West Coast Hockey Prep Camp is gearing up for another year of one-week camps in the Alberni Valley, and the rink at the AV Multiplex promises to be ready.
Camp kicks off July 14 with weekly sessions featuring different age groups and aspects of coaching. There will be sessions for girls' hockey and goalie camp too. Each week features two on-ice sessions daily as well as off-ice drills.
Dryland training takes place at Bob Dailey Stadium, and players also make use of Glenwood Centre and Echo Pool.
The end of the 2024-25 hockey season was disrupted when the chiller failed at the Multiplex and the ice had to be taken out in April, just as the Junior A Alberni Valley Bulldogs were on a B.C. Hockey League playoff run. The City of Port Alberni will rent a replacement chiller for the summer and next hockey season.
"We've been told it's on," said Kerry Gladson, director of infrastructure for West Coast Hockey Prep Camp. "We've been told they're going to be renting a chiller and the ice will be in sometime in June," Gladson said.
"It's going to be ready for camp."
(A City of Port Alberni spokesperson confirmed the city has rented a chiller and was working on installation earlier in June.)
Gladson said this will be the 17th annual prep camp under the present ownership. "We have players from all over," he said. "Typically it's 600-700. We've been as high as 1,000 (participants) in the past."
In addition to Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and other Canadian provinces, campers are also coming from Hungary, New Zealand and Australia, to name a few.
Players will stay in dorms set up at the Alberni Athletic Hall, which is used as a base for the camp. The dormitories are what sets this hockey camp apart from others, says Gladson.
Some of the training weeks have already sold out, including a second week of goalie camp. However, there has been some hesitation signing up this year due to the uncertainties surrounding U.S./ Canadian relations. That means the numbers were slightly lower than the previous year.
The newly formed Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) will figure prominently at prep camp this year, with New York Sirens' Mike Sommer joining the coaching staff as well as a couple of players, such as Jen Gardiner from PWHL Vancouver (and formerly Montreal Victoire).
