The Clan looking to find ice hockey stars of the future

THE Clan are aiming to produce their own ice hockey stars of the future.

A new junior development set-up called The Clan Academy is being planned and the pro ice hockey outfit has launched a consultation exercise with would-be young players, coaches and volunteers to help with the programme once it gets up and running.

In conjunction with the Braehead Ice Centre, The Clan Academy will initially focus on teaching youngsters the fundamentals of the game in a fun environment making sure they have the necessary skating and ice hockey skills to enjoy playing the game.

This exciting development from The Clan, who play in the UK Elite Ice Hockey League, will give youngsters the opportunity to become good enough to eventually play competitive ice hockey in their own age groups.

The Clan Academy will include a Skate to Play programme, where youngsters become good enough skaters to play ice hockey before moving on to the Learn to Play and Skills Development stages of the programme.

“We may even uncover a potential star player for The Clan, who has come through the ranks of our own ice hockey Academy,” says Clan managing director, Gareth Chalmers.

“This is something we’ve been keen to do for a long time and of course, it would be great to see home grown talent find its way into the Clan team in the future.

“But in the first instance we want to get the right structure in place for youngsters who want to skate and learn to play ice hockey at Braehead Arena.”

The Clan Academy wants to hear from young players who want to join The Academy; Level 1, Level 2 or above qualified coaches who would be interested in becoming involved and volunteers who would be willing to help both off and on ice.

Any youngster interested in learning to play ice hockey, coaches or volunteers should click here bit.ly/ClanAcademyReg or go to the Clan website www.clanihc.com to register their interest.

Gareth added: “While we want to hear from young people of all ages, we’re particularly keen to see kids from younger age groups getting involved, as that gives them maximum time to develop their skills and become hockey players.

“Once the levels of interest are known, we can decide how many youngsters at the various age and ability levels can be accommodated in the first year. The new Academy will then announce further details and open up for membership applications.”