About Us
Our Philosophy
We are a spring hockey development program that runs from April to late May.
Our model is to develop young hockey players into strong athletes by providing the highest quality of skill development, coaching, and off-ice instruction. At UBC Junior Thunderbirds, we firmly believe better athletes make better hockey players. Players registering for this program must have competed in rep level hockey. Those who are still in initiation must have a strong foundation of skills in relation to their peers and a hunger for hockey knowledge.
What Makes the UBC Junior Thunderbirds Different
At UBC Junior Thunderbirds, we focus our programs around three integrated concepts: skill development, small area games, and systems. As athletes get older, these three training avenues shift toward a more structured game that we view in hockey at the highest level.
- At the younger ages, students will establish a system, but spend the majority of their time developing their hockey sense and skills.
- At the older ages, students will learn more advanced systems. They will then apply their skills and hockey sense to that system as the pace of play increases.
- Each practice will have a clear and concise practice plan that will be easy to follow as the program evolves. This allows young athletes to focus on their development linearly, rather than moving on before inconsistencies are corrected.
- Our skilled coaches come with years of experience and the ability to translate information in a fun and effective manner, but also posses an attention to detail that will give your child the best opportunity to excel at the game.
*NEW* U7 Jr. T-Birds Spring Hockey Initiation Program
The Initiation Program focuses on growing together within the Junior Thunderbirds community and encourages broader participation through reduced fees and open registration (no tryouts are required). This spring hockey experience offers quality coaching, regular practices, skill sessions, intra-squad games, and in-house jamboree. The entire 8-week program is located at UBC’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, reducing the need for additional travel during games and tournaments.
- Cost: $795, no tax
- $250 non-refundable deposit due at time of registration.
- $545 due February 28th, 2027
- Registration opens July 8, 2026 @ 1:00PM
- Program Dates: April 5, 2027 – May 30, 2027
- Eligibility: 2021 and 2020 born athletes
UBC Junior Thunderbirds Teams
- Cost: $1295, no tax
- $250 non-refundable deposit due at time of registration
- One additional payments of $1045.00 due on February 28, 2027
- Registration opens July 8, 2026 @ 1:00PM
- Program Dates: April 5, 2027 – June 18, 2027
- Eligibility: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 born athletes; Girls U9, U11, Girls U13, Girls U15
FAQs
Q: Are there tryouts for this program?
No, there are no tryouts for any UBC Junior Thunderbirds teams. All players are eligible to play. However, players participating must have been enrolled in minor hockey, or equivalent league (such as HPL) in the most recent winter season.
Q: How do I know if my player is registered for the program?
When you sign up your skater, using the “register” function in the appropriate birth year, your player is a Junior Thunderbird.
Q: How and when do I know what team my player is on?
Registration for both the Initiation and Team programs have a deadline of January 31st, 2027. In February, we will host an assessment skate, by birth year, to evaluate players before balancing players across multiple teams. By February 28th, 2027, you will know who your teammates are, your ice times, and which tournaments you’re attending. Each team will have a minimum of 13 skaters and a goalie.
Q: Is UBC Junior Thunderbirds only available to certain Associations?
No! UBC Junior Thunderbirds Spring Hockey Program is its own Program, run by UBC
Athletics and Recreation. Many members of our program are from Vancouver Thunderbirds, Arbutus Club, Vancouver Minor, Vancouver Angels, HPL and other associations.
Q: How many teams will you have?
A: Our goal for the U7 Initiation Program is to have 60 skaters, or 4 teams in 2027.
A: Our goal for each birth year 2019 and older, is to have 30 skaters, or 2 teams per birth year in 2027.
Q: What is the draw of having so many players in the program? Why the change in direction for players 2019 and older in the program?
A: UBC Junior Thunderbirds prides itself on developing players of all abilities into stronger hockey players and athletes. The change in direction, to a low-cost, all-invited, in-house training model allows for all players interested in continuing their hockey journey to train with amazing and accredited coaches, at a great location, without the bells and whistles that can weigh on cost, and can do so while balancing other Spring activities. Some highlights;
- Our bi-weekly training is non-invasive with excellent ice times.
