The Raiders, a non-profit organization, skate out of SkateQuest of Reston. It is a twin-rink facility just off the Dulles Toll Road in Reston, well-positioned to serve the Northern Virginia and metro D.C. area. Read More

Raiders Equipment Swap Planned for Saturday, September 7th

8/8/2019Read full...

Raiders House Program Information for 2019-2020 Season

6/13/2019Read full...

Raiders Learn to Play Program Information for 2019-2020 Season

6/12/2019Read full...

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Reston Raiders House Program

The Reston Raiders Hockey Club provides opportunities for boys and girls of all skill levels to play ice hockey, from the beginning player to the highly skilled player. The Raiders seek to instill in every child a love for the game of hockey, with a commitment to fair play and sportsmanship. The Club also is committed to helping each child with the development of personal and social skills. The Raiders want to exemplify the principles and philosophies of USA Hockey and, through coaching excellence, to develop the finest youth hockey players possible. The Club is committed to providing a fun environment for players of all ages and skills, with equal opportunity for all. Our key philosophy is Fun Hockey for Kids.

Reston Raiders 2019-20 House Program Registration Dates -
New Registration Dates for the Fall Season

Saturday, June 15, 8:00 AM to Monday, July 1, 8:00 AM priority registration for returning member families*.

*Returning member families include returning 2018-19 fall season Raiders House/Travel and Initiation/Learn to Play Program players and/or siblings of 2018-19 fall returning players and/or siblings NEW travel players. To register a sibling of a returning player during priority registration, please email   for assistance.

Monday, July 1, 8:00 AM open registration for new and returning members.

To register, players will need a 2019-20 USAH Registration Number 
(Register for a current USAH # HERE). To be added to a waitlist, a USAH number is not needed.

2019-20 House Season
 

The House program is offered to children at the 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U and 16U/18U levels. For the 2019-20 season, that includes children born between 2001-2013. The 2019-20 Fall House League season runs from early September to late February.

10U through 16U/18U season will culminate in the House playoffs and Championship game (medals will be awarded to the finalists). 8U will not have playoffs; all 8U will receive medals at their last house game.  

Mandatory Evaluation Skates
Mandatory evaluations will take place on in early September. Dates to be posted on the website. The House Draft will occur following the evaluation skate. Teams will be drafted for parity. Following the draft, coaches will contact team families and House practices will start mid-September. The Club reserves the right to make trades early in the season to ensure teams are well-balanced. Please note, that there will be no players moved based on parental request, all moves will be made by coaches in the interest of balancing teams. The first official start of house games is scheduled to be in early October.

For questions regard house, contact Brendan Ford, Director of House Administration at  .

For questions regarding registration contact the Club Registrar at  .

2018-2019  House Program Divisions and Fees:

House Program Skill Level Details
Participants in the House program should have graduated from the Raiders Initiation Program (IP), but at a minimum should have prior hockey experience (camps or lessons) and/or should have skating skills as established in the Learn to Skate program at SkateQuest (or equivalent) or the Star 1 / Pre-Alpha Level. Please refer to http://www.skatequest.com/group-lessons/# for the skills chart and conversion sheet. If a parent of a player who is of 8U or 10U age is uncertain of whether they have the requisite skills for the house program or it is unclear to the Raider Registrar whether a player has the requisite skill, an evaluation by the Learn to Play or House Director will be made and the director will determine whether the player is ready for the house program or needs to be placed in the Initiation Program. Last season's IP players must have been given notice of graduation in order to sign up for the House program. Please contact the Learn To Play Director  at   for questions regarding the requisite skills needed and evaluation requests. 

Players who, in the pre-season evaluation skate, are determined to not have the skill level to participate at the level at which they are trying out, will be provided the option to move to a lower level, to the Learn To Play Program or to withdraw completely from the program. Any monetary balance will be refunded. Please note that participation in the Learn to Play Program is not an option at the 12U, 14U and 16U/18U Levels.

8U House Details
The Raiders expect to field 10 8U House teams in two different divisions during the 2019-2020 season. Four teams will participate in the Campbell Division and six in the Patrick Division. The Campbell Division generally will be comprised of older, more experienced players, including 8U Blue and 8U Silver travel players, while the Patrick Division will be comprised of younger and less experienced players, including players rising from the Club’s Initiation Program. The division in which a player will play during the season will be determined following 8U evaluation practices, which take place at the beginning of the season. During the first few weeks of the season, players may be assigned to different teams and different divisions as coaches attempt to create balanced teams and place players in the division that provides them with the best opportunity to improve their skills.

The coaches and evaluators will recommend a player play in either the Campbell or Patrick Division based on which division would provide that player with the best opportunity to develop his or her skills. The goals are to ensure that players receive the most appropriate age-level and skill-level instruction, to maximize the number of touches on the puck the player will experience in practice and in games and to provide the optimum game and practice environment for that player not only to develop his or her hockey skills, but also to have fun and enjoy the game of hockey.

Practices
Campbell Division teams and Patrick Division teams will share practice ice during the season. Practices generally will be station-based and follow USA Hockey’s American Development Model (ADM), as players will rotate through stations with players of similar skill and experience as well as players on their team. Coaches may structure some practices so that each team on the ice conducts drills, including cross ice games, only with their team.

