Victoria is set to become the testing ground for a new national vision in player development.
Hockey Canada has announced that the first-ever Hockey Canada Development Hub will be based in Victoria, running out of the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre this spring and summer, in partnership with the Victoria Royals and BC Hockey.
The first development hub will be piloted this spring, in partnership with @BCHockey_Source and the @VictoriaRoyals.
Le premier centre sera mis à l’essai ce printemps en partenariat avec Hockey C.-B. et les Royals de Victoria.
https://t.co/f3RlKi8NXQ
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) January 23, 2026
The pilot program is designed for competitive boys and girls in the U9, U11 and U13 age groups, along with emerging high-performance U15 and U18 men’s athletes, and will run twice a week from March 31 to May 28.
Additional programming is scheduled for the summer, beginning Aug. 10, expanding to include U7 players as well as men’s junior and U20 athletes.
For Joey Poljanowski, vice-president of hockey operations with the Royals, the timing and location made sense.
“In learning the market and understanding it more, it’s obviously a priority for our organization to be involved in modern hockey and help with development as much as possible,” Poljanowski told Victoria News. “It’s part of our mandate to try to reduce barriers and open up as many development opportunities to players as possible.”
The hub will offer standardized on- and off-ice programming led by the Royals coaching staff, with support from Hockey Canada Certified Skills Coaches, with each age group getting 15 sessions.
Registration for each age group will be capped at 25 players to ensure individual instruction and engagement.
Poljanowski said the goal is not to replace existing programs, but to centralize development under one umbrella, bringing together the resources of Hockey Canada, the WHL and BC Hockey.
“There’s a lot of different outlets and offerings in Victoria,” he said. “The purpose of this was to bring it all together and centralize it, and offer players a program where parents know they’re getting quality, industry-leading education.”
On the ice, sessions will range from skill, skating and position-specific instruction.
Off the ice, the focus broadens.
“We’re not trying to create robots,” Poljanowski said. “Players have to have hockey sense. They have to understand the game. There’s the off-ice workouts, nutrition, mindset, recovery, sleep. It’s about becoming a complete player.”
Character development is also a key component, with an emphasis on being a good teammate, showing respect and understanding the privilege of playing hockey in Canada.
Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada’s senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, said the hub model has the potential to reshape how development is delivered across the country.
“Pending the results of this pilot, we envision operating hubs in the future in multiple Canadian communities in partnership with the CHL and its member leagues,” he said in a press release.
“(This) will provide more opportunities for Canadian athletes to learn, develop and grow through programming that has been approved by Hockey Canada to ensure it is age- and skill-appropriate.”
Poljanowski said Victoria was well positioned to lead the way.
“With our ownership, access to the facility, our development staff and the community we have here, it’s a privilege to be first through the door,” he said. “We want to set the example and build something that can be replicated elsewhere.”
All sessions will take place at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
“At the end of the day, it’s about the players enjoying their experience as much as what they take away from it,” Poljanowski said. “This is a hub to learn and grow your game, but also to stay in love with it.”
The first session will be the U9 group, skating at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31.
Those interested in registering in the hub can sign up here.