Season Information (South Huron Minor Hockey)

Important Season Dates

Coaches and bench staff are encouraged to review the important season dates found under the Team Officials tab on the website. This will outline important meetings, clinics, rostering and AP deadlines, blackout dates for the association for tournaments and guidelines.

Parent Meeting

Following the formation of teams, it is important for the coach to call a parent meeting to introduce themselves, the bench staff and clarify expectations and goals for the season. This meeting can be held in the lobby of either SHRC or STA, or in a changeroom provided one is available. It is suggested to schedule it either before or after a practice.

In preparation for this meeting:

• Coach – determine tournament dates and fees

• Manager – collect volunteer bond cheques ($500 dated Dec 1, 2023) and medical forms to provide to team trainer

Suggested Topics to Cover:

• Team responsibilities – carrying away jerseys, gamesheet, timeclock, payment of referees – these are items that can be scheduled or assigned to parents

• Expectations of players and parents

• Confirm up to date or preferred contact information for parents

• Determine/discuss best option for communications – email, group chat

• Dress code for players (warm up gear required)

• Expected arrival times ahead of practices and games (home and away)

• Tournaments – dates, fees

• Mode of communication between coaches and parents and reminder regarding the 24-hour rule when addressing concerns

Rosters

• All teams will need approved rosters for regular season play as well as tournaments. It is important that you provide your bench staff names for approval to executive as soon as possible, but no later than ***October 15, 2023
• Bench Staff must have all of their required qualifications completed in order to be approved on the roster.
• Affiliate player forms must be submitted and approved prior to using any affiliate players in games with your team. Forms can be found on the SHMHA website under the coaching info tab. Gamesheets must show these players with an AP beside their name. See affiliate players for more information.
• ONLY approved players, affiliate players and bench staff can be used in games. Using ineligible players or bench staff can result in a suspension for the Head Coach.
• The last date for changes to rosters or to submit AP forms is January 10, 2024.
• As soon as an approved roster is available for your team, it will be sent to you or your manager

Affiliated Players (AP) - Boys

• Each team should select and file forms for several affiliate players and one goalie where possible. These players will be added to the roster for approval and then be available should the need arise. AP forms require signatures from the player/parents as well as both coaches. Teams do not need to use these players unless wanted or necessary, but unexpected situations often arise where they may be needed.
• Affiliated players are only to attend practices/games should they be asked. The AP player’s rostered team must give permission each time a player is to be used. The final date for submitting AP formsfor approval is January 10th.
• Coaches are welcome to invite these players to practice or games based on their needs.
• Coaches can request suggestions on the affiliated players from either the coach of the team being affiliated from or the evaluation committee (or a mixture of the 2).
• B (Rep) teams can affiliate players from the D (AE) team of their own division, or from the Rep B team from the age division below.
• D (AE) teams can affiliate players from the LL team of their own age division.
• LL teams can affiliate players from the LL team of the age division below them. Where there are 2 LL teams in a division, several things should be considered – sharing the players between the 2 LL teams needing affiliates as well as affiliating some from both of the LL teams below in case of scheduling conflicts.
• U11LL can affiliate players from U9LL, but will only be able to have them play in games AFTER the Jan 15 change to full ice.
• U9MD1 and U9MD2 can affiliate from U9LL

Travel Permits

• Any team play outside of scheduled league games will require a travel permit (exhibition games and tournaments).
• You will also need to submit a travel permit to the organizers of any tournaments you have registered for.
• All exhibition games require travel permits – both home and away.

Tournaments

• The majority of SH teams will select between 1 and 3 tournaments to play in each season.

• The expenses for the tournaments are to be paid by the teams and are not covered by SHMHA.

• The selection of these tournaments is determined by the coach and should use parent input on the number, timing, cost and location. Tournaments can fill quickly and teams will need to register for these as early as possible to ensure entry.

• SHMHA works hard to host a home tournament for each of our teams each season.

• If a home tournament is available for your team, it is expected that your team will register for it as one of their selected tournaments. When making these selections, please consider the travel expenses involved for families.

• Please note that the OMHA Championship are a tournament format and will require travel should your team qualify (Shamrock teams).

