Volume 11 Issue 7 | July 2023

Summer is almost over, conditioning clinics are starting and tryouts are right around the corner. Hope you had a great summer and are ready for the 23-24 season. I wish everyone luck and hope you make the team you are trying for.

We have also been busy. On July 15th we spent the day having a short board meeting followed by a strategic planning meeting. We discussed our future and ways we can improve hockey in our community. I established a new committee for Diversity and Inclusion. Our goal is to try and bring hockey to everyone. If you, or anyone you know, might be interested in volunteering for this committee, please contact me at president@ahai2.org. 

We are ready and excited for the new season. We are hoping it will be the best one yet.

Thanks for your support,

Kevin Bolger

President

Tier II Substitute Choice Application Process for 2023-24 Season

The Tier II substitute choice application process, 10U through 16U/18U will begin on July 15, 2023. All applications will be submitted online. The deadline for applying for a substitute choice will be September 4, 2023. The Tier II Committee will have (3) three in-person appeal hearings for those denied a substitute choice. The dates for the appeal hearings will be August 16, August 30th and September 6th at 6:30 p.m. in Glenview.

Questions? Please email Gregg Chudacoff, AHAI Tier II Chairman, at gregg.chudacoff@ahai2.org.

Tier II Tryout Information

Tier II tryout rules are stated under section 16.7 of the AHAI Rules and Regulations.

16.7 TIER II AFFILIATE ORGANIZATION TRY-OUTS

Tryouts and team selection process for levels 8U through 14U may not begin more than eight (8) days prior to the date of the nationally recognized Labor Day holiday of the playing season. Tryouts and team selection process for levels 16U and 18U may not begin prior to August 15 of the playing season.

Save the Date! The 2023 AHAI Foundation Golf Outing Set for Friday, August 11^th

The AHAI Foundation Golf Outing is open to foursomes, individuals, youth golfers and non-golfers! The revenues generated from this event will be donated to Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey, Sled Hockey, Deaf Hockey, Chicago Blackhawks Special Hockey, Chicago Blackhawks Warriors, Hockey Is For Everyone, IHOA Memorial Fund and the AHAI Catastrophic Relief Fund for players who have been catastrophically injured.

We hope you can join us on Friday, August 11^th shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. at the Schaumburg Golf Club for this great annual event! Click buttons below for both the sponsorship and registration forms, as well as the official golf outing flyer. For more information, contact Don Allord at travelmore1017@gmail.com.

Congratulations to the 5 Illinoisans Selected during the 2023 NHL Entry Draft!

The 2023 NHL Draft was held in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena on June 28th - 29th. 49 American players were selected in the draft, including five players from Illinois. Check out the Complete Draft Results here.

3 Illinois Players Selected for 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup

The 2023 U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select Team will compete in Břeclav, Czechia, and Trenčín, Slovakia, July 31 - August 5.

Congratulations to the following players on being selected:

Finn McLaughlin, Arlington Heights

Eero Butella, Chicago

Ryker Lee, Wilmette

READ MORE>>>

3 Central District Girls Selected to Advance to Women's National Festival!

Three Central District Illinois girls who participated in the 2023 USA Hockey BioSteel Girls Under-18 Select Player Development Camp were invited to attend the Women's National Festival August 7-13 in Lake Placid, NY.

They are:

Sydney Lamb, Lombard

Carla McSweeney, Chicago

Ella Pukala, Arlington Heights

READ MORE>>>

Illinois-native Selected for the 2023 U.S. Under-17 Men's Select Team

Congratulations to Chase Jette of Lake Forest on being selected to the 2023 U.S. Under-17 Men's Select Team that will compete at the Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in Chomutov, Czechia, from August 4-8.

READ MORE>>>

Celebrating 40 Years

Team Illinois set to honor its past with leadership from former standout player Sean Freeman

By: Ross Forman

There’s a retro feel and look at Team Illinois this upcoming season, rightfully so.

The official 40^th season for TI was during the COVID-19 pandemic so the club didn’t have a chance to properly celebrate and honor those who have been instrumental in the storied success of the AAA program.

So this season, as TI celebrates 40 years, the club is bringing back the original Team Illinois logo on one of their three redesigned jerseys and every team will wear the original logo blue throwback jerseys for home games. Jerseys also will feature a 40-year patch.

“From the beginning, Team Illinois has had great leadership (from individuals) who were generous not only with their finances, but their time as well. We are grateful to all those over the last 40 years, including Mickey Norton, Jim Marchi, Jeff Kane and many more who we are grateful for; all have contributed significantly,” said Sean Freeman, the Team Illinois hockey director and president – and a former TI player about 35 years ago.

“Team Illinois and the Chicago Young Americans both came into inception in the early 1980s. The CYA program no longer exists, but we proudly continue the tradition of representing Chicago and Illinois by making sure players have fun, develop, play hard, play fast and are good human beings on and off the ice.”

Freeman, 47, who lives in Highland Park and is the president of Twenty9, Inc., is entering his first full season as the TI president. He skated into the role last October.

He first skated for TI in 1987.

This season, the longtime local coach serves as the head coach for both the TI U16 boys and the 2012 peewee minor teams. Freeman took over the head coaching role of TI’s U15 boys’ last season after the team opened with an 0-14 start. They went 31-26 under Freeman, finishing the season with a 31-40 mark. READ MORE>>>

Bob Nardella: new Chicago Wolves head coach, reflects on years playing & coaching throughout Illinois

Member of the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame, Nardella drives Wolves back to the AHL playoffs

By Ross Forman

His road to being named the head coach for the Chicago Wolves in mid-June is lined with a legacy across almost every local rink, as Bob Nardella played in Oak Park and Rolling Meadows and for such teams as the Chicago Jesters, Chicago Minor Hawks and Chicago Young Americans, plus he coached multiple national championship teams for the Mission.

Nardella is the 13^th head coach in team history, replacing Brock Sheahan.

“My path was paved by the structure of Illinois hockey, AHAUS, as it was called,” before being renamed AHAI, Nardella said. “I started playing house league, then A, AA and AAA, juniors, and eventually college and pros. I had almost the same path in coaching, having started coaching house league hockey in Franklin Park, then to Glenview, Team Illinois and the Chicago Mission.” READ MORE>>>

New IHOA President: Brian Fisher bring more than 25 years of officiating experience

IHOA looks to register, train 1,450 officials for the 2023-24 season.

By Ross Forman

Brian Fisher, a Level 4 referee with tens of thousands of games of officiating experience since 1996, has been named the new IHOA President.

Fisher, 39, who lives in Oswego and works as a claims manager for Intren, LLC, officiates about 250 games annually, mostly high school, midget and college club, with a few USPHL Junior League games mixed in, too. He mostly works at the rinks in the western suburbs, such as the All Seasons Ice Rink in Naperville, Canlan Sports in Romeoville, Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge and Arctic Ice Arena in Orland

“I am looking forward to leading the organization forward,” Fisher said. “IHOA is in a good position. We have had some leadership changes on the board with a push for younger people taking on new more prominent leadership roles. We are looking to continue the high bar that has been set for training new and retuning officials while (also) looking for new ways to teach, train and communicate with our membership.”

In the past three seasons, IHOA has had six officials selected to the USA Hockey Futures Camp. Last season, IHOA had 12 officials work national championship tournaments and 5 officials worked national championship games. “Our mentoring, coaching and development has seen great success for the participants who have been involved in these programs,” Fisher said. READ MORE>>>

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