Pilot Project for 2023:  State Tournaments to be seeded for Youth A teams in each division and Girls A & B

The Head Coach or appointed representative of each team participating will provide seeding recommendations to the Section Director.  Only these classifications will be seeded.   All others will be placed in the bracket according to preset metrics. 

In addition WAHA is conducting a pilot use of the electronic scoresheet, GameSheet,  for selected tournaments across the state. 

Positive Coaching Alliance Training- This fall, twenty-three hockey directors from around the state were trained on how to make hockey a more positive experience for players.

WAHA's partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance is an effort to provide Associations with the tools to create and nurture a positive sports culture.   Please take the time to check out all the resources that Positive Coaching Alliance provides for association coaches, parents, and leaders, as well as our athletes.

Positive Coaching Alliance

The dates have been set for 2023 Kohlman Cup Tournaments for Birth year players 2010 & 2011

Boys ~ March 25th-26th @ Chippewa Falls 

Girls ~ April 1st-2nd @ Cornerstone Green Bay

Tryouts will be the week of March 13th-18th in Regional Locations

Registrations will be open mid January.  More information can be found on the website Kohlman Cup  

Our Association hosted 8U Jamborees are off to a great start, and there are many more events still scheduled in 2023 to finish off the season.   In it's second year as a Grant Program,  we hope to see a continued rise in the retention of 8U  female players across the State.   

Associations can still sign up to HOST and individual players and teams REGISTER for open spots at an event near you.

This fall 23 boys teams and 10 girls teams competed in the Wisconsin Elite Hockey League in preparation for their WIAA high school season.  

The girls WEHL teams held their State Playoffs November 5th-6th  resulting in: 

• the Northeast / North Central 14U team progressing to the Central District playoffs March 10th-12th
• the Western 16U team progressing to the Central District playoffs  March 10th-12th
• the Western 18U team earning a berth at the USA Hockey High School National Tournament  March 23rd-27th.

The boys WEHL 16U teams will compete in State Tournament March 10th-12th, with the winner progressing to the USA Hockey National Tournament.

The Tier II independent team, the Wisconsin Selects 19U Girls,  will compete in the Central District playoffs March 10th-12th for a chance to progress to USA Hockey National Tournament.

Finally, the Tier II Independent teams, Janesville Jets 18U  and Green Bay Bobcats 18U Youth, will playoff March 10th-12th at the State Tournament with the winner progressing to the USA Hockey National Tournament.

Good luck to all the teams!

Wisconsin has had a Concussion statute in place since 2011. It is important that everyone knows about what the law says, as well as what USA Hockey and WAHA have in place for Concussion Management programs. When a player gets a concussion, WAHA and USAH have a requirement that the concussion has to be reported. There is a form to report the concussion located on the WAHA website under the Resources tab. In addition to reporting the concussion, another critical part of the law and our policy is the requirement that a Return to Play (RTP) form be filled out completely and signed by all required individuals before any player may return to full sports activities. Last season WAHA had 14 reports of concussions, but few RTP forms were submitted until the WAHA Safety Coordinator contacted the associations involved. This season, the concussion protocol seems to be being followed more closely, but not by all Region associations. To date, the 44 concussion reports and RTP forms received by WAHA have come from only three of the WAHA Region associations. The chance that concussions have only occurred in three Regions and not the others is seemingly not accurate. It is imperative that every association comply with the law and our policy so WAHA is asking all associations to re-examine their practices regarding concussion and begin to follow the protocols if not already doing so. The safety of the players must be a priority for all. 

In addition, in 2022 Wisconsin also  enacted a new law regarding Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). There are several documents outlining the requirements of the law on the WAHA website under the Resources tab. After the recent NFL player suffering Cardiac Arrest,  associations are encouraged to make CPR and AED training available to any member wishing to get it. Further, the WAHA Safety Coordinator, Jerry Kennedy, asks that every association have at least one member of every team become familiar with the location of an AED in every rink where their team plays.

Any questions about this article should be directed to Jerry Kennedy, WAHA Player Safety Coordinator, at region4director@ameritech.net.

WAHA Tier II Association Dates

Playdown Dates - First weekend in February - 4th, 5th & 6th

State Tournament Dates - 

• March 4th-5th ~ 10U Youth, 10U Girls, 14U Youth, 14U Girls 
• March 11th-12th ~ 12U Youth, 12U Girls 
• March 17-19th ~ 18U Midget 

WAHA Tier 1 

• State Tournament March 4th-6th Youth & Girls (14U & older)

The availability of USAH scoresheets has still not been resolved, as supply chain issues have continued.  

As a hockey community, here are some ways to cope with limited resources until the supply is available again. 

• Share ~ if you have some extra scoresheets, travel with them.  You might arrive at a rink that doesn't have any.  
• Print your own.  There are online templates of scoresheets for hockey which you can send to a local printer to be done.  Just ensure there is the required space for Referee signatures and off-ice officials to be identified.  
• Make copies after the game is completed if you have a single sheet, non-carbon template.   If your rink has a printer available, provide access in the score keepers box to print off two other copies of the original scoresheet once officials have signed.

This December, 360 sets of mite equipment were delivered to 36 different associations across the state. 

Six  associations in each of the six regions of WAHA received 10 full sets of gear, including a stick, jersey and bag to outfit our new to hockey players through WAHA's Mite Equipment Grant program.

This initiative could not have been completed without the dedication of  WAHA board member Don Bradford, who personally sorted and packed all 360 sets of equipment.  Special thank you to an anonymous community member who generously loaned their storage facility and trailer for transport.  

We look forward to seeing the gear on all the new players on the ice!

USA Hockey held it's 3rd annual  Leadership Summit for Girls and Womens Hockey in Seattle WA,  November 18th-20th.   Region 6 Director Stacy Hintzman  attended the summit, sharing and learning best practices with other affiliates.   

WAHA to Host Hockey Symposium 

Once again this year WAHA will be conducting a day-long discussion with hockey leaders and local association hockey directors from around the state. The goal of the 2023 Symposium, which will be held on February 16 in Stevens Point, will be to gather input from those attending, that will lead to an improved Wisconsin player development pathway.

Questions regarding the symposium should be directed to Al Deming at alrdeming@gmail.com.

Girls 

Central District / National Camp tryout registration opens Feb. 2nd  at Central District Website  ~ Open registration for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 birth years

Boys

Click to learn about  WAHA Boys Player Development Tryouts/Festivals/Camps ~ Road to USA Hockey Player Development

Players born in 2009, 2008, 2007 or 2006 that are USA citizens and have biological parent(s) or legal guardian(s) who are year around full time residents in the State of Wisconsin. 

2009 & 2008 Skater Tryout registration opens January 29th

2009 & 2008 GOALIE Tryout registration OPEN NOW

You may register and attend more than one tryout - More information here  GOALIE TRYOUTS

2007 & 2006 Draft information Here