SAHA’s new U15 prep program creates pathway through academy

By JAMES TUBB on February 28, 2025.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

An idea from the backburner is now front and centre for the South Alberta Hockey Academy.

The Dunmore-based hockey academy announced Wednesday it has been approved to roster a U15 prep team for the 2025-26 Canadian Sport School Hockey League season. The U15 team is the fourth team in the SAHA academy, joining the U17 program and the U18 men’s and women’s programs.

Darren MacMillan, the director of enhanced programming with Prairie Rose Public Schools and general manager of SAHA, says the U15 program was something they had in the back of their minds when they started the academy in 2018.

“When we started with the U18 male and female programs, the goal was just to make those programs the best that we could,” MacMillan said. “As we started developing and experiencing some success, then it was, ‘OK, why don’t we look at adding a U17 team as well?’ And in the short two years we’ve had that team, we’ve done very, very well, been competitive within the league and done a good job with the program. So it made sense to add the U15 prep to get on par with the other Alberta sports schools as well.”

The U15 program offers a pathway from Grade 8-12 for student athletes, giving SAHA the opportunity to both develop players for four years or through their junior hockey options. It’s also the level of hockey commonly featured during the Western Hockey League draft, with the last three first overall picks coming from the CSSHL level.

Following Wednesday’s announcement from the CSSHL, SAHA also announced it is accepting applications for a U15 prep ID camp, running April 4-6 at the Big Marble Go Centre. More information can be found on the academy’s social media.

MacMillan says they’ve already had some discussion with potential coaches for the U15 team but won’t make any announcement until after all three of the U17 and U18 men’s and U18 women’s team finishes their playoffs in Penticton. They’ll have the staff in place for the ID camp, which will share the weekend but not the ice time with the U17 and U18 camps.

With the announcement official and the ball more than rolling, MacMillan is looking forward to what the new program can offer Medicine Hat and area hockey players.

“We’re excited we can provide or offer another option or alternative to programming for students in our area that might be interested in that route,” MacMillan said. “You don’t have to look too far to see kids who have left here at U15 to play at Edge, NAX or even out in Vancouver, at North Shore, wherever it happens to be. We’ve had quite a few players leave our area to go play at sports school. So now, hopefully we can keep a lot of them here as well.”

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