Development Program

"I have been involved with several different youth sports throughout my life. Only with hockey have I felt a true sense of family and community. I believe the fast-paced nature of hockey emphasizes and rewards teamwork, communication, and collaboration...I want our players in Scarsdale Hockey to have fun and play safely. I want our players to be challenged by great and fair competition, to learn to battle through adversity and to work hard to become the best possible versions of themselves. I want our players to build self-confidence, emotional maturity, and good sportsmanship."

Learn more about the background and philosophy of our President HERE.

Scarsdale Youth Hockey and the South Westchester Blackhawks were both founded in 1996 and have been providing local area children with opportunities to play hockey for nearly 30 years. Starting this year, we have formed a strategic partnership to further grow the sport of ice hockey in Westchester

We are a volunteer-run, non-profit organization. We do not have any profit motive and our goal each year is to break even while providing hockey opportunities for as many children as possible.

Our program is dedicated to fostering a love for the sport while emphasizing skill development, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

We prioritize creating a positive and inclusive atmosphere where every child feels valued and supported, regardless of their skill level.

Our coaching staff is made up of a mix of paid professional coaches and parent volunteers (all USA Hockey Certified). Our Development Program is led by Paul Stuetz. Paul has been coaching for over 25 years, including both youth and adult learn to play programs (including many at WSA). He is a CEP Level 3 certified coach with USA Hockey.

In addition to our Development Program, we field travel teams at every level from 8U to 18U. We also have an all-girls travel team, the Lady Raiders!

Most kids in the program are based out of Westchester, but we do have families in the program who live in NYC, Connecticut, and NJ. There is no requirement to live in Scarsdale or Westchester. 

For our Development Program, we prioritize creating a positive and inclusive atmosphere where every child feels valued and supported, regardless of their skill level.

There are currently two offerings available in our Development Program, a once-per-week Learn To Play skate (Saturday evenings, 5:15pm - 6:30pm at EJ Murrays) and a twice-per-week 8U Development Team (Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 5:40pm - 6:40pm at Westchester Skating Academy). Sessions occur nearly every week, but typically take off for holidays and school breaks. Once you sign up in Crossbar, you can sync the schedule to your calendar.

We recommend players and families that are newer to the sport of hockey begin with our weekly Learn To Play session, as the 8U Development Team requires more of a time and financial commitment (see below). However, for those interested in maximum ice time, you can also sign up for both Learn To Play and the 8U Development Team and get three skates per week!

For either offering, please register following the registration link at the top of this on this page. Registration for any Development Program offering will require a $100 RSVP fee which will be credited towards your final dues.

Our Learn To Play offering is structured into sets of 8 weekly skates, with the first session running weekly from 9/13/25 - 11/1/25. The cost of this Session 1 is $250. Please note that equipment is NOT provided.

Our 8U Development Team runs from September 2025 until the end of March 2026, covering 50+ total skates, and the total cost is $1,700. For this offering, starting in January 2026, we will look to incorporate games against other local programs, for kids who are ready for game action, on weekends. There are no partial season options available. Equipment is NOT provided. 

As a reminder, SYHA is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization; dues are entirely a function of operating costs, and the goal of the organization each year is to break even.