Caledonia Park School to launch new hockey academy

LEDUC -- Caledonia Park School will be dropping the puck on a new opportunity for young athletes this fall.

Starting this coming September, CPS will operate its new Leduc Hockey Academy at the LRC. Students in grades five through seven will be eligible to participate in program on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. According to the Black Gold School Division, the focus of the academy will be skill development, which differentiates the program from community hockey programs focused on gameplay. 

"It's something we've thought about for a while," says Donavin Simmons, Principal, Caledonia Park School. "There are other communities that offer opportunities like this, and we thought -- why not Leduc? We've got students and parents who are passionate for the sport and for active living, and we think there will be strong interest in this."

Caledonia Park School will be administering the new program in partnership with Edmonton-based Serdachny Power Skating and Hockey. Simmons says that with National Hockey League experience at their fingertips, the Leduc Hockey Academy is set to deliver high-quality skill development for students.

"Steve Serdachny used to be an assistant coach for the Oilers, and his daughter Danielle is an Olympian who played with Team Canada on the female side," said Simmons. "So that name, and that brand, is a very powerful driver in development hockey right now. Attaching ourselves to them is a bonus." 

Steve Serdachny was a skating and skills coach with the Oilers from 2006 to 2015, while Danielle represented Canada at three IIHF World Women's Championships, winning gold in 2024 and silver in 2023 and 2025. She also played five seasons of college hockey at Colgate University before joining the Seattle Torrent of the PWHL. 

The Leduc Hockey Academy will be modeled after similar programs offered to school students in Edmonton, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, and Beaumont, and the current hope is to expand the program to local high school students in the future.

Simmons adds that students who participate in school sports are three times more likely to perform in the top 25 per cent of core academic subjects. Also, students on school sports teams have fewer absences a 10 per cent higher graduation rate. 

"We want students to want to come to school. Providing an opportunity like this for them gives them that positive outlook on education in general," said Simmons. "All of the sudden, it's exciting to come to school."

He says that a number of students are already enrolled and have participated in the Identification Skate.