Volume 12 Issue 6 | June 2024

This has been a very busy and exciting start to the new Hockey Season. 

Our annual meeting was June 1st. It was very well attended. We greeted old faces and many new ones.  The affiliates elected a new Board member, Topher Scott. He brings a wealth of experience and youth to our Board. Welcome!

Several of us attended the USA Hockey Annual Congress in Denver, Colorado June 5th through the 8th. The Congress was a huge success, and we were met there by our Blackhawks Partners.

Our relationship with USA and the Hawks has never been better and we are looking forward to working with them to provide you with a great 24-25 hockey season experience.

Kudos to Julie Rancourt who received the Volunteer of the Year award from USA Hockey. On a sad but happy note, we were joined by the family of Jim Clare who received the prestigious Walter Yaciuk Award posthumously. He is missed by us and our friends at USA Hockey. He was responsible for educating over 10,000 coaches for USA Hockey.

I would like to thank all of our board members who gave up 3 1/2 days from work and family to represent you here. It amazes me how they give of themselves so unselfishly.

I hope you all have a great summer. Before you know it we will be back on the ice.

Thank you for your support,

Kevin Bolger

President

AHAI Leadership Conference Recap 

On Saturday, June 1^st, AHAI held its annual membership meeting. The meeting was attended by over 200 associations, Presidents, board members, Hockey directors, and staff.

 This year’s meetings focused on culture, athletes’ wellness, and positive change.

 Presentations were given by the Chicago Blackhawks, USA Hockey and AHAI supporting the focus of positive change and athletes’ wellness.

The highlight was an interactive panel discussion surrounding the meetings’ goals and focus. Experts from the State of Illinois, USA Hockey, and local affiliates talked about some of the many issues associations face. The open discussion focused on awareness and support for the Association and all individuals involved. AHAI Awards were also presented:

AHAI Lifetime Achievement Award

• Ken Michel

AHAI Service Award (service above and beyond benefiting the AHAI Membership.

• Wendy Fleming, Fenwick HS Registrar
• Ruben Medina, NIHL Girls
• Jim Nge, Official

AHAI New Leader Award (a volunteer who is leading by example at the Affiliate club level.

• Zac Adams, Ice Dogs

AHAI Volunteer of the Year Award (service above and beyond benefiting the AHAI Membership or Affiliate)

• Michelle Mallard, Storm Special Hockey

AHAI Girls Award

• Ned Forsburg

One new AHAI Bylaw was passed for the removal of AHAI Board of Directors. The AHAI Board of Directors elections were held and the following volunteers were each elected to serve three (3) years terms: 

• Bob Apter
• Gino Cavallini
• Anita Lichterman
• Topher Scott
• Keri Zschach

New AHAI rules were introduced, and they can be found here.

The breakout session included meetings on SafeSport and Association R&E administration, High School, a look into the AHAI process for its programs, and a well-attended breakout on growth at the introductory level.

AHAI would like to thank all the Association volunteers for their dedication to making Illinois a positive safe environment for our athletes and their development.

Tier II Substitute Choice Application Process for 2024-25 Season

The Tier II substitute choice application process, 10U through 16U/18U will begin on July 15, 2024. All applications will be submitted online. The deadline for applying for a substitute choice will be September 4, 2024. The Tier II Committee will have (3) three in-person appeal hearings for those denied a substitute choice with the dates to announced.

Questions? Please email Keri Zschach, AHAI Tier II Chairman, at keri.zschach@ahai2.org.

Save the Date! The 2024 AHAI Foundation Golf Outing Set for Friday, August 9^th

The AHAI Annual Golf outing is set for August 9, 2024 at the Schaumburg Golf Club located in Schaumburg, Illinois. 

The objective of the annual AHAI Golf Outing is two-fold. First, and most importantly, is to raise funds for our Hearing Impaired Hockey, Diversity Hockey, Youth Sled Hockey, Special Hockey, Blind Hockey, IHOA Memorial Fund and the AHAI Catastrophic Relief Fund. 100% of all funds raised go directly to help support these important groups in our hockey family. The second objective is to have the AHAI hockey community get together in a social environment to have fun, meet new and old friends and is a great way to kick-off the upcoming season.

This AHAI Golf Outing is for Players, Coaches, Administrators, Referees and your friends, parents and non-golfers who just want to have fun.

You can pay later. Youth - $95, Adults $195 which includes 18 holes of golf and dinner after golf.

To show interest and register, simply send an email to Don Allord at travelmore1017@gmail.com. 

Please provide the following:

Your Name:___________________________________________

Your Cell Phone Number:_______________________________

Your E-mail Address: ___________________________________

Number or Players in Your Group _______________________

Further information is on the AHAI website at  AHAI.org under the Events tab

We are also looking for 4 Corporate Sponsors ($1,000 each) to help sponsor the golf dinner.

Hoisting The Walter Cup: Kendall Coyne Schofield Gets First Honor

Minnesota Captures Inaugural PWHL Championship

By: Ross Forman

Things looked bleak for Minnesota as it ended the regular season on a five-game losing streak, then were shutout in their first two Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) playoff games.

