The VICTORIOUS HOCKEY COMPANY’s Biweekly Newsletter:  IT STARTS NOW

Hello Players Prospects and Families,

 

And we’re off! The 2025-26 Junior hockey season is now underway. Most Junior teams’ seasons have begun since our last issue. 

There’s something special about the start of a new season. Whether you’re lacing up for your first junior shift or still chasing that next-level opportunity, this time of year always brings fresh energy, high expectations, and the promise of progress. Every game counts, every rep matters, and every decision can shape the path ahead. 

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working non-stop talking with new prospects and families. The early part of the season is critical, especially for players looking to get on a team’s radar. That’s where we come in. We’ve already begun arranging team visits for eligible players, and we’re confident they’ll once again prove to be one of the most effective ways to build real relationships with coaches and get honest evaluations. 

Speaking of team visits and the promise of a new season, I received an email from one of our clients this week that I wanted to share with you. I had reached out to congratulate him on making an NAHL team and to wish him well as his season was about to start. What he wrote back really hit home, and I asked if I could include it in our newsletter. He agreed as long as I didn’t use his name. Here's what he wrote: 

"Hey, thanks for reaching out. I hope you guys are good. Can't believe it's been almost two years since we first signed with you, and honestly, the work you guys do completely changed everything for me. 

When I first started working with you and Stephen, I didn't really get what the team visits were all about, but I figured I'd trust you guys. That first junior visit you set up last fall was pretty eye opening. I thought I was ready for junior hockey, but when I got on the ice with those guys who were already weeks into their season? Dude, the pace was crazy. Everyone was hitting way harder than I expected, and every single drill had so much more detail than any showcase or camp I'd been to. 

What really got me during that team visit was how bad I wanted them to ask me back. It wasn't like those showcases where you skate around and hope someone might notice you. This was their actual practice, and they were watching me like I could actually be on their team. After the visit, Stephen talked with me and went through everything the coaches told him about my play. He didn't sugarcoat anything. They said my first step was too slow, my defensive positioning was off, and I wasn't talking enough on the ice. 

But instead of getting bummed out, I was actually motivated. For the first time, I had real feedback from actual junior coaches who watched me skate in a real team practice, not just some random camp. I spent the next couple months working on all that stuff. Extra ice time, my skating coach, watching video, the whole deal. When they called me back for another team visit in Christmas, I was so ready to show them what I'd been working on. 

That second team visit was like night and day. I felt so much better out there, way more confident, like I actually belonged with those guys. After the visit, their coach came up to me and said he could tell I'd been putting in work. That's what's so cool about how you guys set up these team visits. It's not about trying to impress some coach at a showcase who doesn't know you. You're actually building a relationship with a specific team and showing them how you're getting better. 

By the end of the season, they asked me to main camp just based on those two visits. I didn't have to go to like tons of different teams or spend loads of money on showcase after showcase. Only to never know where I stood. It was the visits that actually built a real connection for me with the team. 

When the coach told me to come to training camp in August, I knew those visits had made all the difference. But the best part was when I got the call that I made the team. I was sitting in the kitchen with my parents, and when the phone rang and the coach said 'Congratulations, you made the team,' my mom actually started crying. All the film, the practicing, the check-ins with Stephen, the team visits and feedback sessions and everything were so worth it. Now I’m days away from my first junior game!" 

Stories like this are why we do what we do. This isn’t just about getting your name out there. It’s about getting you seen by the right people, at the right time, under the right conditions. That’s what a well-placed team visit can do. It isn’t easy, and it doesn’t happen overnight, but when a player commits to the process and we commit to them, the results speak for themselves.

 

To all of our VHC players beginning their seasons, we’re proud of you and we’re standing with you every step of the way. And to the players and families who haven’t spoken with us yet, don’t wait. If your goal is to get real looks from real teams, reach out. Let’s schedule a call and talk about whether a team visit makes sense for your situation (Schedule a call here: https://go.oncehub.com/victorioushockeyco). We’ll give you straight answers and a clear path forward.

 

Go Get’m!

-Mike 

­

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) is set for international exposure with four of its member teams scheduled to compete in the Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 2025 to 2028. Miami will debut in 2025, followed by Minnesota Duluth in 2026, North Dakota in 2027, and Omaha in 2028. Hosted at The SSE Arena, the event fosters cultural exchange, global visibility for NCAA hockey, and celebrates a decade-long Boston-Belfast Sister Cities partnership.

­

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is introducing six significant rule changes for the 2025-26 season to enhance fairness, safety, and pace of play. The expanded coach’s challenge now includes offside plays, missed stoppages, and puck-over-glass penalties, with a minor penalty for failed challenges. Slew-footing penalties have been updated to allow for a double-minor option. New rules also impact goalie net dislodgement, faceoff violations, unsportsmanlike conduct for sitting on the boards, and shootout ice cleaning procedures, aiming for smoother and more consistent game flow.

­­

The Maine Nordiques have resumed play, now based at Auburn’s Norway Savings Bank Arena, but their ownership, Shift Sports and Entertainment, reportedly owes around $225,000 to the City of Lewiston, former staff, junior hockey players, and local businesses. Mill Town Sports, new managers of the Lewiston Colisee, state the unpaid debts include $13,000 in city services alone. Despite the financial fallout, junior hockey will continue in Lewiston, with the Maineiacs set to return to the upgraded Colisee this season.

­­

Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Ryan Roobroeck has been named to Team CHL for the upcoming CHL USA Prospects Challenge, set for November 25–26 in Calgary and Lethbridge. The Niagara IceDogs forward, ranked as high as No. 2 by analysts, posted 87 points last season and starred in Canada’s U18 gold medal win. At 6’4”, 215 lbs, Roobroeck pairs size with elite offensive instincts, though scouts are eyeing his two-way development ahead of draft season.

­

The 2025 BCHL Showcase returns to Abbotsford and Chilliwack from October 12–16, with Abbotsford Centre hosting four of the five days. All 20 BCHL teams will play two regular season games, providing prospects major exposure to NHL and NCAA scouts. Chilliwack Coliseum will host only one day of action on October 15. The event highlights include appearances by the Brooks Bandits, Chilliwack Chiefs, and top-tier junior talent, reaffirming the Showcase’s importance in collegiate hockey recruitment.

­­­

Players and families, we want to hear from you. If there are any questions, concerns, or if you just want to have a conversation, please feel free to contact us directly. We want to hear from you. Good Luck and Great Hockey!

 

Thank you,

Team VHC

 

­­­­