Open Borders & Freedom of Movement
ONTARIO HOCKEY FEDERATION ANNOUNCES OPEN BORDERS – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
WHAT IS THE OAKVILLE RANGERS HOCKEY CLUB GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
WHAT? On December 17, 2024, the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF – Ontario’s governing body of all sanctioned ice hockey) confirmed that, effective next season, there will be totally open borders across Ontario at the U10 age group and above – at all levels – HL, BB, A, AA, AAA, etc.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? It means that any player U10 and above is free to play wherever they want in the province. If you live in Oakville and you want to play in Barrie for example, you can do so. There is also no limit on the number of Oakville kids who could play for Barrie or the number of non-Oakville kids we can have on our teams. This is, without a doubt, the biggest change in minor hockey in Ontario in over 30 years.
WHY WAS THIS CHANGE MADE? The primary justification for this move is player/parent choice. Customers should get to choose where they want to spend their time/money/energy – hard to argue against at a macro level. This move also brings the OMHA (our direct governing body that is part of the OHF) and the Alliance in line with almost every other minor sport in the country and the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA), the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) and the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA). They all have freedom of movement, and the world has not come to an end.
WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS/DOWNSIDES? The primary concern expressed by literally hundreds of clubs (including ours) is that this change could mean the end of hometown hockey and ultimately, negatively impact a player’s minor hockey experience. Small town clubs will fold or be forced to amalgamate to survive. Families will be driving all over the place. Players will not be on teams with their neighbours and classmates. Players will regularly change teams and so will not develop long-term friendships but will end up with 5 different colours of helmets, gloves and pants – nice! Families will not develop a bond with a group of other families. The list of concerns and downsides is long and not hypothetical. We need only look at much of the GTHL to see these sub-optimal minor hockey realities playing out everyday.
The other major concern expressed by clubs is that this is happening too fast and the OHF has not given enough thought to unintended, potentially avoidable consequences and have not figured out important details around implementation. Having been involved in this process, I can confirm that this concern is valid, but we move on.
WHAT IS THE OAKVILLE RANGERS HOCKEY CLUB GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? Well, I am glad you asked! First, let’s be clear – much like games of hockey – there are going to be clubs that are winners and losers because of this change. I along with the Oakville Rangers Hockey Club’s Board, Executive and Staff can assure you that we are going to be winners at the expense of others, and we make no apologies. This change has been foisted upon us and we can spend our time whining or we can spend our time winning. We have enthusiastically and aggressively chosen the latter. Let me acknowledge that one of the main reasons we are going to win is because of favourable geography and infrastructure. Our club is ideally located in the province relative to Toronto and we probably have the best facilities and hockey service providers in Canada. This is all the more reason not to squander the opportunity these changes present. But beyond winning the geography lottery, it is what we have been doing and what we are going to do that will ensure that we are THE PLACE TO STAY if you are a resident of Oakville and that we are THE PLACE TO PLAY for top players from around the province/World.
Let’s get into the details around what the Oakville Rangers are going to do to maximize the club’s, our teams’ and the players’ chances of success in an Open Border environment:
- Great hockey people: It starts here - we bring in people with amazing hockey knowledge and pedigree and we empower them to run our Rep program. Quite simply, great hockey people run great programs, and they attract other great hockey people and their efforts, ideas, passion and wisdom compound.
- Coaching: For the past 8 years, the Rangers have put a focus on attracting, retaining and developing the best possible coaches especially at the AAA and AA levels. We are known as a destination for coaches because we support and back our coaches. Great coaches who run great programs are the key – the key to attracting players; the key to retaining players; the key to developing players; the key to getting parental buy-in and ultimately the key to creating a top ranked program that wins and that gets kids to the next level. So, with Open Borders where players can go anywhere they want, we believe they are going to go/stay where the best coaches are, so we are doubling down (literally) on coaches. Potential compensation for non-parent coaching staffs is doubling, and (in the short-medium term) the club is going to pick up the incremental cost so that team budgets don’t bear the brunt of this strategic decision. Our increasingly successful tournaments, including Canada’s largest tournament (350 teams) will help cover this cost. As per OHF regulations, we can’t announce any coaches until February 15, but I assure you that we have already secured impressive coaches for our AAA teams, and we are now working on AA. Importantly, our coaches run teams. They are in charge and have the club’s backing. Teams are not run by a rich parent or a clique of power broker parents. Coaches make all decisions.
