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Dave Lewis and Craig Anderson’s willingness to become involved in the Western Canadian Hockey Academy ultimately hinged on one important point. It couldn’t harm the existing minor hockey infrastructure in Westman. When they learned that Jared Jacobson shared that philosophy, it didn’t take long for the two Hockey Factory instructors to sign on.

“We’re big supporters of minor hockey,” Lewis said. “Our kids have come through the minor hockey system here in Brandon and we just thought this was a much better way to enhance their product. We’re not here to hurt their program.

“We thought we could do more player development and they can go back to their minor hockey teams and do their tactical development with their teams. That’s the best of both worlds.”

If the WCHA had iced teams in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, it may have siphoned off the top young players in the under-15 and even U18 programs from the Brandon Wheat Kings, Southwest Cougars and Yellowhead Chiefs. Instead, the program will be sending players back to their teams with daily instruction on the game.

“This is going to make the programs in our area stronger by advancing kids throughout the day, working on their skill development, getting them faster, stronger, more skilled,” Anderson said. “This should have more of a positive effect on the strength of our bantam and midget AAA programs.”

The new academy might also prevent youngsters from attending more distant prep programs, keeping the best players with their local teams.

Lewis started Hockey Factory 19 years ago, growing it from a small grassroots program to a very large one that focuses on skating and hockey skills.

He said it was easy to envision how the marriage between the academy and his program would pay dividends for everyone involved. A big addition in the eyes of Lewis is the goaltending program, which Hockey Factory hadn’t previously offered.

“That extension of the Hockey Factory and taking it to a whole new level is something that Chevy and I are really pumped about,” Lewis said.

The new rink will include a National Hockey Leaguesized ice surface, three shooting bays on ice, a performance centre, middle years classroom, six-lane 100-metre track and on-ice video training. In addition to their studies every day, players will be given 75 minutes of on-ice instruction and 60 minutes of dryland training.

He said stepping away from the Hockey Factory brand isn’t that difficult. His focus has always been on players, regardless of what the program is called.

“To me, it’s just about the players hopefully getting a chance to play at the level they want to,” Lewis said. “Whether it’s the Hockey Factory or the WCHA, it’s about the players realizing their dreams. It’s bittersweet but at the same time not really. It’s just an opportunity for us to offer more to the kids.”

The academy will cater to youngsters from Grades 5 to 8 at the rink, which is located in the southwest corner of the city on 34th Street south of Patricia Avenue. Anderson said it will allow the duo to do what they have been doing but a lot more.

They generally have kids for a couple of weeks during the summer and have found that eventually, the habits they are taught begin to erode.

They’ve evened noticed it with their own sons, Ty Lewis of the ECHL’s Utah Grizzles and the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles, and Calder Anderson of the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors.

“Sooner or later they begin to lose the technical part of it, specifically with their skating,” Anderson said. “Dave and I can recognize it right away when we’re watching Calder play or Ty play, that he’s losing his recovery or not extending his stride long enough. Just because we get those kids for a short period of time, we find that they get it, keep it for a month and then lose it.

“The kids we’ll have will get it consistently for an entire year so we shouldn’t see those bad habits come into play. We should in our opinion develop these kids a lot quicker.”

Anderson noted coaching in minor hockey generally focuses on things such as team play and defensive zone coverage rather than individual skill development. In the new WCHA model, the skill development will come from one spot and the team development from another.

Both men are taking leave from the Brandon School Division, with Lewis serving as director of player development and Anderson as director of hockey operations.

Lewis said their backgrounds certainly help.

“A lot of our instructors are teachers,” Lewis said. “I certainly don’t mean this the wrong way but there is a way that you connect to kids and teach children and plan and so much of that is transferred from the education process that we go through. That’s been a big piece of the Hockey Factory.”

He said that shows in the way instructors are build lesson plans that allow youngsters to grow.

Anderson agreed.

“I really love teaching and educating, but now I’m going to be able to do it on ice, which is exciting for me,” Anderson said. “It’s taken probably about a year for this to get up and running. Now it’s just about here so it’s exciting.”

Western Hockey League assistant coaches Mark Derlago and Dan Johnston of the Wheat Kings will be helping out, and Jacobson said the facility will add some former professional players to its staff, which allows them to develop into coaches and provides a life after hockey.

Still, the key building block for Jacobson was getting Lewis and Anderson on board.

“They’re both super knowledgable hockey guys, and having them join as locals — their home base is here — that’s huge because I know that it’s sustainable with them and they’re staying,” Jacobson said. “They’re going to be here for years to come so it’s huge.

“It’s super exciting. They’re great guys and get along with everybody. The Hockey Factory, don’t even know how many people they’ve developed over the years.”

Anderson shares Jacobson’s optimism. He can’t quite believe it’s all come together.

