This week in Ottawa
Drop-in hockey in Ottawa this week
Every public drop-in, shinny and skills session running in Ottawa over the next seven days — with the rink, the age group and the price at the door.
Drop-in is the cheapest ice in the city and the hardest to find. There's no single schedule — each rink, hockey school and private complex posts its own, and half of them only update a PDF. This page pulls the next seven days into one list: 18 sessions from the 299 public drop-ins currently on PuckFinder.
This week's sessions
| Session | Where | Ages | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| U9-U12 Edge/Speed COMP (Minto Rec.) Hockey & RingetteThu, Sep 17 · Ashley Holmes Training | Minto Recreation ComplexBarrhaven | U9–U12 | $62 |
| U15 to U18 -- Rep, A, AA, AAAThu, Sep 17 · Summit Goaltending | Amped SportsLabSouth Ottawa | U15–U18 | $102 |
| U13 to U15 -- All skill levelsThu, Sep 17 · Summit Goaltending | Amped SportsLabSouth Ottawa | U13–U15 | $90 |
| U9 to U12 -- All skill levelsThu, Sep 17 · Summit Goaltending | Amped SportsLabSouth Ottawa | U9–U12 | $90 |
| ELEVATE U13-U15 AA/AAA : September (Cardel Rec. Stittsvile)Fri, Sep 18 · Ashley Holmes Training | Cardel Rec ComplexStittsville | U13–U15 | $65 |
| U12-U16 Edge/Speed COMP (Cardel Rec. Stittsville) Hockey & RingetteFri, Sep 18 · Ashley Holmes Training | Cardel Rec ComplexStittsville | U12–U16 | $62 |
| Edge and SkillFri, Sep 18 · NC play hockey | Johnny Leroux ArenaWest Carleton | All ages | $30 |
| Edge and SkillFri, Sep 18 · NC play hockey | Johnny Leroux ArenaWest Carleton | All ages | $30 |
| 18U scrimmageFri, Sep 18 · Nepean Hockey School | Minto Recreation ComplexBarrhaven | All ages | $40 |
| U14 to U18 -- AA & HigherSat, Sep 19 · Summit Goaltending | Amped SportsLabSouth Ottawa | U14–U18 | $102 |
| U14 to U18 -- AA & HigherSat, Sep 19 · Summit Goaltending | Amped SportsLabSouth Ottawa | U14–U18 | $102 |
| 4 WEEK (MON) ADULT EVENING SKILLSMon, Sep 21 · Sensplex | Richcraft SensplexKanata | All ages | $50 |
| 4 WEEK (MON) RECREATIONAL SEMI PRIVATE LESSONSMon, Sep 21 · Sensplex | Richcraft SensplexKanata | All ages | $60 |
| 4 WEEK (MON) COMPETITIVE SEMI PRIVATE LESSONSMon, Sep 21 · Sensplex | Richcraft SensplexKanata | All ages | $60 |
| Power Edge + Shoot to ScoreTue, Sep 22 · Nepean Hockey School | Walter Baker Sports CentreBarrhaven | All ages | $40 |
| 12 WEEK (TUES)- SUNRISE SKILLS & TACTICS (RECREATIONAL)Tue, Sep 22 · Sensplex | Bell SensplexKanata | All ages | $50 |
| U16/U18/U22 Speed/Edge (Minto Rec.)Tue, Sep 22 · Ashley Holmes Training | Minto Recreation ComplexBarrhaven | U17–U20 | $62 |
| 12 WEEK (TUES)- SUNRISE SKILLS & TACTICS (COMPETITIVE)Tue, Sep 22 · Sensplex | Bell SensplexKanata | All ages | $50 |
Sessions are listed by date. Spots on the popular ones go in a day or two, and several Ottawa organizers now run a waitlist that emails you the second someone drops out.
What drop-in costs
Most Ottawa youth drop-ins land between $30 and $75 for an hour of ice. The top of the range buys a coached skills hour with a low skater count rather than open shinny — worth it some weeks, not others.
Drop-in versus everything else
Median published price by format, before tax. Series prices are for the full block, not per skate.
A series usually runs 6–10 weeks, so per-session it often lands close to drop-in — you're paying up front for a guaranteed spot.
Which rinks run the most drop-in
Drop-in sessions by rink
Currently listed public drop-ins, counted by arena.
The private complexes dominate this list for a simple reason: they control their own ice and can post a schedule months out. City arenas run excellent public skating and shinny too, but those are booked through the City's own system rather than listed here.
Shinny vs. skills vs. stick-and-puck
- Shinny / drop-in hockey. Scrimmage, no coach, usually age- or level-banded. Full gear. Best value ice in the city.
- Coached skills drop-in. An hour of stations — edges, puck handling, shooting — with a coach on the ice. Costs more, does more.
- Stick and puck. No scrimmage, no coach; you and your kid work on something specific. Cheapest of the three.
Before you go
- Arrive 30 minutes early. Ottawa rooms are tight and the previous group runs late.
- Full gear unless the listing says otherwise — that includes neck guards for minor hockey ages.
- Bring a light and a dark jersey for anything that scrimmages.
- Check whether it's pay-at-the-door or pre-registered. Most sessions on PuckFinder are pre-registered, which is why they don't oversell.
Never miss a Tuesday skate again
PuckFinder shows every Ottawa drop-in your kid is eligible for, and holds your spot on the waitlist when a session is full.
Keep reading
- What hockey actually costs in Ottawa — Real published prices for drop-in, camps, clinics and series — plus what you're actually paying per hour.
- Power skating in Ottawa, every program compared — Every skating, edge and speed program in Ottawa, side by side, with what actually improves a stride.
- Ottawa hockey camps, by neighbourhood, age and price — Every public camp in the city — price, rink, birth years and dates, updated daily.