My name is Magnus Balakrishnan and I have had the pleasure of playing for the West-Coast Hawks for 2 years. I believe the West Coast Hawks is a great hockey organization for many reasons.

For me one of the best parts about play Hawks is about the coaching. They are kind and supportive and they believe in me and challenge me to be the best player on and off of the ice.

They push us on the ice by encouraging us to strive to do our best while still making it fun for us as players. Off the ice we have lots of development with dry-land helping us gain better strength conditioning. The coaches are some of the kindest people I know and want nothing more than for you to be a better player and a better man.

As for the hockey, the West Coast Hawks teams are entering into many local and travel tournaments.  We normally go on trips to compete with some of the closest competition from Canada and America. These trips expose the players to not only some great hockey but we always have so much fun as a team and bond some much as friends. 

When you play for the Hawks you aren’t just joining an organization, it is like you are joining a family.  Hawks has made me not only a better hockey player but a better person and I look forward to continue working with them during their year round training and camps.

I've had an amazing time with the West Coast Hawks Spring Program this year! Traveling with friends and playing hockey together was a blast.  My favorite moments this season are the Tournaments to California & Nashville where we bonded as a team and had so much fun off the ice, too.

The coaches were fantastic, always encouraging us and helping me improve my skills. I really felt my confidence grow with each game and practice. The drills and team strategies we learned were challenging but really rewarding.

Overall, the program has been a huge benefit for me, both in terms of my hockey skills and personal growth. I’m looking forward to bringing everything I’ve learned into the next season. Thanks to my Westcoast Hawks Family for making it such a memorable experience and I’m looking forward to next spring! 

Noah Chen 

This spring was a very fun experience for me.  I learned alot of new things including hitting.  

I loved the tournaments the most.  It was awesome travelling with my teammates to Seattle and Las Vegas.  We got to play the game we love most while doing cool things together.  

My best memories are riding the roller coaster at the top of the building in Vegas, running through the lobby playing man hunt in Seattle and just hanging out.  

Our team worked well together and because of that we got gold.  

I can’t wait to play on the Hawks again next spring.

Tyler Nikolai

Playing with the West Coast Hawks for the past two Spring seasons has been an amazing experience. All of the coaches pushed me to improve and succeed, while being encouraging and supportive. They helped me develop my game play as well as improve my skills, making me a better player all around. I will always remember the fun times playing in the tournaments with my Hawks team, and winning made the experience even better! 

For my first spring season of playing on the West Coast Hawks, it has been an amazing start and a wonderful experience!

What I enjoyed most about this spring season was that the team environment was very supportive and positive, with coaches and staff who cared. Development was great, with high-tempo / high-compete rep-level practices, while also having a familiar goalie coach from PFGS for guidance. Practices were at four different facilities that include Hillcrest, Kitsilano and Sunset; even though it was hotter than most rinks, practicing at the Richmond Olympic Oval was very cool! Few of the season’s highlights were the tourneys in Burnaby, Seattle, and Las Vegas, as well as team-building by spending time with teammates off the ice at team lunches, swimming pools, Rec Room, Dave & Busters and the NYNY roller coaster! I also really liked the prep talks and fistbumps that the coaches gave before and after every match.

One of the most memorable moments was winning 2-1 in the championship game at the Vegas Summer Showdown with a short bench against the team that beat us 5-2 in round robin. We gave it our all and bringing gold home as an underdog felt amazing!

My experience with West Coast Hawks has definitely benefited my growth as a goaltender for the reasons stated above, in addition to the opportunities to participate in one-year-up practices to improve my skills.

Overall The West Coast Hawks community was fun and welcoming. I would love to continue next spring season!

Sincerely,

AJ Kwok Born 2011