Okanagan Hockey School is a series of instructional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

camps for youth players. The original school was founded in

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

in 1963 by

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

hockey players

Larry Lund Larry Lund (born September 9, 1940 in Penticton, British Columbia) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) playing 459 games all with the Houston Aeros. Playing career Lund was a vet ...

and Nick Iannone. On-ice training was held at the

Penticton Memorial Arena The Penticton Memorial Arena is a 2,212-seat multi-purpose arena in Penticton, British Columbia. It was home to the Penticton Vees ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink ...

, with dryland training in the field behind the arena, and classroom instruction at the nearby Penticton Convention Centre. In the 1970s, the school expanded with a dorm for out-of-town students at Queen's Park Elementary School, and a second school location at McLaren Arena, also in Penticton. Okanagan Hockey School is the longest continuously-running hockey school in the world. In 2004, Lund sold the organization to a group headed by Andy Oakes and former

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

players

Alan Kerr Alan G. "Al" Kerr (born March 28, 1964) is a Canadian retired ice hockey forward. He is currently the head coach and general manager of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs BCHL team. Kerr started his National Hockey League career with the New York Is ...

and

Jeff Finley John Jeffrey Finley (born April 14, 1967) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey player. In 708 career games in the National Hockey League, Finley scored 13 goals and 70 assists for 83 points. Career Finley was drafted by the N ...

.BC Hockey Hall of Fame
The New Inductees for 2008
Retrieved on 26 January 2009 In Canada, Okanagan Hockey Camps currently operate six locations, including

and

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''ki� ...

, and

St. Pölten ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, as well as a partnership with the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

. Okanagan Hockey Camps has programs designed for male and female players of all levels from 5–20 years old. There are regular and elite-level programs offered for players and goaltenders, including specialized programs for skating, power skating, shooting, and defense. The Okanagan Hockey Group also operates the Okanagan Hockey Academy, which is a year-round program based out of

that plays in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. The OHA is a public-private partnership with

Penticton Secondary School Penticton Secondary School (Pen High or PSS) is a high school located in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. PSS is operated by School District 67 Okanagan Skaha. It is one of two secondary schools in Penticton and one of three in the school di ...

and is operated out of the

South Okanagan Events Centre The South Okanagan Events Centre is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. It is home to the Penticton Vees ice hockey team. The arena opened to the public in September 2008. Previously, the Vees played at Pentict ...

. In addition to Okanagan Hockey Camps and Okanagan Hockey Academy, Okanagan Hockey Group is also in a partnership with the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

in their WHL Combines program.

References

External links

Official website
{{coord missing, British Columbia Ice hockey schools Buildings and structures in Penticton