Ice Aces hockey skill achievement program

​I came up with an Ice Ace award in 2009. It was for achieving certain milestones in skill development. I was frustrated that figure skating had clear progressions (must complete X, Y, Z before you get your level 3 patch, etc.) that seemed missing in hockey. I came up with objective skill tests that seemed to benchmark progression levels. The idea was to motivate players to improve, but also to give coaches objective targets for development. 

​The achievements were designed to incorporate useful skills into simple, objective tests. They were progressive based on the skill level. For example:

• Shoot a puck on the ice from the near blue line into the net
• Shoot a puck from the far goal line into the net
• Shoot a puck in the air from the near blue line into the net

The different levels were:

1. Player (what do you need to know to simply play at a basic level),
2. Trainer (stretch goals that push your abilities in areas beyond what are just the basics, that will increase your enjoyment and performance, and that demonstrate your interest in improvement), and
3. Ace (special skills that only high-level players have developed through many hours of play and practice – things that can be learned by anyone, but only with time and effort).

Originally I had played around with four levels instead of three: Lightweight blue puck for level one, regulation black puck for level two, heavyweight orange puck for level three, and diificult-to-see white puck for level four (Ice Ace). I designed medals that were pucks with a hole drilled through the middle with a hockey lace threaded through it. 

I even made a logo. It visually illustrates the three levels, and looks good on a hat.  :-)