Ottawa Jr. Senators.
Young hockey hopefuls battle it out at the Jr. Senators prospects camp at the end of June. The club is anticipating as many as six players could make the club this season from outside the Ottawa area and are looking for families to billet those players.
File photo
With the new Central Canada Hockey League season approaching, the Ottawa Jr. Senators are looking for several families to serve as billets for as many as six players the club is expecting to have from out of the area this year.
Peter Ambroziak, the club’s head coach and general manager, said the Jr. Senators potential billet families would be able to provide a clean, safe home for the players, providing a room with a bed and place to keep their clothing.
Billets would be expected to provide a place for players to cook and wash their clothing, but the host family wouldn’t be expected to make meals or clean up after their guest.
“(The players) are more than capable enough to cook for themselves,” said Ambroziak. “But at the same time, if they’re welcome to share in the family dinner, I’m sure they’d be happy to do that.”
The team provides billet families with $350 per month to cover the cost of food and help with utilities, as well as a pair of season tickets for the team’s 31 home games.
Ranging in age from 16 to 20, many of the players are either going to school or working when they’re not attending practice or games. Families would need to be flexible enough to accommodate players returning from road trips to places like Pembroke and Cornwall as well.
The experience Ambroziak had while running a team in New Mexico means he’s no stranger to billet programs.
“We only had a couple local kids on the team each season, so we were always looking for around 20 families,” said Ambroziak. “We often ended up with multiple players with one family to make things work.”
In the past, the Jr. Senators had been able to get away without running a billet program, but this season their efforts to find talent outside the Ottawa area means the Jr. Senators have had to set up a program that is common to many junior-level programs.
As many of the out-of-town players could be with the club for a couple of years at least, Ambroziak said ideally families would be able to commit to hosting players for more than just the 2011-2012 season.
Anyone interested in joining the program or would like more information can email the club at coach@ottawajuniorsenators.com or can call 613-292-1715.