Hello Humber Valley families,
It’s time to say goodbye to the 2021-22 hockey season. For some, this was the season that seemed to stretch on forever with a number of GTHL teams wrapping up their playoffs just this past weekend. But as we say goodbye, we eagerly look ahead to next season. There are a number of changes to tell you about including a new face on the bottom of your monthly newsletters. I want to take this opportunity to cover off some of the changes as well as introduce myself.
New Board of Directors
Our Annual General Meeting was held on April 20th. At the meeting we saw long time board members step down and retire from their roles at Humber Valley. We thank these incredible volunteers for their years of service and we wish them the very best in whatever comes next!
With these departures, we welcomed a number of new faces to our Board.
- Caitlin Evans, Vice President CDP/Select
- Devon Friedman, Vice President Sponsorship
- Dean Antoniazzi, Vice President GTHL
- Matt Choi, Vice President Jr. House League
- Ryan Couvrette, Treasurer
- Ryan Hauk, Secretary
New Board President, Ross Bitove
This meeting also saw President Steve Allmen (remaining on the board as Past President) pass on his torch. I am honoured to have been elected to the position of President. This organization is incredibly close to my heart. I grew up in Etobicoke playing my minor hockey years at Humber Valley (see my minor hockey picture as a Humber Valley player below!) I have three kids who are all playing for Humber Valley – two sons, a 2012 & a 2014 who both play with Sharks teams, and a daughter 2016, who plays in our CDP program. For the last few years, I was a board member in the role of VP Junior House League and was able to see first-hand how much fun our youngest players can have when surrounded by such a fantastic group of volunteer coaches/convenors and parents. In my new role, I look forward to working together with the board to continue to grow Humber Valley and more specifically hockey in the west end. We have a number of exciting initiatives planned for the upcoming season and I know that all the current and new board members are excited to hit the ground running!
At this time I’d like to welcome all new board members to the team, and welcome back our returning members. You can see the full slate here.
GTHL A & AA Season Wrap-up
Last weekend, the West and City finals for the U10 to U13 divisions were held. Our U10 A & AA teams competed in the West End Finals after placing at the top of their divisions. While the final scores weren’t in their favour, the games were hard fought and exciting. We are so proud of all of our Sharks teams for their dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship this passed season. Way to go Sharks!
Sharks Select, A & AA Tryouts
As the season is now complete, many are already thinking about where they will be playing in 2022-23. Our U14 to U18 tryouts at all levels are now complete. U10 to U13 Select, A & AA tryouts will occur in the fall. This timing is mandated by the OHF and is therefore consistent for all clubs in the GTA. Most team contacts are available on our website. We are in the process of finalizing U10 coaching roles and will be posting their information shortly. Stay tuned! You can also expect that tryout schedules will be made available on our website in late August or early September.
Select Team Contacts
GTHL Team Contact
House League Registration NOW OPEN!
Earlier this week, we opened our house league registration platform. We have already seen an incredible response. We encourage you to sign up early to secure your spot. Please note that if you intend to play in our Select or CDP programs you must register within the house league. Any house league fees collected will be automatically allocated to your Select/CDP teams once tryouts are complete.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our players, families, coaches and volunteers for your unwavering patience throughout the 2021-22 season. We could not have weathered the ups and downs of this season without you and your support. I wish you all a safe and relaxing off-season and look forward to seeing you at the rink in 2022-23.
Ross Bitove, President
rbitove@humbervalleyhockey.com