- Ice time: In many areas around the GTA, there is simply not enough ice so many AAA programs only get 2-2.5 hours of practice ice a week often at bad times, often at bad facilities. Oakville Rangers Rep teams have no shortage of ice and AAA programs will have at least 4 hours of practice ice a week. That is how players and teams get better – through on-ice development with best-in-class coaches (see above).
- Limitless Training Systems (LTS): Several of our top teams currently work with LTS for their strength, conditioning and performance training. Beginning next year, LTS will become the exclusive year-round off-ice training partners of the Rangers, and they will be opening a new stand-alone facility exclusively for our teams and players. Their data driven monitoring systems allow them to assess, analyze and react to the specific needs of each athlete. Using state of the art technology they can measure specific athletic qualities relevant to on-ice success including speed, power, strength and muscle imbalance. They are able to track year over year progression amongst all Ranger athletes.
- Hockey Advisor: The club has retained a highly experienced player consultant. He is a subject matter expert on the new NCAA rules, getting drafted to the OHL, committing to the USHL, etc. and everything it takes to get to the next level. He will work with our players/families to ensure they understand the opportunities available and how to optimize their chances of getting where they want to go.
- Videographer/Producer: Ever since Covid, an effective way to get on the radar of top teams and schools is the creation and submission of videos. Unfortunately, these can’t just be videos that Mom films from the stands, and they can’t just be highlight videos. There is an art and science to making an impactful video and the Rangers will give families access to expert videographers/producers who will work with the club’s Hockey Advisor to produce content that scouts and coaches need to see.
- Appleby College: Last week we formalized a relationship with Appleby College - one of Canada’s top independent day and boarding schools. The historic ties between our organization and the school run deep, and we look forward to working with Appleby to grow and showcase the success of our two hockey programs and the game in Oakville. This includes giving Oakville Rangers players the possibility to attend the school and play for Appleby’s Prep team just as over 50 of our players have done over the last 6 years. In the coming months, we look forward to sharing more information about this relationship and the opportunities it will provide our players and families.
- Inter-league play: The OHF has advised us that Oakville Rangers AAA teams will play top AAA teams from the GTHL as part of their schedule (details/timing are still being finalized). So, to those parents who erroneously think that they must take their child to the GTHL to get noticed by scouts (which facts and history demonstrate is completely false – last year’s Oakville Rangers U16 AAA team won the OHL Cup with a core of kids who had been together for 6 years, 50% of whom were from Oakville and over 70% who were drafted contributing to a draft where the OMHA had more draft picks than the GTHL), I say, ‘think again.’ Players can stay in Oakville, and they will be playing the top AAA teams in the GTHL.
- Year-round development: The Rangers have lobbied hard for the right to operate our club year-round vs. being forced to cease hockey operations from the Monday after the OHF Championship weekend in April until the 1st Friday after Labour Day in September. I am excited to report that we are very close to making this a reality though nothing is final at this time. That means the Rangers will be offering Spring/ Summer tournament teams and player development all Spring and Summer long at some point.
- Retention U7, U8, U9: 3 seasons ago, we put a spotlight on U7, U8 and U9 because, not surprisingly, we found that a troubled U12 age group (for example) could be directly tracked back to a sub-optimal start. Poor coaching; cliques of parents taking over teams where their kids may not belong; coaches picking teams poorly due to a lack of knowledge around what to look for – the list goes on. Now, our top hockey minds are involved in finding coaches and selecting teams at these age groups. Things are going great at U7, U8 and U9 but lately we are facing a new challenge from the Klevr unsanctioned outlaw league. Quite simply, there is nothing that Klevr is offering that is better than the Oakville Rangers U7 Select or U8 and U9 MD programming – in fact, much of it is worse. Now, the club’s aggressive response to the opportunities Open Borders presents is going to make Oakville a very popular destination at U10. If you are an Oakville player who leaves for Klevr from this point onward, you will not be eligible for an Oakville Rangers roster spot at U10 AAA or AA. If your child aspires to play AAA or AA in Oakville at U10 and/or beyond, then your best development bet is playing for Oakville Rangers at U7, U8 and U9. Given that our governing bodies are unable or unwilling to address this unsanctioned hockey entity, we will address it ourselves.
