Rochester Youth Hockey and Rochester Grizzlies Sign Coalition Agreement

Today Rochester Youth Hockey and Rochester Grizzlies proudly announce that they have signed a formal agreement to form a Rochester Hockey Coalition.  The Coalition Agreement creates a hockey center of excellence in Rochester, allowing the Coalition to field teams of the most talented players, provide superior hockey development and culture for all ages and levels, and maximize competitiveness for all Coalition travel teams. 

The Coalition will be administered by a Committee comprised of leaders from RYH and Grizzlies.

The Coalition will field Tier I (AAA) and Tier II (AA) tournament bound and non-tournament bound travel teams from Squirt (10U) through Midget (18U) age levels.  For these teams, the Coalition Committee will conduct coaching interviews and selections, administer tryouts and player selection, coordinate team formation, promote sponsorship, perform budgeting, instill a winning hockey culture, and perform other related functions.  All Coalition travel teams will be USA Hockey compliant.

RYH and Grizzlies will also separately continue to provide Empire Conference house teams and additional non-coalition travel teams to meet anticipated high community demand.

The Coalition will prioritize minimizing families’ costs.  To that end, sponsorship will be sought to subsidize any new branding for Coalition travel teams.

The Coalition is currently seeking applications from qualified coaches interested in being involved with Coalition travel teams for the 2017-18 season.  Interested coaches can submit applications on the RYH website (http://www.ryhockey.com).

Lastly, RYH and Grizzlies will shortly hold a joint town hall meeting to answer questions, introduce the Coalition Committee and Coalition coaches, and provide additional information for youth hockey families.  Please note that this meeting is open only to RYH and Grizzlies families or families with releases for conformance with anti-recruiting rules.  
​The town hall meeting will occur on February 28, 2017 at 7:00 pm at the DoubleTree Hotel, 1111 Jefferson Road, Rochester, NY 14623.

In the interim, any questions about the Coalition can be directed to pcolucci@dimarcogroup.com or glenn@villagesports.net.

RYH and Grizzlies are extremely proud and excited about this new Coalition, which promises to greatly enhance the quality of youth hockey in the Rochester area.

About Rochester Youth Hockey:

Rochester Youth Hockey (RYH) was established in 1983 to promote and encourage athletics, physical exercise, and sportsmanship, and the sport of ice hockey, as well as to enhance the moral character and physical health of young boys and girls through organized athletic instruction and competition. Among our members, supporters and teams, RYH fosters and promotes fair play and sportsmanship, a general community spirit, and interest in amateur youth hockey in the greater Rochester area. RYH fields teams for boys and girls at all ages and levels of play, including: Tier I travel, Tier II travel, and Empire/House, and is also affiliated with the competitive Rochester Edge girls’ program. RYH Alumni include NHL, AHL, and Olympic players.

About Rochester Grizzlies Youth Hockey:

The Rochester Grizzlies were established in 2006 based around a unique skill development model and the Wooden Pyramid of Success character development system. Over the last 10 years, the Grizzly Program has placed players in the highest levels of Prep School, Juniors, and College Hockey, with one player being placed in the USA Hockey National Development Program. Our Skill and Character Development Model is now being used by top hockey associations in Boston and Canada.