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Niagara Ice Dogs Edit

Canadian Interuniversity Sport Commitments
Although the Niagara Ice Dogs have graduated many players to the American Hockey League and National Hockey League they have also helped countless players to achieve their academic goals by taking their hockey skills to the classroom and going the CIS route. The CIS stands for ( Canadian Interuniversity Sport). It is a hockey league in which all Canadian Universities battle for the CIS National Championship. There are 3 divisions is CIS hockey. The first being; Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Second is Atlantic University Sport (AUS), and the third called Canada West University (CW).

2013/2014
 * Mike Robinson - University of Ontario Institute of Technology
 * Eric Ming - Queens University- OUA
 * Chris Festarini - Wilfrid Laurier University - OUA
 * Trever Peterson - York University - OUA

2012/2013
 * Mitch Bennet - University of Ontario Institute of Technology - OUA
 * Shayne Rover - York University - OUA
 * Tyler Mort- York University - OUA
 * Steven Shipley - St. Marys University - AUS
 * Jason Shaw - University of Ontario Institute of Technology - OUA

2011/2012
 * Johnson Andrews - Brock University - OUA
 * Victor Terreri - Ryerson University - OUA
 * Dalton Mcgrath - Brock University - OUA
 * Micheal Hasson - Guelph University - OUA

Behind the scenes as a Niagara Ice Dog
The Niagara Ice Dogs are some of the most well respected members of the community of St. Catharine's. Locals in St. Catharine's look forward to attending home games, and the team brings the community a sense of "togetherness". Players are obligated to attend a variety of community events. This consists of making appearances at local hospitals, signing a few autographs for fans or attending local schools and participating in classroom activities. Along with all of this commitment to community the players also help raise funds for local charity's such as :Walking For A Cure Niagara Falls, Walk A Mile In Her Shoes , and Teddy bear toss. The sales from the games they play go towards these important charities.

Owners
Bill and Denise Burke purchased the Niagara Ice Dogs in 2007 from former owner Don Cherry. Niagara IceDogs owners Bill and Denise Burke donated $1 million to the Meridian Centre fundraising campaign. In honor of the donation, the City of St. Catharine's is naming the road that semi-circles the arena IceDogs Way.

Billets
The word Billet was deprived from the military to put soldiers who were fighting in the war in homes, these homes allowed them to be fed and sheltered. Billet families are an essential part of the IceDogs organization. They invite IceDogs players into their home and welcome them as part of their family, as the player leaves home to pursue his hockey career. IceDogs players range anywhere from 16-20 years of age and juggle a busy schedule that includes games, practices and school. Billets play a key role in a players development. With careful consideration of all these factors, potential billets are carefully selected and go through a screening process to ensure a safe and appropriate living situation. This will help ensure the players success both on and off the ice. Billets not only help players with their day to day living arrangements, but are also there to help instill important values and enforce team rules along the way. At the same time, players are made well aware of the rules and are expected to abide by them. Players are also aware that they are a role model for any children in billet families and expected to act accordingly. Billet families often really do become second families for the players, building lasting relationships that often remain with both the family and the player long after the player moves on.