Edition of  February 2009

First off, there are age brackets, 'calibre' grading, such as A, AA, etc which can be very confusing. The following information is excerpted from a summary sent to the Hockey History list by YEDL33D@prodigy.com (BOBBIE STANFILL). The original was published in 'A View From The Gondola', Game Night Program Vol. 3 No. 3, for a Canadian Western Hockey League team.

These brackets were simplified to year of birth in 2003-5.

Bantam: Ages 14-15

Depending on the hometown and the province, an athlete in this age group can play at the highest level in town. There are three levels of Bantam Hockey: Bantam A, Bantam AA and Bantam AAA with AAA being the highest level in that age group and the level out of which the WHL drafts players. Some provinces and some towns don't have AAA, much like some towns in Washington have high schools that are B, A or AA but not AAA. In other words, a player may be good enough to play at the AAA level, but there may not be an AAA team in his hometown so that player would be on an A or AA team instead. Some players will move to be on a higher level team.

Midget: Ages 16-17

Much the same as Bantam with three levels: A, AA and AAA. The same rules apply as Bantam. But, since the WHL (major junior) and Jr. A (Tier 2) leagues are allowing 16 year olds to play, there has been a dilution of talent at this level, so exceptional 15 year olds have helped to fill some of that gap.

JUNIOR, HIGH SCHOOL and college eligibility rules:

There is a vast difference in age eligibilty between Junior Leagues in the US and Canada. "Junior" in the US actually means "High Schooler". In Canada a "junior" player's eligibility lasts until the player is in his early 20s, possibly 23 being the oldest age for an "overage player", of which each team may keep a limited number on the roster. In the US, a "junior" player's eligibility is over at 18, so most U.S. "junior" players join Canadian junior or college team. In Ontario, students must take grade 13 (or OAC). These OAC courses are mandatory to gain acceptance to most universities who look at your six best (you can take more than six) OAC marks. In Western Canada students graduate after grade 12. There is no grade 13. In Quebec students go to high school until Grade 11 and then most of them go to CEGEP, similar to a junior college that prepares students for university. I CEGEP programs are usually three years and their athletic teams play at the college level, that is below the university level.

The National Federation of State High School Associations maintains an official national record book for athletes who participate under NF rules and published the following:
1997-98
Ice hockey Boys-1080 teams, 27,245 participants*
Ice hockey girls-271 teams, 3016 participants*

*numbers may include girls on boys teams, and boys on girls teams

in contrast, basketball had about 500,000 boys and 420,000 girls listed as participants for the same year.

Junior B: Ages 17-20

This is a 'catch-all' division. It is the lowest competitive level for graduates of midget hockey. An example of this level is the Kootenay International Hockey League's (KIJHL) Northwest Americans, a team that has been in Seattle for many years.

Junior A (a.k.a. Tier 2): ages 17-20

A level for players who may not be ready for Major Junior or players who choose to pursue a college scholarship with an NCAA school. The level of play is better than Junior B, not nearly as good or as fast as Major Junior, and in some ways not as good as a good Midget AAA League, especially in terms of development for potential Major Junior players. (USHL, NAHL etc)

MAJOR JUNIOR

There are three leagues at this level in North America: the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Players are ages 16-20 with a maximum number of 20 year olds allowed (2-3 depending on the league) per team.

COLLEGE HOCKEY

This level can be easily divided into two distinct groups: Canadian Collegiate/CIAU Hockey or American/NCAA Hockey. Both of these are for students attending college, but the biggest rule difference is that the NCAA considers players professionals and therefore ineligible who have played Major Junior But the CIAU does allow former Major Junior players to play so Canadian college teams have a large number of players who have played Major Junior.