Desert Hockey Development

Dedicated to building youth hockey in Arizona

Events

Coyotes Street Hockey Showdown

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SORRY, THIS EVENT IS FULL

The Coyotes are staging a street hockey Jamboree this during the “Centennial Fan Arena” event at Tempe Marketplace this Saturday. The event is for “mite” and “squirt” teams (kids 10 and under).

FREE COYOTES HAT!

We’d like to show everybody how DHD kids play hockey! SO, we want to put together a team of our great boys and girls and play the tournament this Saturday. We apologize for the short notice, but this is a great opportunity.

This will be a fun event and a little informal. If you’ve ever participated in an event put on by the Coyotes, you know they’re always fun and well run without any stress.

The object of this tourney is to have fun and to start off the new year with some hockey action! In between games, there’s TONS of other stuff to do at the event.

The kids who play will have a chance to have their picture taken with the Stanley Cup without waiting in a giant long line of people, a major bonus!

A generous benefactor has donated two GREAT seats, three rows from the glass, for the Saturday, January 14th Coyotes/Ducks game. We will be giving those two seats to the MVP for the DHD team! Another great incentive to have some fun!

Check in starts at 10:30 AM and the Jamboree will be over by 3:20 PM. You don’t need to bring anything with you other than your normal sneakers and great attitude. If TOO MANY kids want to sign up, we’ll see if we can add another team.

The NHL Centennial Fan Arena will be located on the north side of Tempe Marketplace in the parking lot area between Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill and Dave & Buster’s, just west of Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que. https://www.nhl.com/coyotes/fans/nhl100 is the link for more info about the main event.

SORRY, THIS EVENT IS FULL

Please shoot deserthockey@deserthockey.org an email if you’re interested and we’ll get you all set up.

Hope we see you there!

Norterra Canyon K-8 School Carnival

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Desert Hockey Development had the new portable rink up and running for the first time at a school carnival at Norterra Canyon School on Saturday, April 9, 2016.

Girls getting ready to playOver fifty kids joined DHD throught the afternoon and evening to basically mess around with some ball hockey to get the feel for how to use a hockey stick and to have some fun.

This sort of event is something DHD is looking to attend more often, we just want to get hockey sticks into the hands of kids that otherwise, for whatever reason, probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do so.

While the Norterra Canyon School is in an affluent area of Phoenix, DHD will happily travel to any event of this nature if it can fit the schedule. If you are involved in event planning for school carnivals, block parties, gatherings of a nature where there would be enough kids in attendance that fifty or so kids would end up joining us for some hockey, we’d love to hear from you. Use the contact page to find out how to get us using the communication type of your choice.

DHD would like to thank the kids and parents of Norterra Canyon that dropped in to play some hockey with us, we hope to see you again!

Kid’s Day Off HOCKEY

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KDO_HowlerGoalieWe had a great time at the first “Kid’s Day Off and Ultimate Birthday Party” we attended on Saturday, August 15.

Throughout the day, we played some hockey with over 100 kids, most of whom had never touched a hockey stick before. A bunch of kids tried on the goalie gear and stopped some shots, we had some really little kids that were having a great time trying out their hockey skills.

The Kid’s Day Off and Ultimate Kid’s Birthday Party event (from PB&J Events and Productions) was at WestWorld in Scottsdale. Everything was FREE including:

  • Massages
  • Really cool balloon animals
  • Bounce houses
  • A golf course next door to DHD
  • Hockey (yes, that’s us)
  • Archery
  • Video game theatre
  • Obstacle course
  • Caricatures
  • Lots more and everything was FREE!

KDO_HowlerNetFrontIt was 115 degrees outside, but the WestWorld North Hall was breezy cool and pleasant inside.

The Arizona Coyotes were kind enough to send Howler and, from the Paw Patrol, Allison and Ashley. They were all, as usual, a big hit and a great addition to the event.

Special thanks to faithful DHD volunteers Gina and Ryleigh for helping us out all day, you ladies are the best!

We hope to see you at our next event, Ice skating fun (and fundraiser) at AZ Ice Peoria next Saturday, August 22 from 5 pm to 7 pm. We’d appreciate a $5 donation (including skate rental) for two hours of ice skating. Skating lessons from real, professional, skating instructors will be available at the same time. We’re grateful to to AZ Ice Peoria for offering us the opportunity to get to know more people, get some ice skating in, and maybe keep the lights on at DHD for future hockey endeavors.

 

Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League Championship

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The Championship finals for the 2015 Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League were held Saturday, August 8.

