Minor hockey
Encyclopedia
Minor hockey is an umbrella term
for amateur ice hockey
which is played below the junior
age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from class to class. In North America
, the rules are governed by the national bodies, Hockey Canada
and USA Hockey
, while local hockey associations administer players and leagues for their region. Many provinces and states organize regional and provincial championship tournaments, and the highest age groups in Canada
also participate in national championships.
Minor hockey is not to be confused with minor-league professional hockey.
designates the following levels:
Some leagues also have a younger level referred to as "Mosquitoes."
's guidelines, and each category may have multiple tiers based on skill.
Smaller communities will often combine the Mite and Squirt levels into a single Initiation (or Pre-Novice) category.
, with a population of 30,000, has four distinct skill divisions for 7-year-olds.) The classifications are typically not certified by any external organization, so there is speculation about what levels are truly better or stronger than others. AAA, AA, and A hockey are nationally recognized as competitive levels of organized hockey, with AAA being elite competition.
, BC Hockey has a different system for competitive teams. Rep teams are exclusively inter-city, and are labeled as A1, A2, A3, and A4. A larger association will have their best team in each division labeled as an A1 team, where a smaller association may have their strongest team may be labeled as an A2, A3, or A4 team. Other teams from the same association would be labeled one level below.
, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association
roughly categorizes minor hockey players to under school-ages and school-ages. Children over 16 are considered as juniors, although the youngest juniors are still at the school-age. Minor and junior hockey levels are:
, hockey teams use the following levels:
All levels are administrated by the respective sub-federation in each province except for the federal leagues that are administrated directly by the German Ice Hockey Federation: DNL, Schüler-, Jugend- and Junioren Bundesliga.
Ages raised in 2010/2011.
Some levels (especially J18 and J20) are directly administrated by the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation, while lower divisions of the Juniors and below are administrated by the respective sub-federation in each province (landskap).
Ice Hockey Association) defined uniform age categories, using terms from the national languages of Switzerland.
.
Currently, many youth officials quit after a few games, mainly due to verbal abuse from parents, coaches and players. In the US and Canada, news stories pop up from now and then that describes physical abuse on youth officials, in addition to verbal abuse. These problems were addressed in Hockey Canada's "Relax, it's just a game"-campaign, started in 2002.
A youth official can usually move up the ladder to juniors after about 2 years of officiating, and after a few years more up to senior hockey. This is of course, just as with players, different for each individual as their skill-curves are differently shaped.
Many current and former officials feel that their officiating career has aided them in their professional life as well, being more comfortable with handling critical decisions and upset individuals. The combinations of CEO or lower-level boss along with being an official and police officer along with officiating is quite common in many countries.
Umbrella term
An umbrella term is a word that provides a superset or grouping of concepts that all fall under a single common category. Umbrella term is also called a hypernym. For example, cryptology is an umbrella term that encompasses cryptography and cryptanalysis, among other fields...
for amateur ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
which is played below the junior
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from class to class. In North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the rules are governed by the national bodies, Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...
and USA Hockey
USA Hockey
USA Hockey is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The organization is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has...
, while local hockey associations administer players and leagues for their region. Many provinces and states organize regional and provincial championship tournaments, and the highest age groups in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
also participate in national championships.
Minor hockey is not to be confused with minor-league professional hockey.
United States
In the United States, USA HockeyUSA Hockey
USA Hockey is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The organization is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has...
designates the following levels:
- Mini Mite (ages 5-6) (Levels A)
- Mite (ages 7-8) (Levels AA, A, B)
- Squirt (ages 9–10) (Levels AAA, AA, A, B)
- Peewee (ages 11–12) (Levels AAA, AA, A, B)
- Bantam (ages 13–14) (Levels AAA, AA, A, B)
- Midget Minor 16 and Under (ages 15–16) (Levels AAA, AA, junior varsity highschool-B)
- Midget Major 18 and Under (ages 15–18) (Levels AAA, AA, varsity highschool-B)
- AAA: Tier 1 (http://myhockeyrankings.com/) Highest Level (90% play Division 1 College Hockey)
- AA: Tier 2 (http://www.csdhl.org/) (http://myhockeyrankings.com/) Second Highest Level (60% play Division 1 College Hockey)
- A: Tier 2 Average Hockey Level (50% of pee wee & bantams end up playing AAA-AA)
- B: Tier 2 Lower Hockey Level
- Juniors (ages 16 and up)
Some leagues also have a younger level referred to as "Mosquitoes."
Canada
In Canada, the age categories are designated by each provincial hockey governing body based on Hockey CanadaHockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...
's guidelines, and each category may have multiple tiers based on skill.
Age categories
- Mini Mite (ages 1–2)
- Mite (ages 3–4)
- Tyke (ages 5–6)
- Novice (ages 7–8)
- Atom (ages 9–10)
- Pee Wee (ages 11–12)
- Bantam (ages 13–14)
- Midget (ages 15–17)
- Juvenile (ages 18–20)
Smaller communities will often combine the Mite and Squirt levels into a single Initiation (or Pre-Novice) category.
