With the OHL season just weeks away, the Niagara IceDogs are looking for more local families willing to open their homes to junior hockey players.
IceDogs General Manager Dale DeGray says the team is currently about four billet beds short of where it would like to be heading into the season.
DeGray says billeting is about much more than providing a place for a player to stay. He says the goal is for players, many of whom are just 16 years old and away from home for the first time, to become part of their billet family.
DeGray spent 19 years with the Owen Sound Attack before making the move to Niagara, and says he's seen firsthand how strong those relationships can become.
Players can stay with the same billet family for several years, while billet families can also become connected with the player's parents and extended family. The team says billet families are generally paid $550 per month, with season tickets also part of the arrangement.
Billet families can live anywhere in the Niagara Region, although DeGray says the team generally looks for homes within about a 15-to-20-minute drive of St. Catharines. Families interested in billeting for the IceDogs can contact the team or reach out directly to DeGray at d.degray@niagaraicedogs.net.
(Written by: Matt Latour)