Final Bracket
Final Bracket

Down To The Wire

It was an exciting finish, with the Gila River Monsters overcoming an early 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the last minute or so of regulation time.

Rather than go to the shootout, the Monsters played the OEL Diablos in the first 3 versus 3 hockey every played in Gila River Arena and managed to score the sudden death goal.

Free Hockey Gear

Every kid that played this summer played the final games and then went home with a brand new CCM street hockey stick curved right or left thanks to CCM Hockey.

All eight goalies got to KEEP their goalie gear, they were pretty happy with that extra surprise thanks to the Arizona Coyotes!

After the event, Papa Johns delivered maybe a million pizzas to Gila River Arena for all the kids and the adults they brought with them.

It was all FREE for every participant.

Can’t Say Thanks Enough

DHD can’t say thank you enough to the Coyotes, Fry’s, Mix1, Papa Johns, Gila River Arena, and CCM Hockey for making the five event series a complete success. Throughout the season, over one hundred kids got the chance to see what hockey is about, and it didn’t cost any of them a dime.

10489916_10207204478017372_6525316720349530829_nThanks, Connor Murphy, for joining us a while back during your time off! Thanks for playing with every team, signing everything pointed in your direction, talking hockey with adults who were supposed to leave you alone so you could interact with the kids, and hanging out until the event was over and everybody left. And, of course, you did it with a smile the entire time.

We were all welcomed into an real NHL arena during a time when the 100+ degree temperatures of an Arizona summer make it simply impossible for us to run outdoor clinics. The hockey boards magically reappeared after concerts in the arena for us to be able to play hockey. The Coyotes Hockey Development men and women put up and knocked down three rinks for five events, a LOT of work.

Obviously we can go on, but we’ll finish by thanking our volunteers for making our all volunteer “hockey thing” a success that we hope to keep growing.

Thanks, families for showing up and making our day(s) this summer. Take a run through the slide show below if you have time.

If you haven’t already, if you want to stay up to date on what is going on with DHD, please click here to join our mailing list.
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Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League Results – Week 4

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Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League
Week 4 Results

We had a full schedule with 80 kids for yet another GREAT day at Gila River Arena! We even had a “no goal” scoring controversy this time, with no hope of getting on the phone to Toronto to check the replay.

The controversial game resulted in a change in the league leading team with the Doanasaurs taking the top spot over from the OEL Diablos.

The commissioner ruled “That’s hockey!”, so we’re moving on with no hard feelings.

Every kid that played (and even some of their smaller brothers and sisters) wen home afterwards with snacks courtesy Fry’s, Mix 1 drinks courtesy Mix 1, and nifty backpacks courtesy the Arizona Coyotes.

725ArenaOnce again the National Anthem was courtesy of the DHD official anthem singer Callie who sucked it up and managed to belt out the Anthem despite a freshly broken foot and crutches!

It’s coming down to the wire now, with the formerly unbeaten OEL Diablos taking a beating from the Doanasaurs in the last game of the day.

The final, championship, event is scheduled for August 8, it’s still a wide open competition.

July 25
Game 1
1 Doanasaurs (W) 2 BoedZillas (L) 1
2 OEL Diablos (W) 4 Domi-Nators (L) 1
3 SMurphs (T) 2 Gila River Monsters (T) 2
Game 2
1 OEL Diablos (L) 2 Howlers (W) 3
2 BoedZillas (W) 2 SMurphs (L) 0
3 Domi-Nators (W) 1 Desert Dogs (L) 0
Game 3
1 Doanasaurs (W) 2 SMurphs (L) 0
2 BoedZillas (W) 4 Gila River Monsters (L) 3
3 Desert Dogs (W) 2 Howlers (L) 1
Game 4
1 Gila River Monsters (W) 2 Desert Dogs (L) 0
2 Doanasaurs (W) 3 OEL Diablos (L) 2
3 Howlers (W) 4 Domi-Nators (L) 1
Team Standings W L T Chg
Doanasaurs (19) 9 2 1 +1
OEL Diablos (16) 7 3 2 -1
Gila River Monsters (13) 3 2 7 0
Howlers (12) 5 5 2 +2
Desert Dogs (11) 5 6 1 +3
Domi-Nators (10) 4 6 2 -2
SMurphs (9) 2 5 5 -2
BoedZillas (8) 2 6 4 0
* Scoring is two points for a win, 1 point for a tie, zero points for a loss.

 

 

Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League Results – Week 3

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Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League
Week 3 Results

Another GREAT day at Gila River Arena! We had lots of kids and managed to get some waiting list people into the action.