Skill categories
There are two broad grouping of skill levels: competitive and non-competitive. From house league/recreation hockey, progression is made to competitive travel hockey. A competitive team will hold tryouts and players will be selected for the roster depending upon skill level and fit. At this level, players chosen to compete experience a higher level of on-ice competition and coaching. Players learn systems; coaches maximize his/her potential and train them to work together as a unit.Non-competitive
- HL ("House League") teams are intra-city and players may be of any skill level.
- Select teams will consist of better House League players who in addition to HL play, will play in additional games and practices which are organized on an ad-hoc basis.
Competitive
Higher-skilled players will typically play on a "travel" team that will travel to play rep teams from other areas. Travel teams are classified by skill. Not all cities will have teams at all skill levels, depending on size and the popularity of hockey, however even small communities may field multiple level. (For example: Orillia, OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, with a population of 30,000, has four distinct skill divisions for 7-year-olds.) The classifications are typically not certified by any external organization, so there is speculation about what levels are truly better or stronger than others. AAA, AA, and A hockey are nationally recognized as competitive levels of organized hockey, with AAA being elite competition.
- C House Level
- B
- A competitive hockey begins
- AA teams compete at major level
- AAA is the highest caliber of minor hockey
British Columbia
In British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, BC Hockey has a different system for competitive teams. Rep teams are exclusively inter-city, and are labeled as A1, A2, A3, and A4. A larger association will have their best team in each division labeled as an A1 team, where a smaller association may have their strongest team may be labeled as an A2, A3, or A4 team. Other teams from the same association would be labeled one level below.
Quebec
Quebec house leagues are labeled C, B, A. Competitive teams are labeled "Double Letters" CC, BB, AA, until Bantam (body checking starts only in "Double Letter" Bantam). Midget offers AAA and Espoir (only 15-year-olds) as the highest levels.Finland
In FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association
Finnish Ice Hockey Association
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association is the governing body of ice hockey in Finland. In 1927, the Finnish Skating Association introduced ice hockey as part of its program and through that organization, Finland joined the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1928. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association...
roughly categorizes minor hockey players to under school-ages and school-ages. Children over 16 are considered as juniors, although the youngest juniors are still at the school-age. Minor and junior hockey levels are:
- G- and F-minors (age 11 and younger)
- E-minors (ages 12 to 13)
- D-minors (ages 14 to 15)
- C-juniors (age 16 and younger)
- B-juniors (age 18 and younger)
- A-juniors (age 20 and younger)
France
In FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, hockey teams use the following levels:
- Moustiques (age 9 and younger)
- Poussins (age 11 and younger)
- Benjamins (age 13 and younger)
- Minimes (age 15 and younger)
- Cadets (age 18 and younger)
Germany
In Germany, German Ice Hockey Federation designates the following levels:- Kleinstschüler (Bambini) (ages 9 and younger)
- Kleinschüler (ages 11 and younger)
- Knaben (ages 13 and younger)
- Schüler (ages 15 and younger)
- Jugend (ages 17 and younger)
- Junioren (ages 19 and younger)
All levels are administrated by the respective sub-federation in each province except for the federal leagues that are administrated directly by the German Ice Hockey Federation: DNL, Schüler-, Jugend- and Junioren Bundesliga.
Ages raised in 2010/2011.
Sweden
In Sweden, Swedish Ice Hockey Federation designates the following levels:- U11 (ages 11 and younger)
- U12 (ages 12 and younger)
- U13 (ages 13 and younger)
- U14 (ages 14 and younger)
- U15 (ages 15 and younger)
- U16 (ages 16 and younger)
- J18 (Juniors 18 and younger)
- J20 (Juniors 20 and younger)
Some levels (especially J18 and J20) are directly administrated by the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation, while lower divisions of the Juniors and below are administrated by the respective sub-federation in each province (landskap).
Switzerland
In 2007, the Schweizerischer Eishockeyverband (the SwissSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Ice Hockey Association) defined uniform age categories, using terms from the national languages of Switzerland.
- Bambini (9 and under), ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
for "children" - Piccolo (11 and under), Italian for "little"
- Moskito (13 and under), GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "mosquito" - Mini (15 and under), Latin for "small"
- Novizen, Novices, or Novizi (18 and under), meaning "Novices"
- Junioren, Juniors or Juniores (20 and under), meaning "Juniors"
Officials
Officials for youth hockey are often youth players themselves, calling games in lower levels than the one they participate in themselves. Just as players start out playing youth hockey, officials start their officiating career officiating youth hockey, making it up through the ranks as their officiating skill increases. USA Hockey defines certain levels of their officials and so does Hockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey FederationInternational Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
.
Currently, many youth officials quit after a few games, mainly due to verbal abuse from parents, coaches and players. In the US and Canada, news stories pop up from now and then that describes physical abuse on youth officials, in addition to verbal abuse. These problems were addressed in Hockey Canada's "Relax, it's just a game"-campaign, started in 2002.
A youth official can usually move up the ladder to juniors after about 2 years of officiating, and after a few years more up to senior hockey. This is of course, just as with players, different for each individual as their skill-curves are differently shaped.
Many current and former officials feel that their officiating career has aided them in their professional life as well, being more comfortable with handling critical decisions and upset individuals. The combinations of CEO or lower-level boss along with being an official and police officer along with officiating is quite common in many countries.