Pilot project proposed for Pilot Mound

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/02/2015 (4038 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Player recruitment is getting underway for a planned academy in Pilot Mound that would be the first hockey sport school for boys in the province.

Hockey Manitoba and Hockey Canada have given their blessing to the program, being set up for the 2015-16 school year by Pilot Mound native Rod Collins along with Fred Voser, who started a similar school, SISEC, in Calgary.

“At this point now, everything is set to go and we’re just starting our recruiting,” said Collins, who currently lives in Bellingham, Wash., where he runs Collins Elite Hockey, which stages camps in Canada and the United States.

A former Brandon Wheat Kings player, Collins, 69, went on to play professionally, then turned his attention to teaching and coaching, including lengthy stints at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, both boarding schools renowned for their hockey programs.

For the new program, Collins hopes to attract players from across Canada and the United States who would live with billet families and attend school at Pilot Mound Collegiate Institute, then have daily on- and off-ice training sessions. He said the school will start with a Midget AAA boys’ program, and he has applied for membership in the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League as well as the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, which features teams from Alberta, B.C. and the U.S., including SISEC. Collins said the team would round out its schedule with exhibition games and tournaments.

“We’re hoping within the next month we get a response from the major midget league and if it happens, it happens,” said Collins, who would like to grow to midget and bantam programs for male and female players down the road. “If it doesn’t, we’re going to make sure we have a real good schedule for these kids.”

Enrolling in a program like this is a significant commitment, with Collins stating prices will start at about $19,000 for a local player and range up to about $36,000 for a player who comes from out-of-country, including room and board, equipment and costs for all team travel. But Collins said his school is affordable compared to others in the rapidly growing field, with parents and players looking for the edge as they pursue spots with junior teams and university programs.

“Some might take the Western league route and some may not, but my main focus is to create opportunities for them to get scholarship opportunities,” he said. “There’s a lot of great kids — I mean I had (Jonathan) Toews and (Chay) Genoway and all those guys down at Shattuck that left the province — (Jacob) MicFlikier and on and on. … All those kids left the province and many are leaving right now to go to Pursuit (of Excellence) and Okanagan (Hockey Academy). If we can offer this at less money in the province, I think it’s ideal for them.”

ONE-TIMERS: Collins is looking at holding a tryout and information camp in Pilot Mound on April 4 and 5 … Hockey Canada lists 21 sport schools across the country for this season. Three of them — Balmoral Hall, Shaftesbury and St. Mary’s Academy — are in Manitoba, but all are in Winnipeg and all are female-only programs … Collins’ daughter Delaney is a former Canadian national women’s team member who is now an assistant coach at Mercyhurst University. His son Mark coaches the Bellingham Blazers junior team.

» rhenders@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @HendoRob