Category: Team Stories

Acadia hockey season preview

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The Acadia Axemen head coach Darren Burns hopes to continue their success from last year’s U SPORTS University Cup bronze medal win into this AUS season in one of the toughest men’s hockey conference in the country.

The Axemen lose several key veteran players to graduation including Daniel Pettersson, Taylor Makin, Scott Trask, Brett Thompson and Brendon Childerley. Of the graduated seniors, only Childerley and Thompson had an impact on scoring last regular season with Thompson posting 25 points (7 goals) – third among the Axemen leaders. Pettersson led the Axemen in scoring during the playoffs.

On the leadership spectrum, Makin and Trask will be a loss to the veteran laden lineup.

“It comes down to the guys who want to give the extra 10% and it’s on and off the ice. Comradery is huge and the guys have to care and have a compassion and a want to win. It’s college hockey and so you got to get better everyday at practicing and got to be rested and keep your focus away from the rink. That is very important for our success this year,” said Burns.

“I loved our leadership and I loved down the stretch our ability to deal with some adversities and losing a series and then bouncing back and having a great series (qualifying series vs. Saint Mary’s) and then arguably playing our best hockey at the U Cup,” added Burns. Read more »

Atlantic University Sport exhibition hockey comes to the town of Truro, NS on Wednesday, September 20th as the Saint Mary’s Huskies battle your Acadia Axemen. Be sure to get out to the Rath Eastlink Community Centre to catch the action, puck drop is set for 7pm.

The contest is a fundraising game for the Truro Bearcats major bantam hockey program. Tickets are $5, while kids five and under will be admitted free of charge.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online via Ticket Pro (www.ticketpro.ca) or at the RECC box office.

 

 

2002 GROUP SCHEDULE

THURSDAY

11:15am: REGISTRATION

11:45-12:15pm: SUMMER CONDITIONING/SUPPLEMENTS PRESENTATION

12:45-2:15pm: ON-ICE (GREENWOOD LEAD)

3-4pm: OFF-ICE

5:30-7pm: ON-ICE (GUITE LEAD)

FRIDAY

8:30-9:30am: NCAA PRESENTATION

10-11:30am: ON-ICE (GREENWOOD LEAD)

11:30-12:30pm: LUNCH/REST

12:30-1:30pm: MAJOR JUNIOR PRESENTATION

1:45-2:45pm: ON-ICE (MIDGLEY LEAD)

3-4pm: ACADIA CAMPUS TOUR

4:45-6:15pm: ON-ICE SKILL STATIONS SESSION (GUITE LEAD)

SATURDAY

8:45-9:45am: ON-ICE (YOUNG LEAD)

10-11am: BREAK

11:15-12:15pm: ON-ICE (Scrimmage/3vs3/Small area games)

 

2003/2004 GROUP SCHEDULE

THURSDAY

10:30am: REGISTRATION

11-12:30pm: ON-ICE (GREENWOOD LEAD)

1-1:30pm: SUMMER CONDITIONING/SUPPLEMENTS PRESENTATION

2-3pm: OFF-ICE

3:45-5:15pm: ON-ICE (GUITE LEAD)

FRIDAY

8-9:30am: ON-ICE (GREENWOOD LEAD)

10-11am: NCAA PRESENTATION

11-12pm: REST/LUNCH

12:15-1:15pm: ON-ICE (MIDGLEY LEAD)

1:45-2:45pm: MAJOR JUNIOR PRESENTATION

3-4:30pm: ON-ICE SKILL STATIONS SESSION (GUITE LEAD)

SATURDAY

7:30-8:30am: ON-ICE (YOUNG LEAD)

8:45-9:45am: BREAK

10-11am: ON-ICE (Scrimmage/3vs3/small area games)

Jim Midgley named a guest coach for Acadia hockey camp

Acadia hockey announced today that they have added Halifax Mooseheads newly named head coach Jim Midgley as a guest coach to the Acadia Showdown hockey camp which runs from Thursday July 27^th – Saturday, July 29^th for age groups born 2002-2004. Midgley joins a star studded group of guest coaches including his Halifax Assistant Coach Jon Greenwood, Valley Wildcats Jr A Head Coach Travis Young, University of Maine Coach Ben Guite, Goaltending coach Charles Grant, with off-ice training led by Acadia’s Elliott Richardson.

Acadia Axemen head coach Darren Burns welcomed his former Axemen assistant coach to the event saying, “We are so pleased to be able to have Jim here for the showcase. Having a coach of his caliber coming in to work with the kids is going to be an exceptional opportunity for the players.”

Midgley becomes the Mooseheads 10th coach in franchise history as he enters his seventh season on the Halifax bench after serving as an Assistant Coach under Dominique Ducharme from 2011-2016 and Andre Tourigny last season. The Cole Harbour resident has also worked as an Assistant Coach with the Saint John Sea Dogs and Acadia Axemen and has held multiple roles with Hockey Canada and Hockey Nova Scotia. Jim had a very successful junior hockey career in the OHL before starring for the Saint Mary’s Huskies in the AUS.

