All coaches are required to be certified at the appropriate level for the upcoming season.

All 2013-14 AHAI CEP Clinics are open for registration ONLY on the USA Hockey website. 

Click HERE for full listing of AHAI/USAH CEP Clinics 

Dates & Locations.

With the summer coming to a close and preseason conditioning clinics starting up, it's time to make sure players and parents are choosing the club and/or team that is the best fit for them.  What is best for each family may vary based on several factors - club proximity, player development, coaching, reputation and administration are important things families need to consider when choosing a club and or team.

Some High Schools will not be represented in a High School program. As AHAI moves to make High School hockey a true High School team through the creation of districts with schools that can sustain programs year to year, that will leave some schools without the ability to combine as in the past. However, these players still have options to play at local Tier II and Tier III clubs.

Tier II players need to consider several things when looking at where to play, one of them is the Two Choice Rule.  The Two Choice Rule has been highlighted in past newsletters and is a very important component in the decision making process of where to skate this season. Don't let a club tell you it's easy to get a choice back so you can play at that club, because it is not. As of Monday, August 5th, there have been 33 applications submitted for substitute choices and only one substitute choice has been granted thus far.  Make sure you are aware of the rule and how it applies to your situation. Click HERE for more information on Two Choice Rules.  See left side bar for link to the Choice Substitution Application.

For Mite families, when looking at programming, consider what is being offered at your local club. All of the Tier II and Tier III clubs offer what they consider to be the best development for the younger players. All U7 and U8 players will have the opportunity to play both cross ice and full ice games this season with their USA Hockey registered associations.  The programs offered by each club should allow every mite-aged player to develop, grow, and most of all have fun this season.  Families should not need to seek other options for their Mite players. Talk to your local program about their plans for the Mite levels for the upcoming season.

A new season with new teams, new coaches, new players and  new hope. 

This rule pertains to Youth and Girls teams. Rules for High School are listed in that section. USA Hockey rules allow any player to play in any position provided that they are a member of the team that is registered. All teams are required to have two goaltenders. At least one of the goaltenders on the team must be a regular member of the team. They should be identified on the roster with "G" for goaltender. The second goaltender may be an active member of the team that will not regularly play goalie. They should be identified on the roster with "IG" for Identified Goalie. In the case where the position of goaltender will rotate among the players, two players should be selected and identified as the IGs for the team. In addition to members of the registered team being identified as the goaltenders, a Back Up Goalie (BUG) may be registered on the team as the second required goaltender. The BUG must be a player from within the organization and come from a team that is playing at a level beneath the team. For example - the goalie on a Squirt A team may be the BUG on the Squirt AA team. It may also be a goaltender from any of the Mite teams within the organization provided they are from the same category - namely house or travel. The BUG on the Squirt A team may not be a Squirt AA goalie since they are from a playing level above the team. House teams are balanced so the BUG on a House B or C team may be any house player from the same playing level or from a playing level beneath the team. For example, a Peewee House goalie may be the BUG for any Peewee House team within the same organization. They may also be the BUG for any Bantam House team within the organization. House players (B or C) may not serve as the BUG for a Tier II or Tier I team. Tier II goalies may not serve as the BUG on a House or Tier I team. Tier I goalies may not serve on a Tier II or House team. BUGs may only participate with the team in the event that the designated goalie(s) are injured or unavailable. The team must notify the AHAI Registrar or President if they will be using the BUG in a game. That notification should be made by phone. The only exception to this rule will be at the discretion of the AHAI Registrar if both rostered goalkeepers are ill, injured or unable to participate. This request must be documented and sent to the AHAI Registrar, in writing, before an exception will be considered.

Summer is in full swing and starting to wind down. Can you believe it's already August?

As you may know, the ice hockey officials' registration period started on August 1. It is now nearly a week into registration in Illinois, and I just took a look at the registration numbers for this year's seminars. At this moment, there are more than 600 officials registered to attend an IHOA seminar. That's a great number this early in the registration process, but it also means that the locations are filling up fast. Remember, there are only a limited number of seats at the seminar locations and once the seats in a particular level or location are filled, it is entirely possible no more seats will be available. If you are interested in officiating this year, head to the IHOA website and take a few minutes to register and secure your seminar spot. All of the pertinent information to register and become an official is on the IHOA website, or check out the quick links below:

Find an Illinois Seminar 

Register for USA Hockey

My Referee Status

Enjoy the rest of the summer. Hockey season is right around the corner!

Michael Barrett

Illinois Referee in Chief/Supervisor of Officials

On Friday July 26, the Chicago Blackhawks held their 6th Annual Convention. Saturday the 27th, Peggy Kusinski of NBC 5 moderated a panel discussion called "Growing the Game".  The Blackhawks invited AHAI's Mike Mullally and Mike Durkin, Annie Camins, Director of Youth Hockey for the Blackhawks, Kevin Erlenbach of USA Hockey and West Dundee's own First Round Draft Pick Ryan Hartman to participate in the discussion.    

The panel covered a broad range of topics and questions including growth statistics, the Chicago Blackhawks success and effect on local youth hockey, USA Hockey's support, tools, and programs and AHAI's efforts to maximize the partnership.  Kevin Erlenbach stated that nationally over the last 5 years, 8 & under youth hockey players grew by 12.4% while Illinois grew by 43%.  The whole panel clearly was excited about the prospects for growth this coming season after the recent Stanley Cup victory and the upcoming Olympics,  another major drive in the past in growing the youth participants.  The panel also discussed the great partnership between the Chicago Blackhawks, USA Hockey and AHAI to grow the sport of hockey in Illinois.  Through the partnership, One Goal starter sets of equipment, Chicago Blackhawks' Minorhawks Program and involvement in the community, and USA Hockey's "Try Hockey for Free" programming and membership development collateral have all been outstanding tools used by AHAI to grow the game.

Peggy also discussed with Ryan Hartman his progression in youth hockey from playing for the Schaumburg Kings, the Crystal Lake Leafs, Team Illinois and the Mission.  He also shared his love and involvement in other sports and that he didn't finally focus on one sport, Hockey, until his Freshman year in High School. Ryan also shared the sacrifice and commitment that his family made for his hockey career.  The excitement was obvious; Ryan is proud and thrilled to play for his home town team.   

An hour and a half for ten seconds. What was this wait for? A really short roller coaster? No, try again. An autograph and handshake with a famous athlete or rock star? No, but on the right track - for ten seconds with the Stanley Cup.

On July 25, I had the great opportunity of going to see Lord Stanley's Cup at Blackhawks Senior Director of Team Services Tony Ommen's house. Now, as you may know, when a team wins the Stanley Cup, everyone in the organization gets a day to do whatever they please with the Cup. Without getting into detail, my neighbor knows Ommen and was kind enough to invite me to the party.

The night began around 7:30, when we made the 15-minute drive to Ommen's home. On the ride there, I didn't really know what to expect in terms of how many people would come to see the Cup. As we pulled into the subdivision, there were lots of cars lined along the street and suddenly there was a sea of red. Toews sweaters, Kane sweaters, Sharp sweaters, Hossa sweaters, even a Dan Carcillo sweater, were everywhere. Wasting no time, we parked and got into the line, which wrapped around the left side of the house, onto and down the sidewalk away from the gate into the backyard.  Click HERE to read full article. 

Danny Payne, a Naperville native, graduated from St. Francis High School in Wheaton in 2012.  He is currently a sophomore majoring in Sports Journalism at the University of Iowa.