- Our weekly intra-squad games replace the need to travel for exhibition games.
- Our coaching pool is vast with years of experience working with youth in hockey on teams and in the community. All head coaches are NCCP certified.
- Our swag package is pronounced, but at a fraction of the cost it was to help reduce the fee associated with the program.
What if there are an odd-numbered of registered players in a birth year? Say, 22 skaters.
A: If a team has more than the required players for a team, but not enough for a second team, all players registered will be placed on one singular team. In this case, an additional tournament will be scheduled, and players will be noted as part of A/B/C groups, where 2 of the 3 groups are scheduled for a tournament. This process allows for competitive and
paced practices, still allowing for intra-squad games, and players still get the minimum 2 tournaments they have signed up for.
Q: I imagine open registration may bring players with a range of skills levels. How do you plan to remain competitive in an environment that allows for all abilities to join?
A: The higher volume of players registering for the program should enhance the overall player pool, leading to similar/stronger teams going forward.
Q: Is U7 full-ice play?
A: Yes! All U7 games are full ice!
Q: When do the U7 teams play?
A: We are acutely aware of players this age juggling spring activities, especially baseball and soccer commitments, among other sports. As a result, we aim to avoid conflicts by scheduling the U7 initiation program during the weekday evenings for their practices, and on Sundays for their intra-squad games, where we know typically, other spring sports have less conflicts.
Q: When do the U9+ teams play?
A: Teams can expect to have at least one weekday (depends on registration) early morning or evening time, and one Saturday morning/early afternoon time.
Q: Who are the coaches?
A: We boast an amazing stable of experienced coaches who have long standing been a part of UBC Hockey & Skating Programs, and UBC Junior Thunderbirds. Our head coaches are NCCP certified having worked in Minor Hockey or adjacent league, and all Assistant
Coaches come with experience working in UBC Hockey Programs or Minor Hockey.
Q: Are there parent coaches?
A: Team personnel for U7 will include:
All personnel require a verified CRC, HCSP and RIS certifications. Head coaches have NCCP Coach 1:
- UBC Staff Head Coach
- UBC Staff Assistant Coach
- UBC Junior Thunderbirds Director, as Team Manager
- Volunteer Assistant Coaches
A: Team personnel for U9+ will include:
All personnel require a verified CRC, HCSP and RIS certifications. Head coaches have NCCP Coach 1:
- UBC Staff Head Coach
- UBC Staff Assistant Coach
- UBC Staff Assistant Coach
- Volunteer Team Manager
- Volunteer Assistant Coaches
Q: How do I become a volunteer assistant coach?
A: Especially for U7, volunteer coaches are essential to the delivery of a fun and engaging program. Please see the “Volunteer Coach Application” page for more details in submitting to become a VC.
Q: My child wants to play, but they want to be on the same team as their buddies – how can we ensure this takes place during balancing?
A: While balancing will take priority over placing players together in pods, we do allow for players to request to play with up to 3 friends, or a “pod”, prior to us conducting the balancing skate. Note, we need to ensure balance among teams so while we will do our
best to ensure players have familiar faces with them, maintaining the balance of the team will be the priority.
Q: What communication platforms are used in this program?
A: Teamsnap for all teams. Sport Ninja for intra-squad stats and tournaments.
Q: I’ve signed up, now what?
A: Registration closes January 31, 2027, after which an assessment will be held to evaluate all players and begin balancing teams.
For U7, all players will attend an assessment and evaluation before being split into their teams.
For 2019 and older, birth years with under 20 players and 2 goalies will be announced immediately as one team. Birth years where the number of players constitute enough to build two teams will have an assessment and evaluation, with balanced teams announced by end of February.
By March 1, 2027, the entire program will have received their hockey schedule, Teamsnap invitations, and coach assignments.
Contact Us
Not a current member of a UBC Junior Thunderbirds team? Please let us know of your interest in our program by emailing Program Director, Mike Nardi at hockey.programs@ubc.ca for future updates on UBC Junior Thunderbird development opportunities.