Volume 14 Issue 1 | January 2026 | | LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT | | |
The season is winding down, and playoffs are beginning. Hard to believe. Best of luck to all. Remember to be smart. No penalties, being in the box or sitting out does not help your team.
A group of your AHAI Board members just returned from the USA Hockey winter meeting. It was very successful and very exciting. Our teams will be playing in the Winter Olympics in February. Our hopes are for three Gold Medals. Remember to cheer them on.
Many of us have been appointed by USA Hockey President, Mike Trimboli, to serve on various USA Hockey Committees. This is quite an honor, and we are privileged to be involved at the National Level. It only helps us bring Illinois Hockey further in its goal to be the best affiliate and produce the best results.
We will continue to start with learn to skate and develop players at all levels. We will prepare those for the highest levels and help the others have a great Hockey Experience. All will be prepared for adulthood and taught life lessons. Teamwork, discipline, sportsmanship, hard work and ethics. It is truly inspiring to see our players succeed.
Kevin Bolger
President
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TICKETS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
ON SALE NOW!
The Chicago Wolves and the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI) announced earlier this month that the team would be the new host of the Illinois High School State Championships to be held at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
In 2026, the Boys Combined Varsity and Red Varsity Championships will be on Friday, March 6 at Allstate Arena and will be followed by the Girls Championships on Sunday, March 15 at Allstate Arena.
Tickets are $12 each and will go on sale for the Boys Championship games on Friday, January 30 at 12 Noon at the Allstate Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations and Ticketmaster.com
"The Wolves remain committed to growing the sport of hockey in Illinois and we’re thrilled to host the AHAI High School State Championships starting this season at Allstate Arena in Rosemont," Wolves President of Business Operations, Jon Sata, said.
“The Chicago Wolves desire to promote and elevate high school and youth hockey is greatly appreciated and we’re excited to be working together,” AHAI High School Chairman, Glenn Jauch, said.
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TUNE IN: HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS SELECTION SHOW LIVE ON MARQUEE SPORTS NETWORK!
To kick off AHAI and the Chicago Wolves partnership, including the expanded broadcast and streaming coverage of the High School State Playoffs, the Selection Show will be on the road!
Broadcasting LIVE at Hatty’s Club at Rosemont Ice Arena on Sunday, February 1, hockey fans will be able to watch the reveal live and find out what their schools’ Road to Manheim will be to face off for a State Championship in Rosemont. Coverage will include bracket reveals of the Boys, Girls and JV Championships.
The High School State Championships Selection Show LIVE from Hatty’s Club at Rosemont Ice Arena coverage will begin at 6:00 P.M. on Marquee Sports Network and streaming everywhere on the SHL Network.
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State Tournament Round Robin and Championship Information
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Tier I Championships:
February 28th & March 1st Mt. Prospect Ice Arena
Tier II Youth Round Robins:
February 26th - March 1st
10U - Fox Valley
12U - Canlan West Dundee
14U - Canlan Romeoville
16U & 18U - Darien Sportsplex
Tier II Girls Round Robin:
February 19th - 22nd
Glenview Ice Arena
Tier II Youth Championships:
March 7th & 8th
Mt. Prospect Ice Arena
Tier II Girls Championships:
March 1st & 7th
Mt. Prospect Ice Arena
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High School Semifinals:
Varisty Red & Combined - March 1st
West Meadows Ice Arena
JV Blue & Combined - March 7th
Rosemont Ice Arena
Girls - March 9th
Rosemont Ice Arena
High School Championships
Varsity Red & Combined - March 6th
Allstate Arena
JV Blue & Combined - March 13th
Rosemont Ice Arena
Girls - March 15th
Allstate Arena
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The Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Dinner Tickets Now Available
The IHHF Induction Dinner will be held to honour this year's inductees on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at the Belvedere Banquet Hall located at 1170 West Devon Avenue in Elk Grove Village beginning at 5:00 pm. Tickets are available online here or by contacting John Dunne at (224)636-3215 or e-mail John at executive.director@ahai2.org.
For more information, including information on this year's inductees please visit here.
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Jim Clare Coach of the Year Award
The time has come to nominate the best coaches for the Jim Clare Coach of the Year awards! A youth boys, youth girls, high school boys, high school girls and disabled coach will be awarded the honor. The awards will be presented at the high school state championship game on March 6th at the Allstate Arena.
Nominations will be accepted through February 15th.
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Player Safety
By: Anita Lichterman, AHAI Chair of Player Safety
As we are in the second half of the season & begin the countdown to State, below are a few reminders about player safety and what this means to EVERYONE.
USA Hockey mandates that concussions be reported even if it is only suspected. The Player Safety page of the AHAI Website, https://www.ahai.org/player-resources/safety-and-protection/117155, has a direct link to the form and reporting a concussion does NOT ‘label’ a player as we often hear parents say. The information is kept confidential. This must also be reported to the AHAI Player Safety Coordinator along with all other injuries. READ MORE<<<
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High School Boys All-State Game
Congratulations to the high school boys selected to participate in this year's All-State game. The game was played on Monday, January 26th at West Meadows Ice Rink.