• Once tournaments have been selected:

  • Travel permits are required for attending tournaments (including home). See the travel permit section for details.

  • Notify your league rep of any game conflicts so they can reschedule.

• Notify Ice Scheduler to have the tournament added to your calendar. 

  • You will need to provide tournament name, dates and location.

    • After the ice scheduler has added the tournament to your team’s calendar, managers can add tournament games to the team calendar using the mobile app or desktop version.

Practices

• Teams have been provided with a weekly practice and game schedule that will remain consistent through the season starting early in October and ending in March (watch for black outs during home tournaments).
• Should you need to cancel or change a practice, please notify the ice scheduler as soon as possible. Any cancelled practice times will be sent out to other teams to fill. It is our hope that no ice goes unused as it remains an expense to SHMHA regardless of use.
• Alternatively, your team contact will also receive emails listing any open ice times that are available to your team to add to your schedule throughout the season. There should only be 1 team contact communicating with the Ice Scheduler throughout the season (pick up ice, cancellations etc.)
• SHMHA endeavors to distribute extra ice as evenly as possible, but there may be times when ice will need to be swapped, cancelled or rearranged to accommodate weather cancellations or the rescheduling of games etc.

Medical Information

• A medical information sheet must be completed for each player. A copy of the form can be found on the SHMHA website under Team Officials tab.
• The forms are to be filled out by the parents and should be kept on file by the team trainer. Be sure to also collect a form for any affiliate players that will be skating with your team. These forms are to be destroyed at the end of the season.

Concussion and Return to Play

See links under Team Officials Tab for links to information on concussion facts, prevention and return to play form.

• Concussion Facts and Prevention (hockeycanada.ca)
• Return to play form.pdf (rampinteractive.com)

Injury Reports

A Hockey Canada Injury Report (located under Team Officials tab – Forms) Must be filled out and submitted whenever:

• A player leaves the ice with concussion related symptoms.

• A player suffers an injury requiring medical attention.

Please follow all Hockey Canada guidelines on return to play and required documentation.

• Hockey Canada Safety Programs

Supervising Your Team

• There must be at least one team staff member in the arena when the first player arrives and until the last player leaves. Do not leave players unattended.

• OHF “Two deep dressing room policy”:

  • It will be the Policy of the Ontario Hockey Federation that, when any player under the age of 19 is in the team dressing room(s) before, during and after a game or practice, a minimum of two of the following shall be present in the dressing room(s) or immediately outside the dressing room(s) with the door ajar: two team or club/association officials, properly screened or one such official and an adult person associated with the team. In the situation of Juvenile or U21 hockey the coach may use an adult player over the age of 19 to be the second adult associated with the team.

• Two deep policy applies during any interactions with players (coach discussion with player, trainer assessment off ice etc.)

On the Ice

• No player will be allowed on the ice at any time without proper equipment.

• Any individual under the age of 16 as an on-ice helper with a team must wear full gear. Helpers over the age of 16 (including coaches and bench staff) must wear a helmet.

• Ice time is scheduled by the hour, but this block is only 50 minutes to allow 10 minutes to clear and resurface the ice. This applies to all groups.

• No person is allowed on the ice surface while it is being cleaned. No person is to enter the ice surface until the staff has cleared from the area and closed the doors.

Website

• Each team has their own page on the SHMHA website. Teams are to assign one team webmaster (usually the Manager) to have access for posting on this site.

• Users who have previously had website access will maintain their existing username and password. New users will be assigned a username and password after their information has been submitted.

• The team webmaster will be able to post articles and information (schedule for gamesheet/time clock), tournament game scores and also add tournament games.

• Once the ice scheduler has been given tournament information and dates, they will add the tournament to the team calendar. After it has been created and shows on the team calendar, the team webmaster can then add individual games.

• All content posted must adhere to social media policy (located on the website under Policies and Procedures Social Media and Electronic Devices Policy (South Huron Minor Hockey)).

Officials

• Officials are automatically assigned when games are added to the schedule. Sufficient notice to reschedule a league game or add an exhibition game must be given in order to allow for this to happen. There is a severe shortage of qualified officials, so please give the ice and referee scheduler as much notice as possible to both schedule and cancel.

