MAHA, CCM announce new player development camp partnership

By @MichaelCaples –

Welcome to the PDC, CCM.

On Tuesday evening, the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association announced a new partnership with CCM Hockey for the governing body’s annual player development camps.

The camps – which promote Michigan’s best players while they are evaluated for invitations to USA Hockey Player Develompent Camps at their respective age groups – are now branded the ‘CCM/MAHA Selection Camps.’

The press release states, “with the financial assistance from the iconic hockey brand, MAHA is able to offer improved instruction and evaluation for the state’s top young hockey players while enhancing the experience for the participants.”

CCM will be providing all the jerseys for the camps, which equals out to tens of thousands of dollars in donations. The CCM FaST Team will be present at the Michigan 14 and 15 Player Development Camps in Sault Ste. Marie to create events for the players during their week-long stay and providing them with camp apparel.

“We are very excited to be working with CCM in this new endeavor,” said MAHA president George Atkinson. “As we look for new ways to improve our player development process, the support from CCM – a company with a remarkable history within our sport – will only help with improvements, expansion and growth.”

CCM takes part in similar initiatives with Minnesota and Massachusetts.

“CCM is excited to be joining forces with the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association to bring an added value and unique experience for the players at the Selection Camps,” said CCM Field Team Manager Mike Peck. “Michigan is one of the top hockey communities in the world, and we look forward to helping develop the next generation.”

The CCM partnership is just one of the changes being made to this season’s development camps. Here’s what the release says about the efforts to improve the camps for the participating players:

The CCM partnership is one of many improvements being made to the selection camps. The 2018 Development Camp process has been modified to focus on improving the player experience while adding a more robust and consistent player selection process. Changes have been made to the registration process, the number of ice sessions, the number of player evaluation data points, the bench coach strategies, the district-to-district camp consistency and an improved camp communication and transparency for all parties involved.

All modifications are intended to enhance player evaluation opportunities, the player experience, and overall camp satisfaction while ensuring that the top players from our district move forward in the player selection process to USA Hockey National Player Development Camps in their respective age groups.

“We’re excited to enhance the MAHA Selection Camp process from the district level to the state level and selection process for national camps, all in an effort to better serve and develop Michigan’s top young hockey players,” said Player Development Camp committee chair Joe Provenzano. “We want the MAHA Selection Camps to be a highlight of these players’ seasons and for us to help them advance their hockey careers.”