It’s never easy for a young man when he leaves home for the first time.

The Oshawa Generals are well aware of that, as they have been helping young hockey players adjust to life in a new environment for many, many years.

Part of the experience of playing in the Ontario Hockey League for the first time is having to get used to new experiences, a new city and a new environment. That is where the vital role of billet comes into play.

As soon as a player is drafted by the Generals, plans go into effect to make him as comfortable as possible when he gets to Oshawa. The club provides a solid family home environment for all of its out-of-town players, with carefully selected billets opening their homes for these young players.

Our billets are the lifeblood of our organization. We have been very fortunate to have many families in the area act as billets for our players for many years, are they too have become part of the Generals family.

We want to make our players comfortable from the day they first get here, and having nice family environments for them to stay in while they are in Oshawa is a real plus for our team and for the players.

As soon as the players arrive at training camp, they have a home selected for them to stay in. The Generals pre-select all of the home, with the vast majority of them people who have taken players into their homes for many years.

The hockey club provides all educational expenses and all room and board costs for all of its players, ensuring that once they get to Oshawa, they only have to concentrate on hockey.

These surrogate families then develop a tremendous relationship with their players, taking them into their own families, and ensuring they have all of their needs attended to while they play for the Generals and go to school in Oshawa.

The relationships last for years, even after the players junior careers are over and they have moved on with life inside or outside of hockey. The Generals pride themselves on being a family first organization and nowhere is that more evident in the wonderful people that serve as the team’s billets every season.

For more information, please contact Mike Hedden via email at [email protected]