N.A.S.C. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Q. - At what age can you start playing?
  A. - N.A.S.C. Hockey accepts players as young a 4 years of age (by Dec.31st of the registration year) up to and including 17 years of age (Midget)
  
  
• Q. - What is your 4/5 year-old "Hockey School"?
  A. -  Our Hockey School is also known as "Timbit" hockey. The jerseys are supplied to the league by Tim Hortons.
  
  Our Hockey School has been created specifically for the child who is just getting started as having fun and learning the basics is the key to building confidence. 
  
  In order to satisfy both areas, N.A.S.C. Hockey is pleased to announce the return of Chuck Dill and “4 The Luv of Hockey” Instructors to its offering. All at NO additional cost to participants! 
  
  Players are on the ice twice a week. Once weekly, all participants aged 4 and 5 years old will enjoy the benefit of having “certified” professional instruction in addition to their regular program. The focus of the program will be as follows:
  * Lots of activity going on
  * Using your whole ice surface
  *Focusing on the basic skills
  *Skating
  *Passing
  *Shooting
  *Puck Skills
  Every session will include 25 minutes of skating instruction followed by 25 minutes of Puck Orientated skills with 2 senior and 2 junior instructors per session. WE DO NOT do full hour power skating sessions as we believe the puck should be on their stick every practice. 
  
  The second session is on the regular Saturday morning with the coaching staff only to continue the teachings of the hockey school. We begin to introduce controlled scrimmages around Christmas time.
  
  For full program information, please CLICK HERE.
  
  
• Q. - What is the "Super Six" instructional hockey program?
  A. - The instructional program has been split into two groups. 4 & 5-year olds into one group and 6-year old players into their own group.  To accommodate those 6 year-old players, unique to N.A.S.C. Hockey, is the ..."SUPER SIX" Instructional Hockey Program!
  
  Those players who are 6 years of age will be placed onto teams and continue to thrive and learn in their weekly “hockey school instructional environment”, however, their Saturday program will be expanded to truly teach those players the “game”. Players are on the ice twice weekly, once with their team at the "hockey school" and a second time on the Saturday.
  
  The focus of the N.A.S.C. hockey school is to continue the teachings of the "4 Luv of Hockey" 4&5 year-old hockey school. The ice is broken into stations so that all players are active and are introduced to many different skating and puck control scenarios. Coaches and parent volunteers are encouraged to help and they also become students as well by learning the drills and techniques.
  
  The drills in the hockey school are structured in a progressive fashion with the focus always being to teach the player to be confident on their feet. 
  
  Skating, skating, skating...The rest as a result, will come naturally.
  
  The Saturday program for the Super Six division consists of a bi-weekly structured game/practice 
  (1 week game / 1 week practice) environment complete with referee and timekeepers. 
  
  The focus of the program is to teach the players the concept of a real hockey game. 
  
  While confidence skills will always be the focus of the program, the players will also be introduced to positioning, and the rules of the game (offsides, icing, face-off structure, etc.) 
  
  The intention of this program is to first and foremost continue building confidence skills but to also prepare those players who will graduate to the Novice 7&8 level where they begin playing games on a regular basis. 
  
  
• Q. - What is the "Super Seven" Novice instructional hockey program?
  (Based on city ice availability...)
  A. - Those players who have graduated from our "SUPER SIX" Instructional Hockey Program are the focus of this new and exciting program offering.
  
  All Novice players will participate on their assigned teams and continue to thrive and learn in their weekly program ( 1 gam / 1 practice per week) however, the players will be provided the opportunity "every-other-week" to attend an additional structured "hockey school program".
  
  The focus of the N.A.S.C. hockey school is to continue the teachings of the successful "4 Luv of Hockey" 4&5 year-old hockey school and "SUPER SIX" Instructional Hockey Programs. The ice is broken into stations so that all players are active and are introduced to many different skating and puck control scenarios. Coaches and parent volunteers are encouraged to help and they also become students as well by learning the drills and techniques.
  
