Your first practice
Here's what happens, in order. Read it together before the day, or print it out.
From the parking lot to the ice.
Arrive at Britannia
Come about 30 minutes early.
Find the Orcas staff
Look for staff in CAN shirts. Say hi to the onsite supervisor, who checks you in.
Gear up in the change room
Put on your gear. Volunteers can help with skates, laces and helmets. Take your time.
Warm up
Skate a few laps with the team and do some easy drills to get comfortable.
Skills time
Small groups with a coach for stickhandling, passing and shooting.
Games and scrimmage
Group games, then a friendly scrimmage. Head to the bench for a break whenever you need one.
Team huddle
High fives and a quick chat about the day.
Gear off and home
Pack your bag. Same time, same rink next week.
Watch the hockey storybook.
CAN's video storybook walks through a whole practice from a player's point of view. You find the change room and put on your gear (it's fine to ask for help), skate to warm up, then work on stickhandling, passing and shooting, with a quick team meeting on one knee before each drill. Practice ends with a fun game, a team cheer, and gear off again.
It's about 4½ minutes, told in short, simple sentences like a social story. Watch it together a few times before the first practice, so the routine already feels familiar.
Prefer paper? CAN's skating storybook (PDF) (opens in a new tab) walks through arriving at the rink and getting on the ice.
Plays from YouTube when you press play. Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)
Making day one easier.
Visit first
Stop by Britannia before the season so the building feels familiar.
Gear up at home
Try everything on the week before, so day one isn't the first time.
Bring comfort items
Headphones for the noisy rink, a favourite snack for after.
Watch first if needed
Some players watch from the bench for a while. That counts as practice too.
See you on the ice.
Questions before the first day? We're happy to help.