[Slapshot247]

I have a friend who is new to hockey and is just learning how to skate. I am trying to help teach him, but due to lack of outdoor ice, it's been difficult this winter to say the least. He's very motivated and really wants to learn, but not having grown up in the area and being a more advanced player, I'm not aware of where to get ice to just learn. I'm looking for either open ice like the stick and puck or a learn to play program. He wants to do the beginner level of AHA in the fall, but that's quite a ways away and would like to start sooner. Just wondering if anyone knows of or has any ideas. Thanks!

[Austin]

AHA runs the Beginner program in the Spring / Summer as well. I forget the month it starts.

JMS Level 1 is a place he can play. It is for total newbies. Often, people are putting the gear on for the first time at JMS (and often, it's on loan).

I've heard of something up at the SuperRink, but have no information on it.

[ThrasherThetic]

AHA beginner program and level 1 JMS for him.

AHA Beginner Program

Signups for the summer beginner program should open up in march or early april. I'll be going into it as a goalie with a couple buddies who have never played organized before. 10 coached practices, a boatload of games against the other newbie team, then you play in the lowest level AHA summer playoffs. Should be a good time.

I do NOT reccomend the MN Wild hockey league for a new player, there are a lot of ringers even at the lowest levels (I'd put the lowest level MNWAHL teams at about level 3 JMS on average.)

[VPetit]

etrain Hockey in Bloomington is awesome to learn how to skate or improve your skating techinique

[sting27]

Aside from the MN Wild Adult League at Super Rink, they also have beginner and intermediate adult skills clinics that are great for beginners.

http://www.nscsports...kills/index.stm

[NKruschev]

Slapshot247, on 03 February 2012 - 08:40 PM, said:

I have a friend who is new to hockey and is just learning how to skate. I am trying to help teach him, but due to lack of outdoor ice, it's been difficult this winter to say the least. He's very motivated and really wants to learn, but not having grown up in the area and being a more advanced player, I'm not aware of where to get ice to just learn. I'm looking for either open ice like the stick and puck or a learn to play program. He wants to do the beginner level of AHA in the fall, but that's quite a ways away and would like to start sooner. Just wondering if anyone knows of or has any ideas. Thanks!

Dear Slap: The AHA Beginner school will be forming their spring/summer program in April/May. I cannot recommend it enough. I've been through it - a couple of times as a matter of fact (but that's not their fault!). The AHA Beginner program will take skaters from initial/never skated to playing a hockey game in 10 weeks, with a short competitive season to follow. The important thing that a couple of posters have already pointed out is the enforcement of parity. You will find yourself among like minded folk, at a similar level of experience (or lack of) and will have a great time. Please have your friend PM me if you would like more info or go to the AHA site at www.ahahockey.com.

Tim Baird
AHA D1/D2 Tier Administrator

[judy vanvoorhis]

Hopkins pavallion has open ice during the week from 12:30 - 1:30 and they allow sticks and pucks during that time. The Roseville Oval also allows stticks and pucks every week day from 11:30-1:30 as well as various evening and weekend times. Their schedule says "open hockey" but the ice is divided into 4 rinks and you can either join a comfortable paced pickup game or skate around the edges of the game with your puck and practice stick-handling. I go there quite a bit and many times one or more of the rinks just has people diddling around with a puck - no actual game going on. And the track around the rinks is a great place to practice skating if the rinks get too busy.
Here are links to the Hopkins pavallion and Oval schedules:

http://www.hopkinsmn.../open-skate.php

http://www.ci.rosevi...ex.aspx?NID=536

If he's interested, let me know and I can post days/times and websites for open skating schedules around the cities. As other people have said, the AHA beginner school and the Schwan's adult skills clinics both offer great programs. And of course JMS!

[Go4HockeyFan]

Great info, Judy, thanks very much. I'm a new JMS skater (Level 1) and really appreciate all the support for us "new" players. I'm really excited to get started.

Take care.

judy vanvoorhis, on 07 February 2012 - 11:02 AM, said:

Hopkins pavallion has open ice during the week from 12:30 - 1:30 and they allow sticks and pucks during that time. The Roseville Oval also allows stticks and pucks every week day from 11:30-1:30 as well as various evening and weekend times. Their schedule says "open hockey" but the ice is divided into 4 rinks and you can either join a comfortable paced pickup game or skate around the edges of the game with your puck and practice stick-handling. I go there quite a bit and many times one or more of the rinks just has people diddling around with a puck - no actual game going on. And the track around the rinks is a great place to practice skating if the rinks get too busy.
Here are links to the Hopkins pavallion and Oval schedules:

http://www.hopkinsmn.../open-skate.php

http://www.ci.rosevi...ex.aspx?NID=536

If he's interested, let me know and I can post days/times and websites for open skating schedules around the cities. As other people have said, the AHA beginner school and the Schwan's adult skills clinics both offer great programs. And of course JMS!