  The drills in the hockey school are structured in a progressive fashion with the focus always being to teach the player to be confident on their feet. Skating, skating, skating...The rest as a result, will come naturally (Based on the success of our two existing programs, we've already proven our approach is correct)
  
  Q. - Do you offer any other programs?
  A. - N.A.S.C. Hockey does offer many other programs. As part of our curriculum, we offer Goalie "only" clinics, Power Skating sessions with "Scary Skate" and Mary Giacalone (from Novice to Peewee), we also offer those players wanting to try a higher calibre of hockey, the  N.A.S.C. Select/All-Star program and starting this year, we've introduced our new "Coaches Mentorship Program". For complete information, visit our "Programs" page.
  
  
• Q. - What do I need? Where can I buy hockey equipment?
  A. - Hockey is a fantastic sport but in order to play it safely and enjoy the experience you should have good equipment that fits properly to protect your body yet still allows you a proper range of motion to perform the required physical skill. For those new to the game, places like Canadian Tire or WalMart offer starter kits for a very reasonable price. Used gear stores like Play It Again Sports can also help with acquiring skates. 
  For a full checklist of what you'll need, please visit our "Equipment Tip" page.
  
  

• Q. - What does it cost to play?
  A. - N.A.S.C. Hockey is very affordable and by far, the best value for your money.
   
  For the first time in the history of organized hockey in the City of Oshawa, N.A.S.C. Hockey provided 
  parents with a refund as a result of our program success. 
  
  Costs vary year-to-year so yearly refunds may not be possible but we keep a close eye on them to ensure that we provide the absolute best program for the least amount of money. Based on last years' figures (2006/2007 season), here is what it costs to play N.A.S.C. Hockey. Registration is currently set at $130.00. 
  

Registration fees in combination with the monthly hockey fees cover ALL of the following: 

• Park supplied jerseys/socks

• All games/ All practices/ Referee fees

• Individual and Team pictures

• Season ending Pizza Party for 4,5 and 6 year-olds

• Annual Swiss Chalet Christmas tournament

• Goalie clinics (1 session per month)

• Power skating (6 sessions over the course of the season - Novice to Peewee)

• Hockey schools

• Coaches mentorship programs

• *OMHA certifications for ALL N.A.S.C. registered coaches/trainers/PRS clinics
  (*certain guidelines apply)

• OMHA insurance

• League trophies

• Q. - What does it cost to play Select Hockey?
  A. - N.A.S.C. Select/All-Star hockey programs vary slightly by division and the activity level of the team. N.A.S.C. Hockey collects a $50.00 deposit to assist in off-setting program costs. Approx. $40.00 of the $50.00 deposit is typically returned to each team at the end of the year once the jerseys are handed back in to the league. Monthly ice costs average $50 - $70/mth which includes games, practices and tournaments. Each team sets their budget and submits it to the N.A.S.C. Hockey executive for approval.
  
  
• Q. - What is N.A.S.C. Select Hockey?
  A. - N.A.S.C. Select teams are based on the "grass roots" concept of the "All-Star" or "Tournament" team. 
  N.A.S.C. Select teams will participate in "exhibition" games/series and varied tournaments.
  Select teams are run independent of their house league affiliates and all players are responsible to provide ice fees to both teams. All players MUST fulfill their obligation to their house league team first and are required to fully participate on both teams. Failure to do so can and will result in removal of this privilege.
  
  
• Q. - When/Where do you play?
  A. - Ice Allocation is set by the City of Oshawa based on spring registration numbers. While the city attempts to maintain the arenas they assigned in the previous year, this may and can change from year-to-year based on registration numbers, City of Oshawa programs, tournament requirements, etc. 
  
  Last year (2006-2007), N.A.S.C. Hockey was based primarily out of Harman Park Arena and also had Thursday evening and weekend ice at the Legends Centre. Typical game/practice days for Instructional 4/5 and Super Six were Monday/Saturday, Atom/Peewee was Saturday/Sunday, Bantam was Monday night/ Saturday afternoon and Midget hockey was Monday night/Thursday night.  Bantam and Midget divisions play 2 games/week with a practice per team every 3 weeks (approx.).
  
  
• Q. - When does the season start?
  A. - The season typically starts the first Monday in October.
  
  
• Q. - What do I need to register?
  A. - N.A.S.C. Hockey is provided to those who live within the City of Oshawa. To register, you will need the player's birth certificate, and proof of residency (water bill, gas bill, drivers' licence, etc.)
  

We hope we've answered many of your questions. If your specific question is not listed, please feel free to give us a call at (905) 721-1362.