The latest evolution in the 58-year history of the Dundas Blues Junior Hockey Club includes a new partnership with the Hamilton Huskies minor hockey association.
It's an affiliation that is expected to help both organizations — providing opportunities for Huskies players to advance to the next step after minor hockey with a junior team, while providing the Blues an injection of not only fresh on-ice talent but also additional volunteers.
Blues president, and longtime club volunteer, Steve Aglor noticed the Huskies had been trying to partner with a junior club for some time. Meanwhile, he was dealing with the community-run, nonprofit club's challenges in finding volunteers to keep the organization going in Dundas.
Aglor said the team has been calling for new executive volunteers for years — and he estimates there's been one new body in nearly 10 years. After a failed experiment with private owners between 2008 and 2013, the club has been back to its roots for the past four seasons as a volunteer-run, nonprofit, community organization.
"It expands our executive, brings more people in," Aglor said on Thursday night. "We're still a community team — not an owned team."
With the same volunteers taking on a whole variety of roles and getting older, Aglor knew they had to find a way to get some help.
"It's a lot of work for too few people," he said.
The Blues-Huskies partnership means the local team will continue to operate as it has been, in Dundas.
Key among the changes is the addition of Huskies general manager Mike Spadafora to the Blues executive as the junior club's general manager.
"It adds to our development model," Spadafora said of the partnership. "It's a direct connection to the next step after minor hockey. It continues the ladder."
Aglor remains as Blues president, along with the rest of the team's current administration and executive — along with a few Huskies volunteers joining in.
Spadafora and Aglor agreed the new arrangement will create opportunities to expand community involvement — both in Dundas and across the city.
Midget players in the Huskies will have opportunities, through the affiliation, to come up to the Blues for brief periods while still in minor hockey — helping prepare them for junior hockey in Dundas when they are eligible. Spadafora figures the opportunity to have a clear route to the provincial junior hockey team will encourage players already in the Huskies organization — and encourage to join.
Several players are already benefiting from the opportunity. Nothing will stop Dundas Minor Hockey players from advancing to the Blues too, and some Dundas players are already in the Huskies organization.
The partnership extends to coaches and player development volunteers from both clubs working together.
Some of the executive details will be worked out in the off-season. In the meantime, everyone's focus is the current team on the ice. But Aglor, a longtime Dundas hockey player, volunteer coach and executive, wanted the main point made clear to the Valley Town. The Blues are still Dundas' team.
"We want everyone to know — in black and white — we are a community team," Aglor said. "We're still here and we haven't sold the team. It's a partnership."
The latest evolution in the 58-year history of the Dundas Blues Junior Hockey Club includes a new partnership with the Hamilton Huskies minor hockey association.
It's an affiliation that is expected to help both organizations — providing opportunities for Huskies players to advance to the next step after minor hockey with a junior team, while providing the Blues an injection of not only fresh on-ice talent but also additional volunteers.
Blues president, and longtime club volunteer, Steve Aglor noticed the Huskies had been trying to partner with a junior club for some time. Meanwhile, he was dealing with the community-run, nonprofit club's challenges in finding volunteers to keep the organization going in Dundas.
Aglor said the team has been calling for new executive volunteers for years — and he estimates there's been one new body in nearly 10 years. After a failed experiment with private owners between 2008 and 2013, the club has been back to its roots for the past four seasons as a volunteer-run, nonprofit, community organization.
"It expands our executive, brings more people in," Aglor said on Thursday night. "We're still a community team — not an owned team."
With the same volunteers taking on a whole variety of roles and getting older, Aglor knew they had to find a way to get some help.
"It's a lot of work for too few people," he said.
The Blues-Huskies partnership means the local team will continue to operate as it has been, in Dundas.
Key among the changes is the addition of Huskies general manager Mike Spadafora to the Blues executive as the junior club's general manager.
"It adds to our development model," Spadafora said of the partnership. "It's a direct connection to the next step after minor hockey. It continues the ladder."
Aglor remains as Blues president, along with the rest of the team's current administration and executive — along with a few Huskies volunteers joining in.
Spadafora and Aglor agreed the new arrangement will create opportunities to expand community involvement — both in Dundas and across the city.
Midget players in the Huskies will have opportunities, through the affiliation, to come up to the Blues for brief periods while still in minor hockey — helping prepare them for junior hockey in Dundas when they are eligible. Spadafora figures the opportunity to have a clear route to the provincial junior hockey team will encourage players already in the Huskies organization — and encourage to join.
Several players are already benefiting from the opportunity. Nothing will stop Dundas Minor Hockey players from advancing to the Blues too, and some Dundas players are already in the Huskies organization.
The partnership extends to coaches and player development volunteers from both clubs working together.
Some of the executive details will be worked out in the off-season. In the meantime, everyone's focus is the current team on the ice. But Aglor, a longtime Dundas hockey player, volunteer coach and executive, wanted the main point made clear to the Valley Town. The Blues are still Dundas' team.
"We want everyone to know — in black and white — we are a community team," Aglor said. "We're still here and we haven't sold the team. It's a partnership."
The latest evolution in the 58-year history of the Dundas Blues Junior Hockey Club includes a new partnership with the Hamilton Huskies minor hockey association.
It's an affiliation that is expected to help both organizations — providing opportunities for Huskies players to advance to the next step after minor hockey with a junior team, while providing the Blues an injection of not only fresh on-ice talent but also additional volunteers.
Blues president, and longtime club volunteer, Steve Aglor noticed the Huskies had been trying to partner with a junior club for some time. Meanwhile, he was dealing with the community-run, nonprofit club's challenges in finding volunteers to keep the organization going in Dundas.
Aglor said the team has been calling for new executive volunteers for years — and he estimates there's been one new body in nearly 10 years. After a failed experiment with private owners between 2008 and 2013, the club has been back to its roots for the past four seasons as a volunteer-run, nonprofit, community organization.
"It expands our executive, brings more people in," Aglor said on Thursday night. "We're still a community team — not an owned team."
With the same volunteers taking on a whole variety of roles and getting older, Aglor knew they had to find a way to get some help.
"It's a lot of work for too few people," he said.
The Blues-Huskies partnership means the local team will continue to operate as it has been, in Dundas.
Key among the changes is the addition of Huskies general manager Mike Spadafora to the Blues executive as the junior club's general manager.
"It adds to our development model," Spadafora said of the partnership. "It's a direct connection to the next step after minor hockey. It continues the ladder."
Aglor remains as Blues president, along with the rest of the team's current administration and executive — along with a few Huskies volunteers joining in.
Spadafora and Aglor agreed the new arrangement will create opportunities to expand community involvement — both in Dundas and across the city.
Midget players in the Huskies will have opportunities, through the affiliation, to come up to the Blues for brief periods while still in minor hockey — helping prepare them for junior hockey in Dundas when they are eligible. Spadafora figures the opportunity to have a clear route to the provincial junior hockey team will encourage players already in the Huskies organization — and encourage to join.
Several players are already benefiting from the opportunity. Nothing will stop Dundas Minor Hockey players from advancing to the Blues too, and some Dundas players are already in the Huskies organization.
The partnership extends to coaches and player development volunteers from both clubs working together.
Some of the executive details will be worked out in the off-season. In the meantime, everyone's focus is the current team on the ice. But Aglor, a longtime Dundas hockey player, volunteer coach and executive, wanted the main point made clear to the Valley Town. The Blues are still Dundas' team.
"We want everyone to know — in black and white — we are a community team," Aglor said. "We're still here and we haven't sold the team. It's a partnership."