“A lot of people counted us out,” during the seven-game losing streak, said Kendall Coyne Schofield, the left-handed shooting forward for Minnesota who has served as Team USA’s captain since 2019 and represented the United States in each of the last three Olympic Games.

“But we never counted ourselves out. We knew we could make it to the end and win The Walter Cup.”

And that they did. On Wednesday, May 29, Minnesota defeated Boston 3-0 in front of a sold-out crowd of 6,309 at the Tsongas Center at Lowell, Mass., in Game 5 of the PWHL Finals, presented by Scotiabank, to claim The Walter Cup. READ MORE<<<

USA Hockey Walter Yaciuk Award - Jim Clare

By: USA Hockey

Jim Clare was involved in youth hockey and coaching education both in  Illinois and at the national level for over 25 years. 

A native of Weymouth, Massachusetts, Clare played youth hockey in the Boston area before going on to play NCAA Division I hockey at West Point. He spent seven years as a captain in the Army before retiring in 1994. 

Clare moved to Illinois and shortly after began his involvement with Amateur Hockey Association Illinois (AHAI) in 1998 when his oldest son started playing youth hockey.

Clare coached every level from 6U to 14U for Sabre Hockey Association in Naperville, Illinois, as his three sons progressed through the program. He also coached the Sabres’ girls 19U team for five years. From 2003-16, Clare served on the Sabres’ board of directors, including a ten-year stint as the club’s president from 2006-16.

In 2010, Clare joined the AHAI board of directors, where he served as vice president of membership. During his time there, Clare was part of nearly every AHAI committee over the years, including Try Hockey for Free, the suspension/review committee, and the A Step Ahead concussion prevention committee, among others. 



Clare’s dedication to inclusion and growing the game was evident throughout his career. He also organized coaching clinics specifically for coaches in the disabled hockey section and played a role in the growth of the AHAI special hockey program.

USA Hockey Adult Player of the Year - John Koufis

By: USA Hockey

For John Koufis, hockey has been a life-long passion. A mainstay on the adult hockey scene, Koufis has played an integral role in the growth of the game in the Chicago area.

Koufis has laced up the skates for the Chicago Sharks adult hockey team, skating with the Sharks in USA Hockey’s Adult National Championships for a number of years, including during the 2024 tournament, where the Sharks, led by Koufis, took home the 50+ Tier 1 Championship.

In addition to playing, Koufis helps manage the Sharks program, recruiting players and organizing teams to compete not only locally, but nationally as well.

Koufis represented Greece in five IIHF Division III Men’s World Championships and two IIHF Division III Men’s World Championship Qualifiers, winning a silver in 2010. Most recently, he also served as the general manager for Team Greece for the 2024 IIHF Development Cup in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Prior to the 2023-24 season, Koufis, who is the majority investor in the Tomahawks Hockey Partners, LLC investor group, purchased the Johnstown Tomahawks of the NAHL. He currently serves as the CEO and governor of the Tomahawks. 

A 1987 graduate of DePaul University with a degree in accounting, Koufis also serves as the chief financial officer at General Kinematics Vibrating Equipment. 

Registration for IHOA Officials Opens July 1st

By: Ross Forman

Summer is here, so of course it’s time to start thinking about the 2024-25 hockey season, specifically, registration for officials, a two-step process (USA Hockey and IHOA).

IHOA registrar Anthony Fiorito, a Level 4 official with 18 years of on-ice experience, skates us through the registration process:

1. Register as a referee with USA Hockey (now available), fee assessed. This is different from the player registration, and both are required if you plan to play and officiate.

a. USA Hockey Registration

b. Once Registered for USA Hockey, you can search for IHOA seminars through their

portal and secure your spot in the seminar before it fills up – you must select register for

this seminar on their site to secure your spot.

c. ***IHOA Seminars will not be loaded until IHOA registration is open on July 1.

2. Register with IHOA and select a Virtual Seminar after July 1, fee assessed.

a. IHOA Registration

b. If this is your first year registering with IHOA, you will need to wait at least 24 hours

AFTER you register with USA Hockey for your information to be transferred to the

IHOA system.

c. Be sure to select the exact same seminar for which you registered on the USA Hockey

site. 

d. You can select any seminar but it is encouraged that you attend one led by IHOA. 

Seminars are different for the upcoming season as opposed to past years.

READ MORE<<<

Neck Laceration Protection

USA Hockey approved legislation requiring the use of neck laceration protection for players in all age classifications, other than adults, in games and practices, as well as for on-ice officials under the age of 18, effective August 1, 2024. For clarity, the requirement includes players in the youth, girls, and junior age classifications. (Arm bands, head bands, plain turtlenecks and mock turtlenecks are not neck laceration protectors.)

USA Hockey has long recommended the use of cut-resistant socks, sleeves or undergarments. USA Hockey strongly recommends the use of neck laceration protection by adult players.

The Central States Developmental Hockey League teams have been announced for the 2024-2025 season. Congratulations to all teams and clubs that were selected to participate in our league this year. You can find the list of all accepted teams on our website at csdhl.org.

Scheduling grids will be released later this summer, and the scheduling meeting has been set for August 11 at 9 AM at the Hyatt Regency in Schaumburg. We will soon be transitioning to our new website provider, Crossbar, so please come check out our new look.

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