The 2020 Annual Meeting of the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois, Inc. (AHAI) will NOT take place on Saturday, May 30, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. at the Westin Chicago Northwest located at 400 Park Blvd., Itasca, IL.  A new date will be published as we all navigate the current health crisis.

Any individual who wishes to submit their name as a candidate for the position as a Board of Director of AHAI must submit their name, in writing, to the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee, Bill Crowley at bill.crowley@ahai2.org no later than Saturday, April 18, 2020. A short biography stating the individual’s background, hockey experience, etc. should be included. The Nominating Committee will then send to each team a list of all the candidates and their biographies prior to the AHAI Annual Meeting in accordance with the By-Laws, Rules and Regulations. Any individual who wishes to submit a new By-Law proposal or change to an existing By-Law must submit their proposal(s), in writing, to the President of AHAI, Michael Barrett president@ahai2.org, no later than Thursday, April 30, 2020. Thank you, in advance, for all of your help and cooperation in the furtherance of youth hockey in Illinois. –  AHAI Board of Directors

The Tier II substitute choice application process, 10U through 16U/18U will begin on July 17, 2020. All applications will be submitted online. The Tier II Committee will have (3) three appeal hearings for those denied a substitute choice. The dates for the appeals are August 13, August 27, and September 9, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. Location will be announced at a later date. If denied, please email Gregg Chudacoff, AHAI Tier II Chairman, at gregg.chudacoff@ahai2.org with your preferred appeal hearing date. The deadline for applying for a substitute choice will be September 13, 2020.

You will find helpful articles regarding the Two Choice Rule, Choice Substitutions and what you should consider before making that second choice as well as information regarding the 16U/18U Third Choice in the articles below.

• Tier II Two Choice Rule: Clearing Up the Confusion
• What is the 16U/18U Third Choice?

By Laura Johnson, AHAI Registrar - With government restrictions in place, we are finding ourselves with extra time. What a great opportunity to catch up on completing your required USA Hockey credentials. When restrictions are lifted, and life goes back to normal, our activities will rapidly ramp up, we will all find ourselves scrambling to get long overdue tasks completed.

What an opportunity to go online NOW and complete or update your hockey credentials!

First, you will need to register for the 2020/21 season by going to the USA Hockey Website. As part of the registration, you will acknowledge the USA Hockey Waiver of Liability and the Concussion and SafeSport acknowledgements. 

The 2020/21 USA Hockey Registration is valid until August 31, 2021. CONTINUE READING FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION>>

By Laura Johnson, AHAI Registrar - Many have questions about the status of spring team registrations given the Covid-19 pandemic.

First and foremost, AHAI is complying with the restrictions put in place by the local and national governing bodies. Under no circumstances do we condone any type of team activities which defies government restrictions.

We are hopeful that we will all be back in the rinks soon. In anticipation of returning to playing hockey, it is helpful for you understand the season dates.

Spring and Summer Hockey Season

Spring/Summer hockey runs until August 31st. Should government restrictions be lifted allowing group activities prior to August 31st, rosters submitted that comply with the AHAI Spring/Summer registration rules will be certified. It is my intention to have 24-hour turn around for those rosters. CONTINUE READING FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION>>

March 16, 2020 - 10:00 a.m.

Due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic and the mandates from the Governor of Illinois and public health officials, the Amateur Hockey Association Illinois, Inc. (AHAI) is strongly encouraging all hockey organizations to curtail operations for the time period identified by the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”).

Because large events can fuel the spread of the disease, the CDC said gatherings of 50 people or more should be canceled or postponed throughout the country for the next eight weeks. Of course, as information becomes more readily available, that number may very well decrease.

The safety and well-being of our athletes, their families, friends and fans will always take precedent over everything else.

We sincerely hope that our hockey participants, fans and organizations follow the lead of the medical community and not place anyone in jeopardy of infection or the spread of infection and will further recognize that safety must always come first.

Due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic and the recommendation from the Governor of Illinois, public health officials and following the actions of the IHSA cancelling all of their winter State Series post season tournaments, the Amateur Hockey Association Illinois, Inc. (AHAI) has cancelled the remaining games of the Illinois High School State Championships.

“The safety and well-being of our athletes, their families, friends and fans will always take precedent over everything else. Our Board of Directors has decided we will not put at risk any members of our hockey family,” stated Mike Barrett, president of AHAI.

"We are very disappointed we will not be able to crown a champion at the various high school levels this year and share the feelings of the players and coaches, but safety must always come first.”
We wish everyone a very safe and enjoyable spring and summer season.

Update 3/12/20 |9:00 p.m.

After a great deal of deliberation, a unanimous decision has been made by Central District Directors and Affiliate Presidents to postpone the Girls Central District Tryouts March 20-22, 2020 and Boys Central District Tryouts May 8-10 at Arctic Ice in Orland Park, IL. A revised date and plan for tryouts will be determined within the next two weeks and will be communicated to participants as soon as possible.

Additionally, all boys affiliate tryouts in Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Midwest have been cancelled.  Alternative plans are underway to identify players to participate in Boys Central District Tryout, date TBD.

Decisions like this are never easy and the health and safety of our players & parents is paramount – hence our decision. Thank you for your continued support of hockey in the Central District. For questions, reach out to Girls Player Development representative Andy Bradford or Boys Player Development representative Mike Connor.

USA Hockey cancels upcoming National Championships & Disabled Festival. Complete Details → bit.ly/2Q5Z8e2