Welcome 2 Hockey
Welcome 2 Hockey is Ion’s brand of Learn To Play. It is an initiation program which aims to teach basic hockey skills, hockey fundamentals, raise hockey IQ, and prep your player to be ready for house hockey all while having fun doing it. Whether your player is a beginner, trying hockey for the first time, or looking to improve individual skills for House Hockey, this program is built for players of all levels.
Loudoun Castles
The Castles Developmental program is designed to cultivate the fundamental skill sets of recreational players by integrating the USA Hockey American Development Model (ADM). Each session will include focused skill development, followed by an instructional scrimmage to enhance players’ understanding of the game, rules, and strategies.
In addition to the developmental practices and scrimmages, the Castles will be participating in local tournaments. (Tournament schedule to be finalized upon close of registration)
Duration: September 14, 2024 - February 22, 2025
Sessions: 18 developmental sessions (with blackout dates TBD)
Schedule: Saturdays
8U: 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
10U/12U: 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
14u/16u: 4:20pm-5:20
Monthly Focus Areas:
September - October: Skating fundamentals, balance, basic stickhandling, and introduction to passing and receiving.
November: Advanced skating (crossovers, backward skating), shooting fundamentals (wrist shot, backhand), and positional play.
December: Developing hockey sense, situational awareness, teamwork, and communication through small area games.
January: Advanced shooting techniques (slap shot, one-timer), defensive skills (gap control, body positioning), and basics of power play and penalty kill.
February: Introduction to strategic systems, review and reinforcement of skills learned, and fun competitions with awards to celebrate progress.
Loudoun Knights Hockey Club
The Loudoun Knights Hockey Club is the Tier II travel hockey organization. located at the Ion International Training Center (Ion ITC) in Leesburg, VA. The teams compete in both the CBHL and the EJEPL and play up to 45 games per season. The day-to-day operations of the Loudoun Knights are managed by Craig Desjarlais, Loudoun Knights Hockey Director and the leadership team of David Dixon (Registrar), Nikki Deicie (Lead Club Manager), and Carrie Drake (League Liaison, Scheduler, and Marketing Director).
Washington Little Capitals
The Washington Little Capitals are Tier I AAA Travel Hockey organization who practice and play in the facility. They are separately owned and operated. For more information about their program, please visit their website directly.
Loudoun Knights partnered with PureHockey as our Uniform provider this season
Congratulations to the Loudoun Knights Girls 12U Gold Team on winning the ship. Your 2023/24 CBHL Champions!
CBHL 2023/24 12U Girls Gold Champions
Director, Loudoun Knights
Loudoun Knights Discipline Committee Chair
Knights Executive Director / Ion Registrar
Loudoun Knights Chief Club Manager and PCA Representative
Knights Goaltender Development
Loudoun Knights Chief of Scheduling / League Liaison / Social Media Director
Ion House Hockey Director
To build a full development program, we need dozens of dedicated hockey volunteer coaches. All that's required is a love of the game. We'll help you with everything else! Register now and we will get you all the information you need to complete your training and certification by the start of the new season.