Delta Hockey Academy (DHA) teams are soaring into the upcoming holiday break, setting the standard for the rapidly growing development route for elite Bantam and Midget age talent.
DHA's five entries in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) are a combined 64-13-5 in regular season play, with two teams holding down first place in their division.
The Wild are also enjoying plenty of success in tournament action too, including last weekend's World Sport School Classic in Calgary where the Prep (U18) and Elite 15s capture their respective divisions for the very first time.
Unlike minor hockey, there are no player boundaries in the academy league.
It's essentially an educational based hockey business where parents can decide which program is the best fit and opportunity for their son or daughter. The Burnaby Winter Club and Yale (Abbotsford) are currently the two other Lower Mainland options. There are also B.C. based academies in the Okanagan and Vancouver Island (Shawnigan Lake).
Now in its third year in the CSSHL, DHA's momentum started last season with two teams capturing league titles. One of them included Alberta native Ty Smith who would go on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.
Yet, DHA director of hockey operations Scott May says the core of every Wild team features talent within reasonable proximity to South Delta Secondary School where the academy is based.
"The success we had last year and having a player like Ty no doubt helped out a lot," said May. "But when you look at our rosters you will see a lot of kids from Surrey, Richmond, Langley, White Rock and Delta. Keeping all them close to home tells us they believe in the program's development and its structure."
It has also created heavy competition for spots on the Wild's top tier teams.
Although rosters are typically finalized with tryouts each spring, May says it more like and "ongoing evaluation" process throughout the previous season. There was so much interest at the Bantam age for the current school year the Wild decided to ice three teams - one at the top tier (Bantam Prep) and two at the Bantam Varsity level.
DHA's first entry in Bantam Varsity is soaring along with a 14-0-0 record to date. The second team is more than holding its own with a 6-4-2 mark.
With the Wild also icing a team in the Elite 15 Division, that's a lot of players that could be headed to the U18 Prep/Varsity levels.
"There are other options for those players like major midget but we do realize their is a potential bottleneck being created," continued May. "Our main emphasis right now is adding a female team next season but a seventh team in the
Varsity Division is something we are looking at as well."
Should the rest of the season unfold in similar fashion, the Wild should be well-represented at the season-end CSSHL Championships slated for March in Penticton.
May is also head coach of the DHA Prep team which capped an unbeaten weekend in Calgary with a 4-2 win over rival Burnaby Winter Club in 2015 World Sport School Challenge final.
Ladner native and 17-year-old Vancouver Giants prospect Isaac Embree led the way with a pair of goals as Delta opened up a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes. Blueliner Sean Comrie scored what proved to be the game winner. The 15-year-old Edmonton native was selected in the second round of the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft by the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Wild had earlier defeated OHA Edmonton 5-1 in the semi-finals after going 3-0 in preliminary play.
Delta and BWC's rivalry will continue on Saturday as the two teams meet to close out the 2015 portion of league play. Game time is 1:15 p.m. at Planet Ice.
The Wild Elite 15s slipped past the Edge Mountaineers 2-1 to win their division.
Langley native Maguire Houlind was outstanding in goal, making 37 saves.
The Elite 15s are guided by former Delta Ice Hawks head coach Shane Kuss.