Retention U10-U16: At the other end of the spectrum, departed Oakville kids try to return to the Rangers in droves at U18 to play with friends once they (and/or their parents) realize that they may not be going to the show or they decide to focus on school, work, girlfriend, etc. Every year, we have 6 or 7 U18 teams and there is still not enough space for everyone. Important/true sidebar - in my years as President, I have had in-depth conversations with well over 100 families who have left for the GTHL and 99% of them have told me they regret doing it – including me who took 1 of my kids to the GTHL back in the day. That said, every person I feel the need to share that stat with thinks, ‘yeah, but it will be different for us.’ No, no it won’t but don’t say I didn’t warn you! To help you see the light, effective next year, U18 AA, A and BB coaches will be instructed to select Oakville players who have stayed with the club over those who have left and are coming back. Quite simply, if you are an Oakville player there is very little upside and a lot of downside to leaving and we make no apologies for these new policies.
The initiatives outlined above were developed by our best hockey minds when I asked them, ‘what will it take for the Oakville Rangers to be a Top 3 centre in the province in an Open Border environment?’ I am sure you will agree that these new initiatives (with more to come) will lead to the retention, attraction and development of high-end coaches and players which will lead to top ranked teams attending all the key tournaments which will help take kids to the next level and ensure that Oakville is a Top 3 centre.
Again, we know that Oakville is going to be a destination for all the reasons detailed above and more but importantly, there are things that we will not do to achieve our goals and so we aren’t for everyone:
- Full rosters: We will never run with a short roster. For example, ‘your son should come play for us because we are only going to take 2 centres or 5 D so your son will get more ice.’ Hockey is a team game. The Oakville Rangers will build great teams with at least 17 players on the roster.
- Everyone pays: We will not allow kids to play for free or have the balance of the team pay for some superstar to play. If there is a financial challenge (which occurs regularly), families can apply for several remedies offered by the club.
- No Extras: Neither the club nor the team or a rich parent benefactor will pay for your Highway 407 charges, or your school tuition or your equipment or rent for a condo! Yes, all those things and more are happening to our East. If that is what you are looking for, look elsewhere.
- No parent powerbrokers: We have all heard the stories and some of you may have lived them. Rich parents will not control our coaches; will not decide who makes the team; will not decide who is on the powerplay and will not influence any player’s ice time.
- OAKVILLE Rangers: We are the OAKVILLE Rangers Hockey Club and so every effort is going to be made to have Oakville players fill our teams. If your child is happily playing Oakville Rep at U12 A (for example) and has no NHL aspirations but wants to play competitive hockey with a core of friends, the club is going to work hard to make that happen. We will work with coaches at AA Blue, A Red, A Blue and B/BB to maximize the number of Oakville kids on the team. This is not a change. We have been allowed to bring in imports at A and AA for years and we do not allow it except in the rarest of situations. At the highest levels (AAA and AA Red), preserving hometown hockey counterintuitively often means that we MUST bring in players from outside of Oakville. History clearly shows us, if we have a great team of Oakville kids at U12 or U13 AAA (for example) but the team is missing a top shutdown goalie for Tournament Sundays or a great centreman or a big puck moving defenceman, then top Oakville kids will leave for what they perceive to be a better opportunity to win. So, to keep a core of Oakville’s top players, we must strategically bring in some top non-Oakville kids.
What Does Success Look Like? Thanks to what we have already been doing, you need not look far to identify what success looks like. Last year’s U16 AAA Oakville Rangers team is the perfect example of what we are striving to achieve. An amazing coaching staff; committed parent group; core of the team + coaches together for over 5 years; 50% of the team from Oakville; 12 players drafted (7 from Oakville including the #1 overall pick) and an OHL Cup. We have enjoyed similar successes with the ‘02s, the ‘05s and soon the ‘09s with the same recipe. The best of hometown hockey preserved while achieving excellence and helping kids get to the next level. Similarly, just 2 years ago a U18 AA team made up of all Oakville kids including a core that had been together for years and a long-serving, great coaching staff won both an OMHA Championship and an OHF title.