Practices will take place once a week on Monday evenings and will be 50-60 minutes in length.

Games
Campbell Division (Upper):  The Campbell Division teams will play 3vs3 or 4vs4 half-ice or cross-ice games on Saturday or Sunday mornings, including some games at Reston Town Center’s outdoor rink. During games, coaches will attempt to match lines so that players of similar experience and skill play against each other. Coaches may swap players from their teams in order to help ensure a competitive environment that optimizes skill development. Coaches also may swap players to create even numbered teams in case one team is missing several of its players.

Patrick Division (Lower): The Patrick Division teams will play 3vs3 or 4vs4 cross-ice games on Saturday or Sunday mornings, including some games at Reston Town Center’s outdoor rink. During games, coaches will attempt to match lines so that players of similar experience and skill play against each other. Coaches may swap players from their teams in order to help ensure a competitive environment that optimizes skill development. Coaches also may swap players to create even numbered teams in case one team is missing several of its players.

Practice for House Program
Below are the planned days and start times for practices for each level in the 2019-2020 House Program. Days and times may change depending on numbers at registration. Notwithstanding, House league practices are once a week at the same day/time each week.

8U will practice Mondays or Fridays as follows

(upper division teams are 1, 2, 3 & 4)

Teams 1, 2, 3, & 4: Mondays at 6:00PM-7:20PM OLY

Teams 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10: Fridays at 4:35-6:00PM OLY

10U will practice Wednesdays as follows

Teams 1, 2 & 3: 5:40-7:00PM OLY

Teams 4, 5 & 6: 7:10-8:30PM OLY

12U will practice Wednesdays or Fridays as follows

Team 1: Wednesdays at 6:10-7:30PM NHL

Teams 2 & 3: Wednesdays at 7:40-9:00PM NHL

Teams 4 & 5: Fridays at 6:00-7:20PM NHL

14U will practice Mondays as follows

Teams 1 & 2: 6:10-7:50PM NHL (there will be a combined portion of the practice with all four teams from 7:10-7:50PM)

Teams 3 & 4: 7:10-9:00PM NHL (there will be a combined portion of the practice with all four teams from 7:10-7:50PM)

16U/18U will have approximately 4 practices throughout the season.

Games for the House Program
8U, 10U, and 12U House players will play Saturday mornings anytime between 6:00AM-12:40PM depending on the weekend. 14U and 16U/18U usually play Sunday night, but will occasionally have 6:00AM Sunday games. There is not a fixed time for any of a team's games and game times change from weekend to weekend. However, our goal is to minimize the number of 6:00AM games and ensure that every team will play an equal amount of early games. 

Special Note to Inline Skaters 
We have found that experienced inline skaters make a smooth transition to ice hockey. If your child does well in inline hockey they will likely do well in ice hockey. The House evaluation process in September places each skater in the appropriate program based on age, size and skill level, and may include the recommendation that the skater play up/down from their age category or participate in the Initiation Program. Players must register for the House level appropriate to their birth year. For more information, contact the Raiders by email at    or

Discount Information
Sibling Discount: 1st sibling $100 discount, 2nd sibling $150 discount, 3rd sibling $200 discount. Sibling discounts will automatically be applied if a sibling is participating in any other Raider program during the same season. Due to the discounted fee of the Learn to Play Program, the discount will not apply for siblings in Learn to Play. The sibling discount will automatically apply to families provided they use the same email address/account to register all players.

Goalie Discount & Goalie Program- NEW
RRHC is offering a $500 goalie discount to players that play in goal for at least half the season. Additionally, all House Teams at the 10U - 16U/18U level will have a Professional Goalie Coach from the Goalie Academy on the ice for all team practices. The Raiders are the ONLY Program in the area that provides this type of instruction for our House Goalies. The coaches will be there to work with the Goalies on Goalie specific drills and instruction. The club will also be offering monthly House Goalie Clinics at Loudoun Ice Centre to give our goalies an additional opportunity to work on their goalie skills.

2019 - 2020 Reston Raiders Learn to Play Program Description (formerly Initiation Program)

Please note the Raiders Initiation Program (IP) is being re-branded as the Learn to Play (LTP) Program

The Reston Raiders Learn to Play (LTP) program is offered to all children ages 4 – 10 years old (2009 - 2015 birth years). The program is based on the USA Hockey American Development Model philosophy and is intended to teach players the fundamentals of the game in a fun and supportive environment.  This program is designed for children who have little to no experience ice skating or playing organized ice hockey and is intended as a pre-requisite for those children who wish to join the Raiders recreational House league hockey programs and/or our Travel Program.

Registration Dates for 2019 - 2020 Season

6/15/2019 – Registration opens for returning members on Saturday, June 15th @ 8:00am

7/1/2019 – Registration opens for new members on Monday, July 1st @ 8:00am

Program Goals

• To have fun and grow a passion for the game.
• To learn the fundamental skills required to play the game of hockey - skating, puck handling, scoring, body contact, and passing.
• To develop players so they are prepared to take the next steps to play in the Raiders Travel or House Programs
• To be introduced to the concepts of cooperation and fair play.

