25-26 Stan Dolan Scholarship Program
The Fresno Junior Hockey Club (FJHC) is excited to announce that applications are available for the 25-26 FJHC Stan Dolan Scholarship Program. In 2024, Fresno Junior Hockey Club received a $75,000 grant from Dick’s Sporting Goods as part of the 75for75 Sports Matter Program. A portion of this grant has been earmarked to support Jr. Monster Travel players over three seasons. In the scholarship program’s inaugural season, over 20 Jr. Monster players were awarded scholarships. These scholarships are a special opportunity for deserving young players and families to receive financial assistance for their continued participation in Fresno Youth Hockey. Applications are due by March 21, 2025.
Scholarship qualifications and criteria are listed below:
The FJHC Stan Dolan Scholarship program, in accordance with the FJHC, is to provide an affordable, high quality hockey experience to those who have financial need. This program is not intended to be a handout but rather a financial assistance program made available to those who meet the qualifying criteria and are committed to the organization.
FJHC Scholarships are considered and granted based on the following criteria:
● Financial need of parent(s) and child applicant
● Academic record of the child applicant
● Special personal circumstances
● Number of years with FJHC the program
● Parents volunteer commitment with FJHC
● No balance from previous year’s fees
Scholarship Award: up to $1500.00 towards 25-26 Travel Season Dues
We encourage all eligible players to apply and take advantage of this incredible opportunity. Good luck to all applicants!
Scholarship applications will be reviewed and recipients will be chosen by a committee of non-FJHC members.
Scholarship Application
Questions and application submissions should be sent to:
Meet the Selection Committee
Stan Dolan, Scholarship Committee Chair
Stan Dolan, Scholarship Program Founder/Chair: Stan and his family have been involved in the Fresno Hockey Community for almost 20 years. Stan’s son, Harris, played for the Jr. Falcons, in the mid 2000’s, during which Stan has served on the FJHC Board of Directors. His family has also been involved with ECHL Falcons and were part of the first ownership group for the WSHL/NAHL Fresno Monsters. Working with Jay Johnson, Eric Ballard, and Mark Haupt of the Monsters, Stan helped transition the youth club brand from the Jr. Falcons to the Jr. Monsters.
Having never played the game himself, although a life-long fan, Stan decided to become better educated in the game once his son decided hockey was what he wanted to pursue. His son was part of the 2000/2001 birth year team that in 2014 won both NorCal and CAHA Championships, along with several tournaments https://abc30.com/good-sports-fresno-junior-monsters-hockey/620009/.
A few years ago, Stan returned to the FJHC Board serving as the club’s first SafeSport Coordinator and helped implement the program. In his last two years, Stan secured almost $100,000 in grants from Dick’s Sporting Goods. Stan’s efforts include FJHC being awarded $75,000 as one of the 75 youth organizations to be part of the Dick’s 75 for 75 grant programs. https://gvwire.com/2024/01/29/fresno-hockey-club-leverages-75k-grant-to-get-more-kids-on-the-ice/.
One of his goals is to make sure youth hockey grows in the greater Fresno area while helping young athletes reach the highest level of competition. The majority of the 75For75 grant was earmarked for Travel player scholarships, and Stan was very honored to have the scholarships bear his name.
In his personal life Stan has worked for the Fresno County Public Library for over 20 years and wants to buy a dog.
Eric Ballard
Eric has been Executive Director for Jackson Youth Hockey in Jackson Hole, WY for four seasons. Prior to arriving in Jackson Hole, Eric coached five seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes Men’s ACHA DI Collegiate hockey team. Eric was selected to represent USA Hockey as an Assistant Coach for the World University Games that were played in Krasnoyarsk Russia in 2019. He has coached 22 years and over two hundred plus games in the North American Hockey League with 183 of those as a GM/Head coach. Eric has an extensive background as an owner, general manager and coach with Midget AAA, Junior B and Tier III Junior A teams. Eric has also scouted in the Western Hockey League (WHL), United States Hockey League (USHL) and North American Hockey League (NAHL) for over 20 years. Eric currently is one of three Northern Plains District Directors and is the Boys Player Development Director for the State of Wyoming. Ballard also sits on the Youth Council and Junior Council for USA Hockey, which is our National Governing Body for hockey in the United States.
Glen Mears
Glen played forty-six games with the Rochester Mustangs in the USHL in 1989 before heading to college to play all four years for Bowling Green. He went on to play for almost 10 years professionally finishing his career with the Bakersfield Condors. Glen stayed in Bakersfield and eventually started coaching for the Kern County Hockey Club when his two boys started playing. Glen coached multiple teams over the years and helped the Jr Condors bring back their Tier Two hockey program. Glen led the Bakersfield Junior Condors 16UAA team to win the California Hockey Association (CAHA) 16AA State Level 2 Finals in 2018. It was the first time a Bakersfield team won a CAHA state championship.