Super nifty water bottles were handed out to all the kids that played, and the National Anthem courtesy of the DHD official anthem singer Callie (yes, she IS famous enough now to ONLY use her first name) was particularly excellent.

It’s coming down to the wire now, with the formerly unbeaten OEL Diablos taking a beating from the Doanasaurs in the last game of the day.

With two events (July 25 and August 8) left on the schedule, it’s still a wide open competition.

July 11
Game 1
1 Doanasaurs (W) 4 BoedZillas (L) 0
2 OEL Diablos (W) 1 Domi-Nators (L) 0
3 SMurphs (T) 4 Gila River Monsters (T) 4
Game 2
1 OEL Diablos (T) 1 Howlers (T) 1
2 BoedZillas (T) 3 SMurphs (T) 3
3 Domi-Nators (W) 4 Desert Dogs (L) 1
Game 3
1 Doanasaurs (W) 4 SMurphs (L) 2
2 BoedZillas (T) 2 Gila River Monsters (T) 2
3 Desert Dogs (L) 1 Howlers (W) 2
Game 4
1 Gila River Monsters (T) 1 Desert Dogs (T) 1
2 Doanasaurs (W) 3 OEL Diablos (L) 1
3 Howlers (W) 4 Domi-Nators (L) 1
Team Standings W L T Chg
OEL Diablos 6 1 2 0
Doanasaurs 6 2 1 0
Gila River Monsters 2 1 6 +1
Domi-Nators 3 4 2 +1
SMurphs 2 3 4 +1
Howlers 3 4 2 +1
Desert Dogs 3 5 1 -4
BoedZillas 0 5 4 0
* Scoring is two points for a win, 1 point for a tie, zero points for a loss.

 

 

Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League

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Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League

Week 1 Results Week 2 Results Week 3 Results

WE ARE FULL!

We’re adding a new element to this summer’s events in Gila River Arena. We have partnered with the Arizona Coyotes to offer some real competition for kids of all skill levels to have some fun playing against other teams.

The Arizona Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League is a reality!

NO EXPERIENCE OR EQUIPMENT NECESSARY

We have five dates scheduled at Gila River arena (click here for calendar). Last summer, we had kids returning for every clinic we ran. This summer, we’re hoping to have a similar experience.

We know returning kids don’t necessarily want to run through the same or similar drills and instructions once they have the basics down. What do they want to do?

KIDS WANT TO PLAY HOCKEY!

So, this summer they will be able to do exactly that. It’s all about keeping the FUN level up for the kids.

Arizona Coyotes Hockey DevelopmentThe Coyotes and DHD are running a FREE Summer Street Hockey League and hope to host at least six teams of kids with a minimum of eight kids per team. If there’s more children that want to play, we will accommodate as many as we can fit.

These teams will attend ALL FIVE of the scheduled events and play a full championship series with the finals to be held at the final event on August 8.

Every child that participates in the entire series on a team will go home with a street hockey stick and a hockey card with their own picture on it after the championship games are finished on August 8.

Street Hockey Tournament Format

Each team will play at least two games during each event, kids won’t be sitting around and getting bored.

The Coyotes Hockey Development Team and DHD will be coaching all of the teams and we hear there may be special guest coaches.

Fry’s, Papa Johns, and Mix 1 are all graciously providing some food, some drinks, and some cool stguff for everybody.

Everybody that participates in the series will go home with the stick and card, AND some other cool hockey goodies throughout the summer.

There might even be some special guest coaches.

We understand it’s a big commitment for families to schedule five events in a busy summer with vacations and other things that compete for hockey time. We hope that we’ve come up with a schedule that works well for most people. We avoided holiday weekends.

The dates are (all Saturdays):
June 6 and 20, July 11 and 25, August 8.

Sign up for the mailing list to stay informed or complete the form below to register.

Click here for cool printable flyer if you’d like to share.

 

Coyotes Street Hockey League – FREE!

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Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League

Week 1 Results Week 2 Results Week 3 Results Week 4 Results
Printable Championship Bracket Sheet

WE ARE FULL!

We’re adding a new element to this summer’s events in Gila River Arena. We have partnered with the Arizona Coyotes to offer some real competition for kids of all skill levels to have some fun playing against other teams.

The Arizona Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League is a reality!

NO EXPERIENCE OR EQUIPMENT NECESSARY

We have five dates scheduled at Gila River arena (click here for calendar). Last summer, we had kids returning for every clinic we ran. This summer, we’re hoping to have a similar experience.

We know returning kids don’t necessarily want to run through the same or similar drills and instructions once they have the basics down. What do they want to do?

KIDS WANT TO PLAY HOCKEY!