[Slapshot247]

Thanks everyone for the input. I play in AHA myself and love it and am very glad that their beginner program is so highly recommended. I'm sure he will be signing up for that. Didn't realize that the level 1 JMS was for true beginners, I'll definitely have him try that out as well. Thanks again very much!

[tinwoody]

If he does the level one through JMS.... by the end of the his first night he will be addicted. He won't feel out of place and should have a great time.

[bp6010]

Having been through the Adult Skills Clinic at the Blaine Super Rink twice, I can say that it is a GREAT place for beginners. The instructor, Tad, is very good at what he does and makes it possible for everyone to participate and get lots of "touch time". The price is great, $13.50 for each 75 minute session. They advertise it as 8 sessions but it's actually 8 sessions with 2 scrimmages for $135. They also provide a practice jersey to every participant that will work great as a JMS jersey (unless you get yellow!).

I've been through the AHA Beginner School and if you're looking to play on a team, there is no better way to go about it. But if you are just looking for some instruction and ice time while you wait for the AHA school, Blaine has a great offering.

~L

[TimG]

I'm doing the Beginner Program at the National Sports Center right now and it's been great. As someone already mentioned the price is very reasonable too. The practice is short being only an hour but Tadd does a good job of packing a lot into that hour session. They have a spring session coming up soon too, which I'll probably sign up for just to keep working on things.

I started skating in November and Level 1 JMS was a good home for me. It's a very friendly game with a great pace for beginners. Your friend should fit in just fine.

I've heard nothing but great things about the AHA program too, which I probably would have done this fall, but it was already full when I was looking into signing up.

I also skate every so often out at the oval in Roseville. There's usually a pickup game or 2 going on but there's enough ice there where I have plenty of space to just work on my own thing.

I sound like a broken record repeating everything everyone else highlighted but hopefully that's some good reassurance that there are great programs for us beginners.

[mlobitz]

I started playing hockey in February of 2010 at JMS level 1. I have taken the clinic at the National Sports Center in Blaine twice (as others have said... this is a great deal). At this time I am a level 4 skater (low end of the spectrum mind you) just 2 years after starting and feel that I owe a lot of my progress to the things I learned at the clinics. I did not try the AHA Beginners School because I didn't know about it until it was too late, but I have heard a lot of good things about it. If your friend does either one of these programs and gives it their all, they will learn quickly.

[Dahlbug]

This is a great post. Thank you all. I'm so stoked to get out on the ice. I haven't played hockey since high school and even then it was pick up hockey at the local outdoor rink. My uncle asked me to play on a boot team this winter and it all went downhill from there. I can't get enough hockey! Anyway, I had 3 great take aways from this post so thank you for that. I really am going to try to get into the blaine school. Doesn't look like the application is currently working though so I assume they just don't have it up yet for spring session.

I do have one question in regards to starting out. My uncle and I are both interested in maybe trying things in net as well. We have a few pads but not all that is required. I see that AHA provides pads for goalies just starting out but how about the JMS games? Is there any way to give goal a shot in level 1 without sinking hundreds of dollars into gear?

[ThrasherThetic]

Dahlbug, on 21 February 2012 - 11:05 PM, said:

This is a great post. Thank you all. I'm so stoked to get out on the ice. I haven't played hockey since high school and even then it was pick up hockey at the local outdoor rink. My uncle asked me to play on a boot team this winter and it all went downhill from there. I can't get enough hockey! Anyway, I had 3 great take aways from this post so thank you for that. I really am going to try to get into the blaine school. Doesn't look like the application is currently working though so I assume they just don't have it up yet for spring session.

I do have one question in regards to starting out. My uncle and I are both interested in maybe trying things in net as well. We have a few pads but not all that is required. I see that AHA provides pads for goalies just starting out but how about the JMS games? Is there any way to give goal a shot in level 1 without sinking hundreds of dollars into gear?

If I remember right, Barb has a set of servicable-if-ugly goalie stuff. I think if you arrange stuff well ahead of time it could get done.