About MYHA and its Programs
About Montgomery Youth Hockey Association
Montgomery Youth Hockey Association (MYHA), formerly known as the Wheaton Ice Hockey Club, has been in operation since 1963. We are the largest ice hockey club in the area and one of the largest ice hockey Clubs on the East Coast. We are a private, nonprofit organization which receives no funding from, and has no affiliation with, Montgomery County. Our organization -- coaches, managers, and administrators – is heavily dependent upon volunteers. The Club operates multiple ice hockey programs and we are members of USA Hockey, the Capital Beltway Hockey League (CBHL), and the Mid Atlantic Women’s Hockey Association (MAWHA).
Program Descriptions
From the novice to the very skilled player, MYHA offers a program for every boy and girl who wants to play the game. Here is a quick overview of the various programs your player has available to them from MYHA
· Most players first come to MYHA with basic skating skills and minimal or no hockey experience. The first step for these players from the age of 4 to 14 is the MYHA Instructional Program. The Instructional program is the backbone of MYHA. Close to 90% of all participants in the MYHA program started in the Instructional program. It is a once a week program, the purpose of which is to introduce the new hockey player to the different skills necessary to play hockey.
· For the 5 and 6 year old player there is the Atoms Program. The Atoms Program will have one weekly session for skill development and one weekly session for cross ice games. The Atoms Program is designed for a player with prior hockey experience (i.e. MYHA Instructional, Mighty Mites at Cabin John ice rink, Hockey Initiation Program at Rockville ice arena, etc.).
· For the 7 and 8 year old player there is the House Mite Program. Similar to the Atoms program, the main focus of the House Mite Program will be one weekly session for skill development and one weekly session for cross ice games. Mid way in the season the cross ice games will convert to full ice games. The House Mite Program is designed for a player with prior hockey experience (i.e. MYHA Instructional, MYHA Atoms Program, Mighty Mites at Cabin John ice rink, Hockey Initiation Program at Rockville ice arena, etc.)
· For the more skilled 7 and 8 year old player there is the MYHA Travel Mite Program. The Travel Mite program will have two team practices per week and multiple games on the weekend.
· For the 9 year old and above player there are three paths to choose from:
o The MYHA House program. Click Here for more details
o The MYHA Travel program. Click Here for more details
o The MYHA Girls only program. Click Here for more details
Ice Rinks
Rockville Ice Arena is MYHA’s home rink and where the club has the majority of its ice times. The club also has a significant amount of ice time at Cabin John ice rink.
Director of Coaching
Rob Keegan is the Club’s full-time Director of Coaching. Rob has a very strong hockey background, not to mention a love for the game and the kids who play it. He played youth hockey in suburban Chicago and went on to play at a prep school in Massachusetts and at Penn State University, where he was twice named his league’s most valuable player. He played of minor-league hockey and also had a tryout with the Pittsburgh Penguins. For the past 16 years he’s been a head instructor for the Turcotte Stick Handling School, one of the nation’s top hockey camps. Rob will oversee the club’s total hockey operations. He’ll assemble and train our coaching staff, develop curricula for each level in each program, provide professional skating and skill instruction for everyone in the Club and monitor the progress of our teams and coaches throughout the season. Rob has been with MYHA since 1997.