• Teams will be responsible for paying and tracking officials for all of their home games. Cheques will be distributed at the beginning of the season to each head coach in order to allow for this to happen. Tracking forms are available on the website (under the Team Officials tab) and must be filled out at each game. Officials receive mileage upon arrival along with pay for the game – if your game is the first one of a series that the official has arrived for, you will be responsible for paying it.

• You may request more additional funds have another cheque written. This could take a week or more, so please track your funds carefully.

• A pay schedule for referees can be found on the website under Coaches and Managers info. Fees are based on the division as well as the length of the game.

Below is a list of the standard league game times for reference:

SHAMROCK:

• U9 – 1 man system each half of ice - Half ice 2 x 22min straight time until Jan 15

• U9 – 2 man system after Jan 15 – 10-10-15

• U11 – 2 man system 10-10-15

• U13 – 2 man system 10-15-15

• U15 – 3 man system 10-15-flood-15

• U18 – 3 man system 15-15-flood-15

• U21 – 4 man system 15-15-flood-15

LMLL:

• U9 – 1 man system each half of ice - Half ice 2 x 22min straight time until Jan 15

• U9 – 2 man system after Jan 15 – 10-10-15

• U11 – 2 man system 10-10-15

• U13 – 2 man system 10-15-15

• U15 – 3 man system 10-15-flood-15

• U18 – 3 man system 15-15-flood-15

Gamesheets

• Gamesheets are completed electronically on iPad that are provided at the arenas. They are located in the booth, and this may change during the season as we sort out storage options

• The gamesheet app is available on the home screen of the iPad and should already be logged into the league. The log in is ipad-shamrock if necessary.

• The code to unlock the iPad is XXXX.

• Game details should already be loaded on the iPad – you do not need to set up from scratch.

• Further instructions plus links to videos can be found on the SHMHA website under Team Official tab.

• The home team is responsible for setting up the gamesheet, but it must be signed by the bench staff for both teams. You will need to locate and sign the iPad for away games as well.

• Any affiliated players must have an AP beside their name.

• Bench staff must be qualified and approved on the roster to be used.

• Should a situation arise where you must share a trainer with the opposing team, be sure to add the trainer to both home and visitor sides of the gamesheet.

• If you have scheduled a home exhibition game with a team you do not normally play in league, gamesheet will need to be contacted to have your opposing teams roster made available within the app.

• Teams MUST ensure that the gamesheet is locked and uploaded at the end of every game. Delays in uploading will result in fines from the league.

• Coaches are responsible for reviewing completed gamesheets after every game. You will be sent access to the app and a desktop version.

Exhibition Games

• SHMHA allows teams to arrange for home exhibition games where ice time and referees are available. The selected time slot must be long enough to allow for a game.

• It is not recommended to schedule games in practice time slots as these are often not as long as game slots.

• Enough notice to allow for referees to be scheduled must be given.

• Once scheduled, notify the ice scheduler to have it added to your calendar.

• As it is not a league game, it will not be linked to your opponents calendar and they will also have to have it added on their end. The situation is also applies in reverse should you be travelling for an exhibition game.

• As discussed in the gamesheet section, if the opponent is not a member of your league, you may have to have their team added to gamesheet in order to be able to complete a gamesheet. Please be sure to request and confirm this has been done if you are travelling for the game.

• There will be times where requests for home exhibition games may not be able to be accommodated due to referee shortages. In these cases, coaches will be notified as quickly as possible and will be responsible for notifying the other team to cancel the game.

Cancelling/Rescheduling Games

• There are various reasons why a game may need to be cancelled. The travelling/visiting team may need to cancel for inclement weather.

• League games must be rescheduled if this happens and this will be done through the respective league rep. Should your team need to cancel for weather, please contact your league rep.

• Late cancellations will result in fines for the cancelling team, so please prepare accordingly. The game will then be rescheduled at the earliest possible time for both teams.

• For HOME game cancellations, please notify your league rep as well as the ice scheduler as soon as possible. Cancellation on the website will generate a cancellation notice to referees and if not done in time, the team may be responsible for paying the scheduled referees.