As the game of hockey continues to grow at a rapid pace in California, the new Frontier Selects program kicking off in 2024-25 is another notch on the list of high-end elite programs calling the Golden State home.

Jason Stewart, president of hockey operations for Frontier Selects, said coming to California is a natural fit for the program.

“The longer you work in the hockey world, you come to realize how interconnected this environment is and having over 20 years’ experience as an educator, coach, academy owner, league executive member and scout, I’ve come to develop an extensive network,” Stewart said. “This network opened up the opportunity in Southern California by introducing me to some specific individuals in the area and led me down the path of exploring the education-based hockey model in California. With my previous experience as a high school educator and academy program owner and operator in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League, I soon realized the opportunity in front of me here in California that would allow me to utilize my strengths and experience to help support and hopefully strengthen a niche market for hockey in the area.”

Stewart said his vision for the Frontier Selects in California has both short-term and long-term goals.

“I am a major advocate for education-based hockey at the youth level as I feel it provides an unparalleled opportunity to work with youth and combine their passion for sport into their daily educational experience,” said Stewart. “This opportunity allows you to develop and strengthen both the academic and athletics abilities of student-athletes by blending their passion into a holistic development model. In short, our goal as a program is to establish ourselves and our unique developmental approach in the local California hockey landscape. As things progress, we want to show local hockey markets that they can stay home in California and be provided with an opportunity to develop and compete against some of the top North American academy programs.

“We want to become a premier destination for elite-level players to develop both within the classroom and on the ice and in a program that prides itself in helping move our student-athletes onto the next stage in their development pathway.”

In addition, the appeal of being on the West Coast is joining the hockey boom and providing more opportunities to players at all youth levels.

“California has a great foundation established with their long-standing high school hockey leagues, namely the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League, and I feel strongly that this foundation can be expanded upon to highlight the development opportunities it presents for student-athletes” Stewart said. “California also has a tremendous base of players in the game and is a nice destination to recruit to. The opportunities here are magnified with the amazing amount of resources available to build a quality program model such as top-notch educational institutions like St. John Bosco.

“Having this foundation in place allows us to enter the marketplace and bring our knowledge and expertise to build a unique opportunity in the area.”

Stewart said Frontier Selects’ intent is to launch both a 16U AAA and 18U AAA team for the 2024-25 season that will compete within the ADHSHL at the Division I level.

“The growth of our program will be in conjunction with our partner school St. John Bosco and the ADHSHL,” explained Stewart. “Our goal is to look at expansion into the 14U AAA and eventually girls hockey as we establish ourselves over the next few years in California and support our local partners.”

Compared to similar programs, Frontier Selects is aiming to stand out from the pack, said Stewart.

“Student-athletes in our program will receive instruction from very dedicated professionals that have both played and worked within the environment,” he said. “The level of expertise we bring along with our proven development model will provide our student-athletes with the specific opportunities and attention they require to holistically develop as student-athletes. Taking care of their physical development on and off the ice as well as providing nutritional and mental training to support their well-being as athletes will occur daily in our 10-month program. This also coincides with the academic opportunities and support they require to further advance as student-athletes.

“There are a lot of strong programs across North America and within California, but it is very difficult to build a well-rounded opportunity for student-athletes unless you have the expertise and relationships necessary to build a program like Frontier Selects.”

Overall, Stewart is planning for Frontier Selects to be a major player in the California youth hockey landscape.

“I think my background over the past 20 years having been in the classroom, coaching at various high levels and establishing and building one the most successful programs in Western Canada — the Northern Alberta Xtreme (NAX) — will really help us to establish ourselves in the California marketplace,” said Stewart. “In NAX’s short history compared to other academy programs, we won 11 league championships and had 15 NHL-drafted alumni come through our program, not to mention the multitude of alumni playing junior, college and professional hockey beyond NAX. I also believe that our group at Frontier Selects brings a wealth of knowledge and contacts that will not only help the student-athletes in our program but will also make our program a destination for out-of-state players looking to advance their game.”

Frontier Selects Los Angeles is currently accepting applications for elite-level hockey players to join the program for this upcoming fall hockey season. Be sure to check out frontierselects.com for more information!

— Matt Mackinder

(May 23, 2024)