A Swindon Wildcats Ice Hockey Academy youngster is excited to continue his progression on the ice, having developed a newfound passion within the sport through the England Ice Hockey Netminder Development Programme.

Jaxon was a successful recipient of loan Bauer netminder kit following Round 2 applications for the 2023/24 programme, allowing him to try the netminder position before his parents invested in equipment of his own.

Jaxon has spent several weeks honing his craft as a netminder, and his father Saul has since purchased Jaxon his own gear from Puckstop as he continues to embrace his time on the ice.

The Swindon junior has also been booked onto four ‘Best of British’ camps in Sheffield – a scenario which wouldn’t have developed, had he not been given the opportunity to loan the equipment and try the netminder position.

His father Saul said: “Jaxon is really progressing in the netminder position and always comes off the ice with a smile.

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to loan equipment through the Netminder Development Programme, as I don’t think I would have risked buying the gear and he would have missed out.”

About the Netminder Development Programme

England Ice Hockey are committed to providing opportunities for young people to get involved in hockey and removing as many barriers to participation as possible.

In collaboration with Puck Stop and Bauer, the Netminder Development Programme is a fantastic opportunity for junior players to loan Bauer netminder kit at no cost, allowing them to try the netminder position before investing in their own equipment.

This season Bauer have supplied five sets of full protective equipment – everything except more personal items such as helmet, skates, stick and jock – to PuckStop, allowing individuals to start applying to loan the netminder gear.

Essential Criteria

• Player has limited or no prior netminder experience
• Player is a current member of a junior club
• Player does not have access to own netminder kit
• Player is playing ice hockey in England or Wales

Application Process

Applications for the current season are now closed.

When applications for the new season are open, we will communicate this via our website and social media channels – stay tuned for more updates!

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