At its Winter Congress this weekend in Montreal, the Hockey Canada membership approved a regulation change proposed by the board of directors to revise the naming of the age divisions used in minor hockey across Canada.
“We are looking forward to streamlining the names of our divisions and believe it will help make it easier for all families to understand in what division their children should be playing,” said Ian Taylor, OMHA Executive Director. “The change aligns with the names used on an International level and simplifies the process of registration.”
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AGE DIVISION NAME CHANGES
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Current Name
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Age*
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New Name
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Initiation Program
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6 years old and under
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Under-7 (U7)
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Minor Novice
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7 years old and under
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Under-8 (U8)
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Novice
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8 years old and under
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Under-9 (U9)
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Minor Atom
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9 years old and under
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Under-10 (U10)
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Atom
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10 years old and under
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Under-11 (U11)
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Minor Peewee
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11 years old and under
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Under-12 (U12)
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Peewee
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12 years old and under
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Under-13 (U13)
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Minor Bantam
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13 years old and under
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Under-14 (U14)
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Bantam
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14 years old and under
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Under-15 (U15)
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Minor Midget
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15 years old and under
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Under-16 (U16)
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Midget
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17 years old and under
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Under-18 (U18)
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Juvenile
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20 years old and under
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Under-21 (U21)
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*Player must be the age, or under, on December 31
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Following the recommendations of a task team, the age divisions will become U7, U9, U11 through to U21, impacting all minor and female hockey programs under the Hockey Canada umbrella. The change was initiated by Hockey Canada and its 13 provincial and territorial members and will be implemented nationally with their input and support for the 2020-21 season.
“We believe everyone should feel welcome in the game and in our on-going effort to make the hockey more inclusive the names of our age divisions will change,” said Michael Brind’Amour, chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors. “We have gone through a comprehensive review and believe this change will simplify the system for families who may be new to the game. I look forward to the new age division names being implemented for next season.”