Bears as a shared zone team and assigned a sub committee with representatives from our respective Board of Directors to work together on logistics and planning for the program for the 2022/2023 season.

We have permission from BC Hockey to continue using the name Sea to Sky Bears, and we will continue to work through other details such as structure, number of teams, team sizes, ice time, coaching staff and costs in the weeks to come. Depending on the number of players, we may be able to accommodate up to two teams for division U15 and two teams for division U18, for a total of four teams. An important factor in our decision making will be ice time availability at Brennan Park. As many members know, this is already a significant challenge for our organization.


Intent to Play
To help us determine the number of potential players, we ask that all players who are interested in playing with the Sea to Sky Bears at the U15 and U18 levels for the 2022/2023 season complete an Intent to Play form as soon as possible.

The deadline to complete the Intent to Play form is Sunday, March 20, 2022. 

 

Identification Clinics

We will be holding Identification Clinics at Brennan Park Recreation Centre and Meadow Park Sports Centre in late April / early May. The exact dates, cost, and whether players will be committed to teams at that time, will be advised at a later date. All interested players must attend the Identification Clinics in both Squamish and Whistler. 

More details on the Identification Clinics to follow.


Coaching Staff
We are recruiting coaching staff for the Sea to Sky Bears program, and request any coaches who are interested to submit a cover letter and hockey-specific resume via email to [email protected]. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 23, 2022.


General Manager
We are also seeking a General Manager to oversee the Sea to Sky Bears Program. A detailed job posting for the General Manager role can be found HERE. Interested applicants are asked to submit a cover letter and resume via email to [email protected]. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 23, 2022.


Since its inception, the Sea to Sky Bears Program has proven to be an important development program for our community, and we are committed to ensuring the success of this program well into the future. We will continue to provide updates to our members as more information becomes available. Please forward all communication and questions regarding the Sea to Sky Bears via email to [email protected]. 

 

Sincerely,
Squamish Minor Hockey Association Board of Directors