Guest: Andy Oakes

Presented by: @hockey_ai

Partnership: @Verberohockey Promo Code: SHEEN

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In today's episode of The Farm Team podcast I am honored to be joined by the President of the Okanagan Hockey Group, Andy Oakes. Based in Penticton, British Columbia, OHG is divided into three areas including the Okanagan Hockey Academy, Okanagan Hockey Schools, and the Okanagan Hockey Combines. OHG has been operating in the Okanagan Valley since its inception in 1963. When you pair one of the nicest locations on Earth with the greatest game on Earth, combine that with hard work and perseverance you put yourself on a trajectory bound for success.

In 2002, Andy founded the Okanagan Hockey Academy with the idea that education and athletics are one in the same and saw that there was a major opportunity to bridge the gap and start developing student-athletes at a younger age. Today, OHA is operating with programs in eastern and western Canada, the United Kingdom, and in Europe.  In 2009, Andy was a founding member of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, a league that shares the same vision and development goals with the likes of the US Prep-School Hockey League. Consisting of teams such as Phillips Andover and Shattuck St. Mary.

Andy’s idea of providing educational opportunities paired with athletic development has proven to be wildly successful. The CSSHL will be entering into their 13th season this upcoming year and will be showcasing 26 programs across the country representing 94 teams in 8 different divisions. The CSSHL has become a major player in the development of Canadian athletes and has provided opportunities for thousands of athletes to hone their athletic abilities and develop life skills that they will carry with them, wherever they go next.

The landscape for hockey in Canada has forever changed, and I look forward to our conversation today to learn more about what the impact those changes will have on reshaping, and overcoming the traditionalists mindset of how players develop and the opportunities available