“It’s been kind of surreal for me,” Anderson said. “For some reason, it still seems too good to be true. For me to be able to get up every day and go to the rink and get on the ice, and make a living doing it, that’s something I’ve been wanting to do since I started into education.”

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When Jared Jacobson explored ideas that would help the development of hockey in western Manitoba, he kept coming back to a single idea.

Now he’s put it into action.

The owner of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who is chief executive officer and president of the Jacobson and Greiner Group of Companies, is building a new rink at the corner of 34th Street and Patricia Avenue.

In addition, he’s opening the Western Canadian Hockey Academy, which is aimed at young players from Grades 5 to 8 and high school and may help stem the flow of talented youngsters to more distant prep programs.

“For me it’s about developing players and keeping people in the centres they grew up in,” Jacobson said. “Time flies by for families, and I just look at when kids are 12, 13, 14, it’s tough to leave home … I just wanted to look at a hybrid model to help the mid-market centres keep kids if they want to have another choice in their years of hockey to stay local and develop.

“I think it’s just a great fit, and it’s been well received by Hockey Brandon. I’m so happy for that because we wanted to create an opportunity, not a conflict.”

The facility will include a National Hockey League-sized ice surface, three shooting bays on ice, a performance centre, middle-years classroom, six-lane 100-metre track and on-ice video training.

In addition, it will run camps for boys and girls in a number of age groups.

The WCHA will not field a team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League: Instead, the players will skate with their minor hockey teams as they normally do.

“Hockey is becoming more of a business and it’s becoming more complicated and there are so many more options,” Jacobson said. “I hope it simplifies the decision for people and also helps persuade kids to stay in the game longer. It’s tough years when you hit peewee, bantam, the options close, so I’m hoping with development, if we can strengthen them at a younger age, we can keep them playing and have more options for them as they develop.”

During each school day, the youngsters will receive 75 minutes of on-ice instruction and 60 minutes of dryland training, with academic instruction focused on the four provincial core subjects: math, science, social studies and English Language Arts in a classroom at the rink.

Wheat Kings academic advisor Glenda Zelmer will serve as the education director, with teacher Lesley Taggart handling the classroom.

On the ice, Dave Lewis and Craig Anderson are moving their Hockey Factory program to the WCHA and the new rink.

“It’s going to be fantastic for the city and Southwest and Yellowhead,” Lewis said. “It brings a whole new dimension and opportunity for kids in Brandon and Southwest and Yellowhead to get some skill development, both player development and goalie development that traditionally guys have to go to Winnipeg for. To have that now in southwest Manitoba for our kids is huge.

The academy will ice spring teams after minor hockey seasons end. They will be called the Wolves.

Jacobson has been thinking about the arena project for the last two or three years. In fact, you can say it goes back a lot further.

“Actually I’m the second generation,” Jacobson said. “Arena-wise, my dad (Jack) looked at it a few times and was just trying to find the right spot or the right opportunity to do it, and wanted to do it but just kind of held off.

“Now he’s gung-ho to support me in this venture. I think he’s happy to see it come to fruition too.”

Jacobson is hoping to have the building ready by late fall. Ground has been broken on the foundation, and they’re working with local subtrades, plus Behlen and Crane Steel to get the superstructure up in the next month or two.

“It’s looking good so far but construction is construction,” Jacobson said. “Our goal is to have this thing occupied late fall.” The cost of the project isn’t being released.

Since Jacobson played Junior A and is now a hockey dad to a talented youngster in his son Jaxon, he’s seen his share of arenas.

That, along with the knowledge he was building it for a hockey academy, helped in the design.

“I kind of had an idea of what I wanted,” Jacobson said. “Basically, I based it on the business plan that we want to run there more so, as well for technology and innovation. It’s more based around that.”

He noted most arena designs are roughly similar, adding they looked at specific things they could offer that would help with the WCHA.

While it will be home to the hockey academy, it will also be available for public rentals.

With four other ice surfaces in the city — three rinks at the Keystone Centre and one at the Sportsplex — the need for additional ice is growing. The new rink may also allow some of the larger tournaments the city hosts to increase in size.

“We have some great announcements coming with Hockey Brandon and some other organizations within the city,” Jacobson said. “They’re looking to help us get our hours booked so it’s been well received so far even in the preliminary stages. I think it’s a big need.”

Jacobson said the facility won’t host trade shows or anything like that, so it will help when the rinks are tied up with other events.

Its ice will be in and available.

Plus a Jacobson family dream will come to fruition.

“Hockey rinks aren’t huge profit centres,” Jacobson said. “We’re doing this on behalf of the J&G Group and our family for the community to help the community. We really appreciate the support. It’s great for all the local tradespeople to have some great projects this summer.

“We’re doing this for the long-term benefit of the community.”

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