A special congratulations to the recipient of the Terry Stasica All-State MVP award, Cameron Christopher of BGHW.
The 2026 All-State Blue team roster can be found here.
The 2026 All-State White team roster can be found here.
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Lavalle In The Family
Three Lavalle Sisters Have Played Girls High School Hockey In Illinois, And Their Dad Is The Co-Op Maine Girls Head Coach
By: Ross Forman
The Lavalle legacy in Illinois girls high school hockey just continues to skate.
Let’s start on the bench for co-op Maine Township, a mix of players from Maine District 207, Taft, Resurrection and Willows Academy. The head coach is Nick Lavalle, who has 20 years of coaching experience and is in his seventh season with Maine girls.
Tiana Lavalle is the team’s assistant coach, and she is Nick’s daughter.
“Tianna was an excellent goalie. She wasn’t the tallest at her position, but leveraged her angles, quickness and excellent communication to be very successful, (winning) two state championships and a national championship over the course of her career. READ MORE<<<
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Jackson Donkin: Two-Sport Athlete, Straight-A Student, 7-Year Sabre
By: Ross Forman
Jackson Donkin, a forward for the Sabres 12U CSDHL peewee major team, already carries quite a resume in his seventh season. Just consider:
• During the 2022-23 season as a 9U CSDHL player, his Sabres team won state – a career highlight.
• As a 10U squirt major, he scored 72 goals – a personal highlight.
• He netted the overtime goals in back-to-back games against the St. Louis Eagles this season – his favorite moment so far as the team built a 29-14-4 record.
• He has been a Sportsmanship Award-winner.
Donkin, 12, who lives in Oswego, is in sixth-grade at Plank Jr. High School. He is a “get the puck, crash the net and get ready for rebounds” player, he said. READ MORE<<<
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From the Windy City to the UK: Chicago Coaches Make Their Mark Abroad
By: Steve Cromie
Two long-time friends with shared roots in the Chicago hockey scene, Mike Pilon and Steve Cromie, continue to leave their mark on the game well beyond North America. Both served as Assistant Coaches with the former Chicago Freeze Jr. A (NAHL) program in Fox Valley, forging a friendship that has now spanned nearly three decades. Pilon went on to establish Endeavour Sports Group, a hockey advising and development company, and for more than 20 years has travelled regularly to the UK delivering player and coach development camps. Cromie, meanwhile, has remained a constant and respected figure within the Chicago-area coaching ranks.
READ MORE>>>
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Benet Academy Forward Luke Alpeter ‘Brings a Calm, Intense Presence’
Overcoming Junior Season Injury And Team Loses Motivates Alpeter In This Season’s Homestretch
By: Ross Forman
Luke Alpeter, a senior forward for Benet Academy in his third season on the Red Wings varsity, is driven to end his hockey career on a high note or two – highly motivated by last season.
For one, Alpeter wants Benet to capture the Kennedy Cup as the kings of the Chicago Catholic Hockey League (CCHL). “This year, we will win it back,” from four-time defending champion Saint Ignatius, he said.
Benet also was the state runner-up a year ago, falling 1-0 at the United Center to New Trier Green as the Trevians won their 20th championship in program history and their third in a row. Alpeter tagged the loss to New Trier as, “disappointing.” READ MORE<<<
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Speed Is Key To Oliver Scheffler, A Junior Playmaker For Glenbrook South Varsity Blue
By: Ross Forman
Oliver Scheffler quickly established himself as one of the key forwards on the Glenbrook South Varsity Blue team – with his quickness, his speed certainly being key.
Scheffler, 17, who lives in Glenview, is a junior who formerly skated for the Niles Rangers and Glenview Stars. He has 5 goals and a team-leading 12 assists in 21 Academic Hockey League games.
“Schef is a tone-setter,” said GBS Varsity Blue head coach Jimmy Philbin, Jr. “He is one of the hardest working players I’ve coached at GBS. He has one speed, and it’s full tilt.
“He uses his speed to generate offense while playing fearlessly in the hard areas around the ice. I often ask the players on the team to watch the way he plays as an example of the pace we need to have in practices and games.” READ MORE<<<
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CSDHL playoffs are upon us! Prospects White and Blue playoff teams will compete for the coveted flags January 29-February 1. The top 8 finishers in Majors, Minors and Prospects Red have their playoff match-ups February 5-7. You can catch all the action in person at Canlan Romeoville, Canlan West Dundee, and Darien SportsPlex. Our website will provide live score updates via our partners at GameSheet Inc, and our friends at Stream Sports Midwest will be on hand to stream the games live on their YouTube channel. Playoff schedules and links can be found on our website, csdhl.org. Good luck to all teams, and thank you for your support in this very monumental year for our league.
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