TOP Hockey academy Overview

Invitations to tryouts are determined based on a number of different factors including but not limited to; submitted application, past athletic experience, current skill level, family philosophies, and alignment as well as the desired team’s current skill level and roster openings.

Due to high demand, we only have a certain amount of spots open each season on any given team. An application process is required for all new players to be considered for selection. Based on open spots, only a certain number of NEW players will be accepted on each team at each age group. For entry teams (U8), 16-18 spots will be available.

Selection criteria includes a current skill assessment, multi-sport history, and general family philosophy. Tryouts are used to evaluate players who are interested in joining an existing team. In the event of an even comparison between two players, priority will be given to multi-sport TOP Academy athletes. 

TOP Hockey teams at the U11 age and older play in the ORHL, a rep-level league based in southern Ontario. Within the ORHL, TOP teams play a 16-game regular season schedule and 3-4 tournaments, plus a Championship Tournament at the end of March.

TOP Hockey teams at the U8 to U10 level play in 2-3 tournaments per season, plus festival games against local clubs. Teams at this age generally play between 10-20 games, depending on the age.

A typical weekly schedule for a TOP Hockey Academy team features 2-3x practices, which can take place on weekday mornings, weeknights, and weekends. Once the schedule for the season is set, there will be minimal changes. 

Pending final confirmation each season, most of our practices take place at RINX Arena, UCC Arena, Forest Hill Arena, St. Mikes Arena, Phil White Arena, or Hockey Factory Arena.

Costs for the 2023-24 TOP Hockey Academy season will range between $3,300 - $4,300 per player, depending on the team. Each registration fee is an 'all-in' cost and covers all icetime, professional coaching, games, tournaments, uniforms, and insurance expenses for that season, excluding any travel-related costs and hockey equipment.

Included Uniform: Custom TOP Titans home & away jersey, practice jersey, 2x socks, player equipment bag, and helmet stickers.

If you've been involved with our programs over the past five years, it's likely you've seen Coach Ian hanging around the rink, field, or gym. One of the founding partners of TOP Sports, Ian is one of the most experienced and respected youth hockey coaches around. A native of Toronto, Ian was a very successful multi-sport athlete in high school, playing golf, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, and hockey, some at the provincial level, and found equal success in all sports. Upon graduation from high school Ian attended Wilfrid Laurier University to study Business and Communications, and briefly played junior hockey in Waterloo before shifting his focus to coaching.   

After graduating from Laurier and spending time living abroad, Ian began running his own hockey school and worked with a number of major minor hockey clubs in Toronto. When TOP was founded in 2017, Ian was instrumental in developing the hockey program to what it is now, and is a huge part of creating #TheOtherPath.  Ian currently holds certificates from the National Coaching Certification Program and Hockey Canada, and will be pursuing his NCCP Advanced Coaching Diploma later this year. In addition to his role as the Program Manager of TOP Hockey, Ian also oversees parts of our Summer Camps, Collingwood Programs, and Coach Development Programs.  

If you'd like to reach out and chat about our hockey programs, Ian can be found via email at ian@topsports.ca.