A21 Academy filling need for hockey development
Head coach Robb Serviss feels confident that the fledgling A21 Academy hockey program is filling a void in the local hockey community. Serviss, who spent years coaching in Europe and serving as head coach of the Netherlands’ junior and senior national teams, is in Ottawa with the first-year A21 program for the Prep School Federation U18 Championship. “I thought, looking at the landscape in Canada, a lot of these academies were popping up in British Columbia, Alberta and also Toronto and other big centres and I thought Windsor was ready for something like that,” the 55-year-old Serviss said.
His 19-player roster features four players from Australia, three from Russia, another three from the Czech Republic along with one from the Netherlands. The other eight players are from Ontario, with six from Essex County. “My national team coach, he’s from Canada and told me about the school,” said forward Jake Riley, who is from Adelaide, Australia. “I just want to get my hockey level as high as it can because I’ve pretty much used up all my resources in Australia. We don’t have much development wise, so we thought Canada was the best option. “This year has been really challenging, but I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve never had so much intensity in practice and games and I can just feel the development is much better here.” Monday to Friday, the group can be found on the ice from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Then, it’s off to classes from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and then an hour in the weight room.
“I think the parents and kids are real satisfied in the programming,” said Serviss, who is also a teacher. “It’s a pretty intensive program and I think it’s kind of the new way where elite hockey’s going.” LaSalle’s Tyler Laureault said he played AAA hockey for seven seasons, but was cut prior to this season and turned to the A21 Academy. “(Serviss) approached me,” the 16-year-old Laureault, who is a goalie, said. “I had not idea what this was, but I thought I might as well check it out and it’s probably the best decision I’ve made in my life.
“There’s nothing like the development here. Five days a week, constant training, practice, coaches, I’ve gotten so much better this year that it doesn’t even matter I got cut. I’ve definitely improved my game.” Serviss remembers when players drafted into the Ontario Hockey League were mostly 17-years-old, but with 15-year-olds now being selected it’s changed how hockey is viewed at some levels.
“We write kids off at 15, way too early,” Serviss said. “Really, that’s the age we should start adding the hours of development.” While many of his international players hope to one day play in the Canadian Hockey League, others, like Laureault, still want to chase hockey at a higher level. A shutout against Lake Forest Academy in suburban Chicago earned Laureault and two of his teammates invites to camp next season with the Kingston Voyageurs of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. “Honestly, I’m happy for that,” he said. “That league is more school based and gets a lot of scholarships to (NCAA Division I) in the States and I’m pretty happy with that.” A21 will have its hands full at this weekend’s national championship. The club is seeded No. 8 in a nine-team tournament. It will face second-seeded Ecole Le Sommet and No. 5 Blyth Academy from Burlington in pool play. The club needs a top two finish in its pool to advance to the quarter-finals. But Serviss said this is only the starting point. There’s talk of a sixto-eight team league in the province next year with playoffs. He hopes the program can grow like the Newbridge Academy in Dartmouth, N.S., has in recent years.