At the 2017 USA Hockey Annual Congress, USA Hockey passed a rule that will have direct impact on team registrations for the 2017/18 season. The rule stipulates that if there is a player that is 12 years or younger registered on any 14 and under or U14 team (Tier I, Tier II, House League or Girls) that team will not be eligible to participate in the District or National Championship tournaments.  Based on this rule, AHAI has extended the restriction to the Illinois State Tournament.  If a 14 and under or U14 team is submitted for registration that has 12 and under players, the organization's President, Registrar, team Head Coach and Manager will be notified that once the team is certified, the team will not be eligible to play in the Illinois State Tournament. There will not be any exceptions made to this restriction. Click  HERE  for the complete USA Hockey rule.  All other requirements, rules, regulations, operation and procedures of all USA Hockey District and National Championship Tournaments shall be set forth in the District and National Championship Tournament Guidebook.

AHAI and USA Hockey are concerned with locker room activities between minor players; minor players and adult players; adults being alone with individual minor players in locker rooms; and with non-official or non-related adults having unsupervised access to minor participants at sanctioned team events. It is the policy of AHAI and USA Hockey that all Affiliates, Districts, leagues, and local hockey programs have at least one responsible adult present directly monitoring the locker room during all team events to assure that only participants, (coaches and players), approved team personnel and family members are permitted in the locker room and to supervise the conduct in the locker room.  READ COMPLETE POLICIES>>

Illinois hockey has a very long and rich hockey history, in large part due to the tireless dedication and commitment of individuals who have helped make sure every individual who has had a desire to participate in this great sport has had the opportunity to do so. The Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding players, organizers, coaches, managers, supporters and officials. Click  HERE for Nomination Qualifications & Procedures. If you know of someone who you believe should be a candidate to enter the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2017, you are encouraged to click  HERE for Nomination Form; please submit all assisting documentation by October 1, 2017. Click  HERE to view a list of past IHHF Inductees. The 2017 IHHF Induction Dinner will be held in their honour on Sunday, January 28, 2018 at the Belvedere Banquet Hall in Elk Grove Village beginning at 5:00 pm. Tickets are available by contacting Norm Spiegel at  847.269.2922 or [email protected].

The 21st Annual Foundation Golf Outing was once again a huge success both with weather and support. We raised more money for the Foundation disciplines than ever before. These disciplines include the Chicago Blackhawks Special Hockey and Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey Programs, Hockey Is For Everyone, the Hearing Impaired Hockey Program, the Hornets Youth Sled Hockey program, the IHOA Memorial Fund, the Chicago Blackhawks Warriors and the Catastrophic Relief Fund for players who have been catastrophically injured playing the sport we all love. READ MORE & VIEW PICTURES>>

Tryout and evaluation time can be one of the most stressful times of the year for Illinois youth hockey families, even more so if you are new to our great game. AHAI partners, NorthShore University HealthSystem Orthopaedic Institute and Tier 1 Athletic Performance, along with a host of other trusted sources, have written several great articles to help our families and their players put their best skate forward during the tryout and evaluation process. Don't miss this great guide covering a myriad of topics from keeping your hockey player healthy, nutrition, hydration, and tips on how to "stand out" at tryouts as well as how to survive getting cut from the team. SURVIVAL GUIDE>>

The Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey organization, in conjunction with the Chicago Blackhawks, recently held a "Try Hockey For Free" event for players who are visually impaired. On Thursday, August 17, over 40 youths with visual impairments from  The School Association for Special Education in DuPage County  (SASED), participated in the full day event that was hosted at the Addison Trail High School. READ MORE>>

USA Hockey announced the  42 players  who will compete in the sixth annual  CCM/USAHockey All-American Prospects Game  set for Sept. 21 at KeyBank Center, home of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres  and site of the  2018 IIHF World Junior Championship . The roster includes 5 Illinois natives - Jon Mor (Highland Park), Jack Drury (Winnetka), Philippe Lapointe (Burr Ridge), Jake Pivonka (Woodridge) and Jack Randl (Carpentersville).  READ MORE>>

The Chicago Blackhawks have opened the Intermission Skate and JuniorHawks Pregame registration for the 2017-18 Chicago Blackhawks regular season. Please fill out a form as soon as possible if you are interested in entering your team into the selection process. All youth hockey teams are selected at random to participate in the events. All teams will be notified by the end of November if they have been selected for one of the ice slots. Click on buttons below for complete details.

Get the full player experience when you reserve a date this October or November as the Rockford IceHogs Dream Team! Skate out of the inflatable Hog Head, have your team individually introduced and stand on the blue line with the IceHogs themselves during the National Anthem! Reserve your spot now for October or November and you will also be able to watch the warm ups from the IceHogs bench! Call or email McKenna Ryan at  815.847.6386 or  [email protected].