Alberni District Secondary School first offered hockey as a Physical Education credit in 2002. Since then, interest in becoming a hockey academy began to build. Through the encouragement of parents and students, staff began to explore the concept of a hockey academy.

An application to Hockey Canada was accepted in the spring of 2007. The vision of the Alberni District Hockey Canada Skills Academy is a program of excellence designed for developing athletes who are in Grades 8 to 12 and are interested in learning about the sport of hockey and have a desire to develop their personal skills.

The program is based on Hockey Canada curriculum. It is designed for athletes who are interested in gaining knowledge, and developing their skills and attitudes to support their passion for the game of hockey. Students are expected to apply themselves in all aspects of the course, both on and off the ice. Testing and comparisons based on Hockey Canada tests/results are conducted twice a year.

Students' class time is divided into on and off ice components. Students are on the ice every other day for the duration of the course. On-ice sessions are designed to allow students to work on technical skills such as skating, passing and receiving, puck handling, shooting and checking. Off- ice sessions, include personal strength and fitness workouts, nutrition education, motivational speakers and dry land opportunities for personal hockey skill development. Some classroom sessions explore the mental aspects of hockey, team selection considerations and post secondary educational preparation. Special guest coaches and speakers supplement our program.