Dear Chebucto Families,
On behalf of the Chebucto Minor Hockey Association, I’d like to welcome everyone back for another exciting season of hockey. Whether you’re returning for another year or joining us for the first time, we’re thrilled to have you as part of the Chebucto community.
The season is already off to a strong start with the securing of U9 jersey sponsorships, the return of our sponsorship with Pro Hockey Life, and the entry of four teams into the early Jordan Boyd Tournament, with our executive working to secure early entry for at least one further team in a separate tournament event.
This year also marks the return of Paul Hunt as Technical Director, who has agreed to a new three-year term. Paul has been busy leading summer development, organizing a nearly sold out pre-season program, and working with our Competition Committee to prepare a detailed tryout process. Please stand by for a separate communication with full information on tryouts. All Tryouts this year will be closed with the exception of exhibition games. To ensure you don’t miss out please sign up for expression of interest to volunteer. Details on volunteer signups will be coming out soon so stay tuned.
We are also pleased to share that CMHA has secured a new ice scheduling tool, “Skeeda.” We believe this platform will make scheduling easier and more transparent for our teams and managers, while giving families greater visibility. Most importantly, it will help us ensure that when ice is available, our CMHA players are on it and using it. This will be very important this year as ice availability in HRM continues to be extremely challenging.
In addition, we have transitioned our player evaluation software from Team Genius to Gray Jay, a move that has reduced costs and supports a local Nova Scotia business.
We are also introducing a new complaint resolution process to make handling concerns more structured, consistent, and fair. This will help ensure that any issues are addressed in a timely and respectful manner.
These early successes are a great example of how our community and supporters continue to step up to make Chebucto Minor Hockey stronger every season.
We would also like to take a moment to thank all of our outgoing executives and volunteers for their contributions to CMHA, and to welcome our new executives and volunteers who are stepping into important roles this season. At this time, the Executive positions of VP-Administration and Equipment Manager remain open. We encourage anyone interested in helping shape the future of CMHA to reach out and get involved.
This year I would like to ask our membership to reflect on working together to develop not only hockey skills, but strong character. Just as the Atlantics symbol, the lighthouse, shines steadily whether or not anyone is watching, true character is reflected in how we act both on and off the ice toward our teammates and those around us, in public and in private, whether our coaches are watching or not. At CMHA, this also means creating an inclusive, supportive environment where bullying has no place — where we pick each other up instead of dragging down. Our goal is for every CMHA player to carry themselves with respect, integrity, responsibility, and a caring for others, building a reputation for both strong hockey and strong character, where a CMHA team is a place of safety and encouraging support from your coaches, players, and teammates to push yourself to be the best version of you that you can be.
If you’re a player, be the best teammate on your team and someone who even the other teams respect, positively encouraging your teammates to give it their all. If you’re a parent, be an example of class, respect, and enjoyment of the game as opposed to anger , criticism and frustration. If you’re a coach or volunteer, be that role model, great organizational teammate, and positive influence for those around you.
Again, none of this would be possible without the dedication of our volunteers. From coaches and team managers to those helping at tryouts and tournaments, your time and energy are the backbone of our association. As always If you’re interested in getting involved this year, we always welcome more hands to help.
We remain committed to open communication. Please keep an eye on our website and social media for important updates, schedules, and news throughout the season. And of course, never hesitate to reach out with questions.
I encourage our players to focus on enjoying the game, respecting teammates and opponents, and building lasting friendships both on and off the ice. That’s what hockey is truly about.
Here’s to a safe, fun, and successful 2025–26 season. I look forward to seeing you all at the rink!
Sincerely,
Bryan Esbaugh
President - Chebucto Minor Hockey Association
GrayJay Sports
