> to the Parents of the Wizards Teams

> To the Parents of the Wizards Teams:

> Welcome to the Wizards Team for the 2012-2013 season! We are extremely excited to see everyone at our first practice at The Edge. We are looking forward to a great season, and we wanted to provide some information about the program, both in terms of our philosophy and our collective expectations.

> Philosophy

> We have a very simple philosophy that includes the following key principles:

> 1. Have fun! We want the kids to have a lot of fun and enjoy a very positive hockey experience!

> 2. Life lessons. Our hope as coaches is to instill valuable life lessons through hockey. We will focus on things like: teamwork, discipline, hard work, being a good listener, being on time, treating others with respect (including teammates, coaches, officials, rink personnel, opponents) and being a good student!

> 3. Fundamental skill development. We believe that fundamental skill development is extremely important at all ages - but it is vital at this age - so that will be our focus throughout the season. We want to ensure the kids have a very strong foundation in the primary skills of skating, stickhandling, passing and shooting. Skating is far and away the most important skill so you will see us spending a disproportionate of time on skating drills. That will mean doing some of the same drills throughout the season - it will not be for lack of creativity but rather a desire to build a very strong fundamental skill base.

> 4. Team concepts. We will also continue to build on team concepts (team defense, breakouts, forechecking, etc.). These will be introduced at a relatively basic level, but these basic principles will be important building blocks for the future.

> 5. Ice time. Equality will be the key - this is not the Stanley Cup Finals - we want everyone on the team to have the same amount of ice time. We will very likely rotate players through all positions early in the season and then assess more defined roles as time progresses. While some players may have a favorite position, it is important for everyone to know how to play multiple positions for developmental reasons. Also, we will not shorten the bench late in games or double-shift certain players - we will be a team in all respects.

> 6. Communication. We believe that effective and open communication is a critical ingredient in order for us to accomplish all of our goals and have a great experience - you should always feel free to call or email Jon or me with any questions, concerns or comments (email is preferred given our respective work/travel schedules as we can then coordinate a time to connect in person or by phone).

> Practice/Game/Tournament Schedule….. (add your own info here..)

> Please pay attention to the locker room assignments (posted for each session on the monitor near the entrance) for each practice so we can all get dressed together and also out of respect for other teams. We also want to make sure we leave the locker room cleaner than when we arrived so please encourage your sons to do their part!

> Attendance

> We are hopeful that the kids will have a lot of fun and will enjoy making it to all of the practices, skills sessions and games. That being said, we are strong supporters of kids playing multiple sports, and we actually worry the hockey season is too long. While every player has an obligation to the team and a responsibility to their teammates, the season may over-lap other activities (soccer, etc.) - or the family may have plans for a ski vacation. Even more importantly, there will be family or religious conflicts that always take priority. We ask that you do your best to attend practices and games, and simply let us know via e-mail if you have a conflict. On that note, practices are far more important than games in terms of skill development so missing games is less worrisome than practices.

> Wizards' Web Site

> As many of you know, the Wizards' web site ( includes comprehensive information on our roster, schedule and contact information for coaches and players. You will also receive email invitations for practices and games. It would be very helpful if you would respond to the game emails in particular confirming whether your son or daughter will be playing or will miss the game. That will enable us to plan ahead to ensure we are not short-handed for a game.