Wrapping it up: So, as this Oakville Rangers Hockey Club Open Borders Manifesto approaches 4000 words (I haven’t written a document this long ever – not even in high school or university), I hope it is clear to Rep or aspiring Rep players/families from Oakville that the Rangers is THE PLACE TO STAY and that there are few reasons to leave and, in fact, there are significant disincentives attached to leaving. If you are a non-Oakville resident reading this, I hope it is clear that Oakville is THE PLACE TO PLAY as our teams and players are going to be big winners in this new Open Border world, but we are going to do it by staying true to our beliefs with some rules and integrity. If you are a great coach who is reading this and you are interested in being a part of the Rangers, let’s chat. Please email us at [email protected].
Part of the guard rails around this new Open Borders policy is a very strict (and completely unrealistic and impossible to implement) anti-tampering policy. As I see it, those who follow the rules will lose so most will tamper and 1 in 100 will get caught (and I think we all know who the biggest culprits will be, but I digress).
Under the current rules (which are hopeful, naïve and again, completely unrealistic), none of Oakville’s coaches, assistant coaches or team parents can talk to any player/parent who is not currently playing for the Rangers until the Saturday of the OHF Championships in April, just 2 days before tryouts begin. We will abide by those rules (while pushing for change and more realistic rules) but if, based on all you have read, you are interested in trying out for the Oakville Rangers this Spring, please email us at [email protected]. Let us know your name, age group, level, current team and best contact information. You will receive an automated acknowledgement of your email but that is all until the OHF says we can talk to you. We will have 2 or 3 webinars in the New Year where we will present this document + updates and answer questions.
To Rangers’ families, thanks for being Rangers and I hope we see each other around the rinks for years to come because we are THE PLACE TO STAY. To non-Rangers families or coaches who might be a fit for our club, I hope to see you around the rinks next year because we are THE PLACE TO PLAY.
On behalf of the Oakville Rangers Hockey Club, THE PLACE TO BE, I wish you all a safe, fun, memorable Holiday Season. See you around the rinks! Let’s Go Rangers!
PS: HL and Rep/AAA: Now, before I get emails and phone calls asking, ‘why is the club preoccupied AAA and Rep?’, let me present some facts so everyone has the full picture and proper context:
- We are in the AAA business: We are designated a AAA centre by our governing bodies (based on population and other factors). That means the first team that we need to populate at every age group U10 and above is a AAA team – even if that team does not have enough talent to compete or even be safe. We do not have a choice. For many years for a variety of reasons, the club chose to only be 25-50% in the AAA business and as a result most of our teams were average to poor and we could not attract, retain and develop players and coaches. Every year, many of Oakville’s top players felt they needed to leave Oakville to advance their hockey dreams (this was not true, but perception became reality) and great coaches would not come or stay (with a few exceptions). Now, for the record, I am actually not a fan of AAA for several reasons but as a businessperson, when your top talent feels the need to leave your organization every year because of something you are not offering, that is a major problem. The simple fact of the matter is that if you are a AAA centre and your AAA teams are not very good, your whole organization suffers. So, as the headline says, we are in the AAA business and about 8 years ago, we decided to get serious about attracting and retaining top coaches and the results have been great.
- House League is and remains the club’s #1 priority: Despite the previous paragraph, I can tell you that the laser focus of our Board, Executive, Staff* and investment of our time, energy, money and innovation has been directed at House League for the last 5 years. The reason is simple – House League IS hometown hockey, and its success is the foundation of any minor hockey club. Changing demographics, costs and Covid have all combined to put a significant dent in HL and it has been all hands-on deck, all ideas on the table + over-investment from the club to improve the situation.
Rep always breaks-even because families are charged for every dollar that it costs to run Rep. Historically, if the club ever made a little money, we made it from House League. However, for most of the last 5 years we have had to invest (lose) money in House League for player development, to hold enrolment costs and to pay for HL support to improve the player experience. That money has come from the club’s tournament profits and from our mandated surplus.
Although we are not going to take our eye off the puck at HL because the job is not yet done, these tectonic changes forced upon us by the OHF’s Open Borders ruling - changes that present both huge opportunities and equally huge threats to the viability of our club require us to get all hands-on deck, all ideas on the table + over-investment from the club to effectively, proactively address the situation (aka ‘WIN’). It is what the business now requires and the club’s Board, Executive and Staff are all aligned.
* Apparently, I can’t say it often enough because I still surprise at least 2 members a week with the following fact – North America’s largest minor hockey club is a not-for-profit Ontario corporation run by only 4 paid full-time office staff, a handful of seasonal hourly folks and a volunteer Board and Executive + an army of other volunteers.