Pre-Requisites

• There are no pre-requisite skating or hockey experience required for the Learn to Play program – all abilities are encouraged to enroll – a desire to play hockey is the only thing we require.

Program Focus

The LTP program will focus on the basic skills required to play hockey.  These include:

• Skating – forward stride, backward stride, stopping, agility, balance, coordination
• Stickhandling and Puck Protection – fundamentals of stickhandling and how to keep possession of the puck
• Passing – fundamentals of passing, including technique and different types of passing with a focus on forehand and backhand passes
• Scoring – teaching shooting basics (wrist shot and backhand) as well as scoring concept
• Body contact – Hockey is a physical game and while checking is not permitted until 14U, players at all levels will be instructed on how to use body contact as a key skill. 
   

What does my child get out of this program?

The program emphasizes the basic hockey skills: skating, puck handling, passing, scoring and body contact. Each skill is introduced and refined in a progressive one step at a time manner and then again through repetition. Children learn and develop through participating in practice drills and informal and modified games (such as shinny, freeze tag and obstacle courses). Although the emphasis is on fun and progressive skill development, the Learn to Play Program also allows kids to experience “real hockey” situations.

This video does a great job highlighting your child’s Learn to Play experience from their perspective – couldn’t be more accurate.

Program Structure

The Raiders Learn to Play season runs from late September to late February (approximately 20 weeks of ice sessions). There will be a mid-season break from mid-December to early January and the program will not meet on various holiday weekends. The program will be led by USA Hockey Certified coaches from the Reston Raiders Hockey Club and supported by parent volunteer coaches.  There are two formal offerings within the Learn to Play Program based upon age and experience.

Learn to Play 1 (LTP1)

Learn to Play 1 (LTP1) is intended for younger children (4 – 7 years old) with no hockey experience.

• The LTP1 group will practice one time per week on Sunday afternoons. 
• Younger players (e.g. 4 and 5-years of age) may repeat LTP1 and do not need to move on the LTP2.  All players born in 2015 and new players born in 2014 should register for LTP1.

Learn to Play 2 (LTP2)

Learn to Play 2 (LTP2) is intended for older children (6 – 10 years old) or those that have completed LTP1

• The LTP2 group will practice two times per week.  Saturday morning games/scrimmages and Sunday afternoon practices.
• Older players (born in 2013 – 2009) with no (or limited) skating/playing experience may also enroll in LTP2 – completion of LTP1 is not required.
• These sessions will mirror our 8U house program games and begin to prepare players for our House and Travel programs. 

Program Fees

Learn to Play 1 (LTP1) - $275

Learn to Play 2 (LTP2) - $525

Both LTP1 and LTP2 run from late September to late February (approximately 20 weeks of ice sessions)

Age Enrollment Guidelines

The following are recommendations for each age based upon a recommended transition path to organized Recreational/Travel hockey. We understand schedules may only allow certain options for your child, so these are recommendations only unless stated otherwise

• 2015 – LTP1 only
• 2014 – LTP1 recommended
• 2013 – LTP1 or LTP2
• 2012 – LTP1 or LTP2 (LTP2 recommended)
• 2011 – LTP2 recommended
• 2010 – LTP2 strongly recommended
• 2009 – LTP2 only

If you need assistance determining which LTP session is the correct fit for your child, please email   or   – please include your child’s birth year and hockey/skating experience. 

The Raiders coaching staff will do an initial evaluation on all the LTP players at the beginning of the year to ensure your player is in the correct session.  We may ask that some players move from LTP1 to LTP2 and vice-versa depending on their age/ability and what we believe is the best environment for your child’s hockey development. 

Children will be evaluated at the end of the LTP season and you will be provided a recommendation on the next steps in your child’s hockey career.  We will assess if they have the requisite skill level to join the Reston Raiders House or Travel programs or would benefit most from another session of Learn to Play. The main factor used to determine the recommendation for the next step in your child’s hockey career is to decide which environment would be best for the development of your child as a hockey player.  A child who does not “graduate” to our House program is not a failure or “behind” – many of our most skilled Raider players at the 8U through 18U levels took multiple years of LTP – your LTP player is at the very beginning of hopefully a long hockey career.  We strive to create an environment where each child enjoys the great game of hockey and looks forward to coming to the rink and leaves the rink with a smile.  The LTP program is all about developing players, developing a passion for the game, and… about smiles.  After all, it’s always a great day to play hockey!

Volunteer Coaches

Our program is dependent on adults willing to volunteer their time to help the kids learn to play the great game of hockey.  We greatly appreciate all the volunteers from previous seasons who come back to help and we encourage new volunteers to help us each year. You will not be stuck out there by yourself, experienced Raider coaches will plan and lead the sessions. If you would like to volunteer, please email   so we can put you on the list – no previous hockey experience is necessary, ability to stand up and move around on skates is very beneficial, patience and a desire to have fun with the kids is required.  Minimum requirements for volunteer coaches include:

• Registration with USA Hockey
• SafeSport Education
• Background Check