HOCKEY CANADA LAUNCHES THE SHIFT FORWARD

by Hockey PEI Communications // @HockeyPEI // Thursday, June 26th, 2025

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE - On June 25, 2025, Hockey Canada launched The Shift Forward: Evolving Hockey Culture, a new learning and development program that will be the new home for national education and training courses.

The Shift Forward is an enhanced education program that was created following an extensive consultation process with stakeholders in Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs to understand how education and training can better support participants and the key objective of changing unhealthy behaviours in the game.

As part of the response from the national Training Needs Analysis that was conducted by Hockey Canada, there was overwhelming feedback that national education and training courses should be age-appropriate, modernized, engaging, specific to the how participants engage with hockey, and be progressive as they go through their hockey journey, with content that seeks to change unhealthy behaviours on and off the ice.

For the 2025-26 season, Hockey Canada is excited to partner with five of its Member Branches to introduce the program’s content to new coaches, rostered staff and officials: Hockey New Brunswick, Hockey Nova Scotia, Hockey PEI, Hockey Newfoundland & Labrador and Hockey North.

In an effort to support a successful transition to The Shift Forward, Hockey Canada will continue to recognize existing training as an equivalent as part of a multi-year phase before all participants engaging with hockey will be required to participate in the national education and training courses.

To ensure that the new national content is achieving its desired impact, Hockey Canada is committed to working with our Members and their membership to evaluate The Shift Forward through surveys and other participant-driven methods of feedback.

Hockey Canada has also launched a Frequently Asked Questions document that will live on our website to answer any questions you may have about the transition to this new national platform.

The evolution to The Shift Forward reflects our proactive aspirations to shape a healthier hockey for all involved in our National Winter Sport, and we look forward to this new era in education and training for hockey participants.

The course will be available online for Hockey PEI members beginning on July 2, 2025 on our Certifications & Clinics Page.

To learn more about the program, check out this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.

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Hockey PEI is the governing body for organized hockey in Prince Edward Island. Hockey PEI’s main purpose is to foster, promote, develop, supervise, regulate, and govern the sport of amateur hockey throughout Prince Edward Island. For more on Hockey PEI and its programs visit www.hockeypei.com or follow through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

 

For more information, please contact:

Tami Lewis

Executive Director

tami@hockeypei.com