HOUSE HOCKEY
Once your child learns how to skate and knows the fundamentals of playing hockey, they will be placed onto a house team at your local rink.
USA Hockey is different in regards to how your child is placed on a team. In most other sports in the U.S., your child is placed on a team relative to what grade they are in at school. In hockey, it's based on calendar year. Therefore a child born on December 31st could be in a lower age group than a child born a day later on January 1st.
USA Hockey defines age groups as follows:
• Mini-Mite - 6 & Under
• Mite - 7-8
• Squirt - 9-10
• Peewee - 11-12
• Bantam - 13-14
• Midget Minor - 15-16
• Midget Major - 17-18
I know what you're saying to yourself. "My kid is too old, some of these kids have been playing hockey since they were 4!" Don't worry. The one thing that is nice about youth hockey is that at any given age group, there are several "tiers" of players in terms of talent and experience. I've never heard of a bantam house team reject or not play a kid because he wasn't good enough. If your child really wants to play, they will play. If not, then the house program needs to be brought to the attention of USA Hockey. Any program that says they fall under USA Hockey but does not follow the USA Hockey guidelines runs the risk of not being affiliated with USA Hockey.
Typically, in the younger age groups your child will get the opportunity to play all the positions on the ice to get an idea of where they excel. You may want your child to play a forward, but you never know.......your kid could be the next Patrick Roy! Don't be the parent who insists their kid is the greatest forward since Wayne Gretzky and they should play nowhere except forward. If your child is truly that talented at any given position, the coaches at the next level will notice this (trust me.....there is a lot of "scouting" that goes on even at the lowest levels) and will be placed in the position they excel at next season. But at the younger levels, the kids need to be kids and fun should be stressed over winning.
Most house leagues do come with a cost. Let's use Mini-Mites as an example. Our local program has Mini-Mites practicing once per week and usually one game per week. The season lasts from late-September to early-March. At this level you can expect your kid to play 20 games, so you can imagine that the cost of ice time is not cheap when you consider how many practices and games take place. Our local program typically charges right around $300 for registration. This covers everything except equipment and travel costs for your child. Equipment and travel costs will come out of your pocket.
Equipment costs run about $300-325 for lower level gear. The following items are required in most hockey programs.
• Skates
• Helmet
• Stick(s)
• Gloves
• Pads
• Pants
• Misc (Bags, Jocks, Underwear, etc.)
Don't get caught up in the expensive equipment early on in your childs career. Hockey skates for example can range from $50 to nearly $1,000. Don't buy the cheapest items you can find (because the quality tends to be relatively poor and they can wear out quickly) but you also don't need to buy the most expensive either. There is a middle point that is a good combination of price and quality. As your child gets older and starts to play more competitive hockey, then you may consider spending more money on better gear. For a 6-year old just starting out, you can by a good set of equipment for less than $400.
But be prepared for broken sticks, skate sharpening, and some other unforeseen costs that are likely to come up at some point. As your child gets older, the registration costs typically go up. This is because they typically play more games and have more practices. Therefore more ice time is required. Most house programs do offer financial assistance for lower income families, so it's a good idea to look into this if you feel you may qualify for assistance.
Once your child completes a few seasons in the house leagues, you ultimately have your first decision to make in terms of the path you want your child to take. Your child can stay in the house leagues for their entire career if they like, but there are some kids who have natural ability that tend to rise above the rest. Beginning at the mite level (age 7) and sometimes the squirt level, many programs have travel teams for kids that can play at a higher level than most house players.