Coach Burns summed his thoughts on the announcement up saying, “Jim was hired by one of the most prestigious franchises in the CHL for a reason. To have him coming to Acadia to help guide the kids over the weekend is very exciting for our program.”

The Acadia Showcase camp runs from Thursday July 27^th – Saturday, July 29^th for age groups born 2002-2004.

To register please click the following link:

https://central2.acadiau.ca/my/camps?step=1

For any questions please contact:

Kris MacDonald – Asst. Coach

E-mail: kris.macdonald@acadiau.ca

Cell #: (306)-216-1079

ACADIA HIGH PERFORMANCE BANTAM/MIDGET PREP TRAINING CAMP

The Program:

This program is aimed at providing Bantam & Midget players an opportunity to train together in a very competitive environment; and help prepare players for their training camps.  This high performance camp will consist of six sessions that will be 75 minutes long. The sessions will include flow drills, battle drills & scrimmaging.

Session will be lead by:

Darren Burns – Head Coach Acadia Axemen

Kris MacDonald – Asst. Coach Acadia Axemen

 Dates and Times

**All ice times at Acadia Arena

Tues July 25^th – 6:00pm-7:15pm

Mon July 31^st – 10:45am-12:00pm

Tues Aug 1^st – 10:45am-12:00pm

Wed Aug 2^nd – 10:45am-12:00pm

Thurs Aug 3^rd – 10:45am-12:00pm

Friday Aug 4^th – 10:45am-12:00pm 

**We can also add more sessions after August 4^th if there is interest

Cost: $150 (Cheques payable to Acadia Hockey Camps)

To register please e-mail Kris MacDonald – kris.macdonald@acadiau.ca

We are very happy to announce that Charles Grant will be a guest coach at our Acadia Hockey Showcase this summer at the Andrew H. McCain Arena in Wolfville, NS from July 27th-29th.

“We are very excited to add Charles to our Coaching Team for the 2017 Acadia Hockey Showcase. He is an excellent goaltending instructor and has recently worked with FinnGoalie Training which is Atlantic Canada’s number one goaltending company. ‎ He is just freshly removed from his playing career and will be able to help prepare the goalies at camp with the essential components of the game. He has had an excellent Junior and University Career and we would like to take this opportunity to welcome him.”

Charles has many years of professional goaltending and coaching experience. Most recently, he played for the Rapid City Rush in the ECHL- an affiliate team of the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL. Growing up in Berwick Nova Scotia, Charles was drafted by the Lewiston Maineiacs of the QMJHL and played his junior hockey with the Yarmouth Mariners, where he was a two time MHL All-Star and shut out leader. From the MHL, Charles advanced to playing four seasons of NCAA Division 1 hockey for Dartmouth College, where he received numerous goaltending awards and was named to the Second Team All-Ivy in his second year and was named Academic All-American all four years. Charles has held goalie coaching positions with FinnGoalie Training, Andrew’s Hockey (PEI) and the Valley Wildcats Jr. A, and knows what it takes to play and coach at a highly competitive level.

To register please click the following link:

https://central2.acadiau.ca/my/camps?step=1

For any questions please contact:
Kris MacDonald – Asst. Coach
E-mail: kris.macdonald@acadiau.ca
Cell #: (306)-216-1079

Acadia Hockey Development adds Junior A & NS U14 head coach to Camp

“We are very excited to have Travis with us this summer. He was a big part of our Team at Acadia as a player and a coach. It is great to see him having so much success in the profession. He will be a huge asset for the Junior A program in the valley and it’s no surprise he has been named Head coach of Nova Scotias U 14 team. He has done an excellent job helping develop many of the youth in our Acadia Hockey Camps.”  – Acadia Head Coach Darren Burns

The Acadia Showcase camp runs from Thursday July 27^th – Saturday, July 29^th for age groups born 2002-2004.

To register please click the following link:

https://central2.acadiau.ca/my/camps?step=1

For any questions please contact:

Kris MacDonald – Asst. Coach

E-mail: kris.macdonald@acadiau.ca

Cell #: (306)-216-1079

Travis Young: Travis is a former player and assistant coach with the Acadia Axemen, & was selected as the new head coach of the Jr. A Valley Wildcats hockey club in April.

“While at Acadia he was named second team AUS all-star and CIS all-rookie team member after leading all AUS defencemen in scoring during his freshmen year. He also attended an Ottawa Senators training camp, but was forced to retire due to concussion issues,” a statement on the Valley Wildcats website reads.

Young is no stranger to the Wildcats, spending the last two seasons leading the bantam team and functioning as an assistant coach at the Jr. A level.