Amateur Hockey Association Illinois

Summer Sled Week to Descend on Rochester, New York

Seventh Annual Camp to Take Place at ESL Sports Centre, July 7-12, 2012

USA Hockey will conduct its third Summer Sled Week in Rochester, New York from July 7-15, 2012. Three events, the Sled Hockey Player Development Camp and the Sled National team and Developmental Sled Team tryouts will highlight the week-long activities.

The USA Hockey will host the seventh-ever Sled Hockey Player Development Camp at the ESL Sports Centre in Rochester, N.Y., from July 7-12, 2012.

More than 60 male and female sled hockey players ages 14-20 will take part in the five-day camp, which will include daily practices and games. J.J. O’Connor (Mt. Prospect, Ill.), chair of USA Hockey’s Disabled Section, will serve as the camp director. Jeff Sauer (Madison, Wisconsin), and Mike MacMillan (Buffalo, Minnesota), will serve as the co-head coaches of the Sled Hockey Player Development Camp.

Adding to the camp’s coaching staff will be several past Paralympians who played on the U.S. National Sled team.

The athletes for the camp are chosen by the Player Development Committee from recommendations by various sled hockey coaches, with some slots being reserved for at-large selections. The goal is to attract the best young players to USA Hockey’s national program.

The purpose of the camp is to identify, train and educate the top sled-hockey athletes. During the camp, players are evaluated by USA Hockey’s national evaluation staff. The competition gives players the opportunity to measure themselves against others in the same age group, gain knowledge about their development and be exposed to top-level coaches. It is also designed to teach sled players independence.

The National and Developmental Sled Team tryouts, July 13-15, 2012, are open to all disabled sled players 15 years of age or older. The National and Developmental Sled Teams will train to compete in various national and international events during the 2012-13 season.