So, this summer they will be able to do exactly that. It’s all about keeping the FUN level up for the kids.

Arizona Coyotes Hockey DevelopmentThe Coyotes and DHD are running a FREE Summer Street Hockey League and hope to host at least six teams of kids with a minimum of eight kids per team. If there’s more children that want to play, we will accommodate as many as we can fit.

These teams will attend ALL FIVE of the scheduled events and play a full championship series with the finals to be held at the final event on August 8.

Every child that participates in the entire series on a team will go home with a street hockey stick and a hockey card with their own picture on it after the championship games are finished on August 8.

Street Hockey Tournament Format

Each team will play at least two games during each event, kids won’t be sitting around and getting bored.

The Coyotes Hockey Development Team and DHD will be coaching all of the teams and we hear there may be special guest coaches.

Fry’s, Papa Johns, and Mix 1 are all graciously providing some food, some drinks, and some cool stguff for everybody.

Everybody that participates in the series will go home with the stick and card, AND some other cool hockey goodies throughout the summer.

There might even be some special guest coaches.

We understand it’s a big commitment for families to schedule five events in a busy summer with vacations and other things that compete for hockey time. We hope that we’ve come up with a schedule that works well for most people. We avoided holiday weekends.

The dates are (all Saturdays):
June 6 and 20, July 11 and 25, August 8.

Sign up for the mailing list to stay informed or complete the form below to register.

Click here for cool printable flyer if you’d like to share.

 

Coyotes Street Hockey Summer League

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Summer Ball Hockey Shootout at Gila River Arena - Arizona Coyotes and DHD

We’re adding a new element to this summer’s events in Gila River Arena. We have partnered with the Arizona Coyotes to offer some real competition for kids of all skill levels to have some fun playing against other teams.

We have five dates scheduled at Gila River arena (click here for calendar). Last summer, we had kids returning for every clinic we ran. This summer, we’re hoping to have a similar experience.

We know returning kids don’t necessarily want to run through the same or similar drills and instructions once they have the basics down. What do they want to do?

KIDS WANT TO PLAY HOCKEY!

So, this summer they will be able to do exactly that. It’s all about keeping the FUN level up for the kids.

Coyotes Hockey DevelopmentThe Coyotes and DHD hope to host at least six teams of kids with a minimum of eight kids per team. If there’s more children that want to play, we will accommodate as many as we can fit.

These teams will attend ALL FIVE of the scheduled events and play a full championship series with the finals to be held at the final event on August 8.

Every child that participates in the entire series on a team will go home with a street hockey stick after the championship games are finished on August 8.

Everybody that participates will go home with a ball hockey stick, a hockey player card, AND some other cool hockey goodies throughout the summer.

There might even be some special guest coaches.

We understand it’s a commitment for families to schedule five events in a busy summer with vacations and other things that compete for hockey time. We hope that we’ve come up with a schedule that works well for most people.

Right now, the dates are (all Saturdays):
June 6 and 20, July 11 and 25, August 8.

We’ll have more information as we get it all put together.

Sign up for the mailing list to stay informed or complete the form below to register.

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Chalk Art Festival

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tn_1200_194e8147501f6654fa71ed3802722c60_JPGtn_1200_194e8147501f6654fa71ed3802722c60_JPGChalkArt1We know what you’re saying, why is a youth hockey development outfit participating in ANYTHING to do with art?

There will probably be a lot of kids around to hone their art skills with some excellent chalk drawings, so we’ll be there to offer them the opportunity to get some exercise by playing some ball hockey with us.

The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA) is partnering with Vestar to produce the second annual Chalk Art Festival in three venues on Saturday, April 18, 2015.

Desert Ridge Marketplace, Tempe Marketplace, and Westgate Entertainment District are simultaneously inviting the public to watch professional artists create 8 foot murals or make their own chalk addition.

WestGateMap
Westgate will have eight professional artists working on their murals throughout the Entertainment District. Kids are invited to the “KidZone” where they’ll be able to produce their own artwork and, if they’re so inclined, take a stroll over to see what hockey is all about and get some exercise

Also of interest is the announcement of the results of the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery, where the drafting position of the Arizona Coyotes will be announced in this very important draft year. We will all be watching!

Thanks to the Arizona Coyotes Youth Hockey Development people, Desert Hockey Development will have a ball hockey rink set up at the Westgate venue, somewhere on the plaza near Gila River Arena. We will have equipment and adult direction for as many kids as can fit in the plaza that want to have some fun playing ball hockey.

Play for awhile or play all day, it’s up to you!

Hope to see you there!