The NMHA’s house league program runs from U7 (Initiation or “Timbits”) through to U18. Each age group is tiered to group players of similar experience & skill together. This allows the players to learn and progress as a group in a fun, yet competitive environment.
House league sort outs typically begin the weekend following Labour Day and continue for the following three weekends. Your player can expect one ice time per weekend of sort-outs. Goalies may receive an additional ice time over the three weeks. After this, around the last weekend in September/the first weekend in October, the regular season begins.
U7
There are no formal sort-outs for U7. For information on U7, please visit the U7 Initiation page.
U9-U15 Pathway Skates
Please find information about Hockey Canada’s requirements here.
Sort outs U9-U18
Sort outs consist of:
- U9 – U13: 1 skills-based session, followed by 2 scrimmages
- U15 – U18: 3 scrimmages
Players are then placed on teams based on the outcome of these three sessions. Once the regular season begins, teams are evaluated and players may be moved in order to balance the division. Team balancing is our best effort to ensure a competitive season for everyone.
Team Fees
Once the regular season begins, parents can expect to pay additional fees, “team fees”, to the team. The maximum dollar amount per player for team fees is $400, for U11 – U18 and $350 for U9. These fees are used by the team for various expenses including but not limited to: NMHA game jersey deposit (refunded to the team at the end of the year), tournaments, team parties or events, extra practice ice, and miscellaneous team expenses such as pucks, or first aid supplies.
Expected ice time
Players in U9 – U15 can generally expect 2 ice times per weekend, one game and one practice. Players in U18 can expect one game per week, and one practice per month. Ice time at U18 may occur during the week or on the weekend. This is subject to change based on ice availability, team tournament rescheduling or purchase of additional practice ice.
Jerseys and socks
Players will be given a pair of hockey socks and a set (home & away) of game jerseys. These jerseys are to be worn only for games. Players must have a separate practice jersey to wear at practice. NMHA game jerseys are collected and handed back at the end of the season.