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Hockey is on the rise in Wheeling.
No, I'm not talking about the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers.
No, I'm not talking about the high school teams at Wheeling Park, Wheeling Central, Linsly or John Marshall.
What I am talking about is the Wheeling Amateur Hockey Association.
The growing organization has over 500 youth participating this year. There are 90 kids involved in the Mini Mites Division (ages 4-6), another 70 in the Mites Division (6-8), some 65 in the Squirts Division (8-10) and approximately 50 in the Pee Wee Division (10-12). There are also two in-house girls teams and Linsly also has a girls hockey team involved with WAHA.
Several former Nailers' and Thunderbirds' players have volunteered their services, including Tim Roberts, Brock Woods, Grant Van Laar, Stefan Brannare and Vadim Slivchenko. All have children of hockey age and several have children currently skating in the WAHA.
Even though Roberts had no children at the time, he became involved in the WAHA program several years ago. He became a board member and was elected to the position as WAHA president. He has held that title for the last three years, and has also worked very hard in promoting hockey in the Ohio Valley.
Woods serves as the radio color analyst for all Wheeling home games, while Brannare and Slivchenko were standouts in their days on the ice. VanLaar was the equipment manager for several seasons, and even saw spot duty as an emergency goaltender at times.
With the five former Thunderbirds/Nailers involved in the local program, youth hockey in the Ohio Valley has been elevated to a higher class of hockey.
One player that has benefited from his WAHA experience is 13-year-old Drew Balcar of St. Clairsville.
When Balcar was just 4 years old he attended a Wheeling game with his father and a church group.
It wasn't too long after that that the youngster told his dad he wanted to go to more games and even attempt playing hockey.
Soon after, he received his first pair of skates and started playing the sport that he fell in love with.
He played every position in the developmental stage of his career, but his love was goalie. As he moved up through the ranks, goalie became his permanent position and he currently plays in the Southpointe Amateur Hockey Association in Cannonsburg, Pa. in the Bantam Division.
Balcar, who stands 5-ft.-8 and tips the scales at 160 pounds, told his dad following his initial hockey adventure that he was going to be an NHL goalie. Although it is a big dream to say the least, he receives encouragement from his family, friends and coaches.
Through the years, Balcar has taken part in various goalie camps or schools. He has attended the Columbus Blue Jackets goalie camp, the Kent State goalie camp, Pittsburgh goalie clinics, and this past summer he had the opportunity to attend the Jim Parks goalie school in Toronto, Canada.
North can be reached at knorth@timesleaderonline.com