WJHA to partake in R.I. Reds Heritage Society skills competition

By Pete Fontaine
Posted 1/28/16

It’s only fitting that the Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society will conclude its unique and second annual AHL Skills Test this Saturday with the highly-respected Warwick Junior Hockey …

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WJHA to partake in R.I. Reds Heritage Society skills competition

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It’s only fitting that the Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society will conclude its unique and second annual AHL Skills Test this Saturday with the highly-respected Warwick Junior Hockey Association.

Despite several postponements a year ago due to weather related issues, the Reds Heritage Society teamed up with the WJHA in the first-ever hockey event of its kind at the Alex and Ani Outdoor Skating Rink in Downtown Providence.

Thus, weather permitting; the Reds Heritage Society will conclude an ambitious four-event AHL Skills Test this Saturday morning from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Alex and Ani Rink with the WJHA taking center ice.

“This has been a major step toward us telling young players the genesis of their sport in Rhode Island began with the Rhode Island Reds of the professional Canadian Hockey League back in 1927,” said Buster Clegg, the long-serving Reds Heritage Society president.

A year ago, the Reds Heritage Society hosted only such program with the WJHA, but this year the 700-member non-profit, whose mission is to preserve the legacy of the fabled Reds franchise that played at the former Rhode Island Auditorium, has already had three such skills test events.

The Barrington High School girls’ and boys’ hockey teams, as well as the Sting Girls, participated in the AHL Skills Test – also at the Alex and Ani Outdoor Rink – that was organized by the Reds Heritage Society.

“The Skills Test was generously provided by the AHL to our Society in both video and diagram formats,” Clegg explained. “According to the league, only one other group from Connecticut has ever requested the league’s model.”

But what has made the AHL Skills Test unique in Rhode Island, per the Reds Heritage Society, is that it has been held at the Alex and Ani Outdoor Rink.

“Our objective is to introduce young hockey players to the required series of skills expected at the pro hockey level,” Clegg, a one-time general manager for the R.I. Reds, offered. “In a highly-competitive format, we hope the kids will recognize their strengths and weaknesses so they can improve their performances in order to reach their next level of competition.”

Clegg, who coordinated the Skills Test with WJHA President Chris Orton, went on: “This is certainly an unusual opportunity for all the youth players. We’re also honored to team up with such an outstanding and well-run program like the Warwick Juniors.”

Saturday’s Skills Test is open to the public and there’s no admission charge.

Drills, meanwhile, will consist of skating, passing and shooting and will be run by the WJHS coaches. There will not be game-like conditions or scrimmages and four goaltenders will rotate to handle shots.

As Clegg concluded: “The Skills Test is designed to be a fun event as well as instructive for all the young players.”

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