DEVELOPMENT CAMP

UPDATE: The Spirit's 2023 Development Camp is full.

Thanks to the prospects!

Dear Prospective Jr. A Player,

Do you want to play at the next level? Do you aspire to eventually skate in the NCAA, U SPORTS or the Canadian Hockey League? 

We want to help you get there.

The Stouffville Spirit plays in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), which represents itself to prospective players as the ‘League of Choice’.  The OJHL, and other Jr. A hockey leagues, present an opportunity for players aged 16-20 to develop for an opportunity in the OHL, the NCAA or U SPORTS.

Stouffville, Ontario is located about 30 minutes Northeast of Toronto and is within driving distance for players who reside in Barrie, Orillia, Innisfil, Alliston, Newmarket, Aurora, Markham, Uxbridge, Port Perry, Keswick, East Gwillimbury, Bradford, Brampton, Oakville, Toronto, Pickering, Markham, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Bowmanville, Peterborough, Lindsay and all points in between.  We also have billet families for players who come from farther away.

The Spirit management team have built strong relationships with many OHL teams, including our recent years as an affiliate with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League, in addition to many QMJHL teams.  Additionally, the team’s coaching staff and management have many contacts with NCAA schools and Canadian universities to help our players get every opportunity to move forward in their careers.

As an elite hockey player, you will likely receive many opportunities to skate with different Junior Teams this spring in preparation for next season.  We pride ourselves on using our development camp to identify players to participate in our main camp, and in being loyal to those players. Exhibit A? Last spring, 11 of our 13 rookies who started the 2022-23 season with us participated in last year’s rookie camp.  

In addition to those players who made our team, our 2022-23 AP list consists of a majority of players who first impressed us first at our rookie camp in May of 2022. They have been invited to practices, worked with our scouting staff, and kept in touch.  In turn, we follow their development, provide feedback and information, culminating in an opportunity to AP and practice and possibly play in an affiliated player capacity.

• Stouffville’s own Kaden Pitre, a Spirit AP last season – is now playing for the Flint Firebirds of the OHL, after being selected in the first round of the 2022 OHL draft. He’s expected to be selected in the 2024 NHL Draft.

• Alliston’s Tyson Foerster, a Spirit AP in 2018-19, went on to play two seasons with the OHL’s Barrie Colts before being a first-round selection of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2020 NHL draft. Tyson plays in the American Hockey League with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season as he waits for his chance to play with the big club in Philadelphia.  

• Ian Lemieux began his Jr. career as an AP with Stouffville, before moving on to the OHL with Saginaw, Barrie and now Kingston. It was a similar story for Ashton Reesor (Sarnia/ Guelph) and Charlie Da Fonseca (Drummondville).  Both played in U SPORTS this season.  Lemieux, Reesor and Da Fonseca all AP'd with the Spirit before playing full time in Stouffville.  

• 2021-22 marked Michael Carcone’s NHL debut for Arizona. He is one of eight Spirit grads who have played in the NHL, while several other players have been NHL draft picks.  

• Pittsburgh Penguin Drake Caggiula is second only to Calgary Flame Chris Tanev as the former Spirit player with the most NHL games played. Drake led the Spirit to the 2012 OJHL championship and was named playoff MVP by the league – in only his second season.  In 2016-17, as a 16 year-old, Hunter Jones played 16 games during his season with the Spirit and represented Stouffville at the World Under 17 Hockey Challenge.  Hunter is in the mix of goaltending prospects within the Minnesota Wild organization.

• 2021-22 AP Raine Nadeau a U18 product from Oshawa started this season with Stouffville as a full-time player and alternate captain and has since spent time with the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL, as well as being recently called up by the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL.  

• 2022-23 AP Julian Demiglio was a participant at our rookie camp in 2022, and worked diligently through the process of being an AP, coming to practices regularly, impressing the coaching staff, and recently playing his first OJHL game.

We like highly skilled, high-IQ hockey players who are mature and determined to earn their opportunity to partner with us for their development, and to help us in our goal of winning an OJHL Championship.  

Now it is up to you.  

Please take a look at our website, review our coaching and scouting staff, stable ownership and track record for development over the last 25+ years.  

If you agree with our identifying that you are a future Junior Hockey player, are looking for a place to play and develop and an organization to be a part of, a place where hard work on and off the ice are rewarded, a place where our scouting and management staff are available to provide communication and feedback, please complete the attached pages and sign up for our spring development camp.

The Development Camp will be held in early May at the Stouffville Arena, 12483 Ninth Line, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario. Registration is open to 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004-born players from U16, U18, High School and Jr. C.

Dates: May 1, 2 & 4, 2023 – Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday – times will be afternoon, with games occurring between 3 and 10 p.m. Players will likely play one game per day, and their team will not have the early game more than once during the three days of camp.

COST: $300 (+$39 HST) PER PLAYER

Players are required to supply all of their own equipment for the development camp. This includes sticks, tape, helmets with cages plus mouth guards. A jersey will be provided at registration prior to your first game.  Players can also request updates to their Elite Prospects profile, including supplying a picture for their profile.  Stouffville works to help our players information on EP always be up to date, and we offer the same to those players who come to our rookie camp.

To ensure a spot for the development camp please return your Registration (on this page of our website) and Medical forms along with a cheque in the amount of $339 (includes HST) payable to the Stouffville Spirit, NO LATER THAN April 15, 2023. 

*Permission to skate forms can be brought to camp on May 1.

Please mail to:

Stouffville Spirit Jr. A Hockey Club,

80 William St.

Stouffville, ON

L4A 1B3