U18

U18 Home

Welcome to the NEAHL 2025-26 season!

Welcome back to returning managers and welcome to the new managers!  

Emails that are sent to all managers, especially during the start of season when a lot of information is going out, will be posted on the NEAHL website under the U18 menu tab>U18 Information and Announcements (just above the U18 tiers tabs).

U18 Managers

We still don’t have manager information for all of the U18 teams.  If you have received this and are NOT your team’s manager:

(1)  Submit manager info asap (name, phone, email)

(2)  Ensure that this email is forwarded to the team manager.

If you are a team manager, please ensure that your correct/preferred email and phone number are posted on the NEAHL website under your team.  If not, please submit so we can get that updated.  

You should also have a second contact posted - typically head coach - with phone and email.  You can request that all other bench staff contact info be hidden.

League Contacts

https://neahl.ca/content/neahl-contact-information-2025-26

The U18 group all returns:

Governor - John Ermel

Deputy governors:

Kathy Kretschmer

Jenn Hoogerdijk

Margaret Bayduza

Ryan Warawa

We are changing up the deputy tiers from last year, but we haven’t made any final decisions yet.  During preseason, deputies will be working together to manage the game scheduling, website changes, and suspensions.  Feel free to contact any one of us or include all of us in any emails/text groups.

Communication Protocol

Please remember and remind your parents of the communication protocol:

http://cloud.rampinteractive.com/neahl/files/Documents/NEAHL%20Communication%20Protocol.pdf

Parents go through managers, managers/head coaches contact deputies, and we will bring things to the governor if we need him looped in.  Association presidents can contact governors/league commissioner directly.

Season Dates

Preseason - Oct 10 to Nov 9 (5 weekends - Thanksgiving optional play)

Retier - Nov 10

Regular Season - Nov 14 to probably February 15*

*Feb 15 would give us 4 weekends for playoffs.  Traditionally, NEAHL playoffs occur in the last three weekends before the league champion has to be declared.  However, now that every team makes playoffs, it is extremely difficult to determine a champion in three weekends in a tier of more than 8 teams.  Therefore, we will likely need to leave 4 weekends for playoffs.  This will all be determined at the retier meeting, and you will know the regular season end date before you book your regular season games.

Playoffs - Feb 20 (probably) - Mar 15

Hockey Alberta Provincials - March 26-29  

(Provincial Bid Guidelines - deadline November 15)

Tiering Games

The league aims for at least 6 tiering games.  Each week, the match ups are to be played by Sunday, and we will get the next week’s match ups sent out late Monday or early Tuesday.  If the team you are playing is amenable, you can book a game on a weeknight.  This will help alleviate the ref/ice time shortages.  

Managers contact one another to book the assigned games.  We are not designating home and away teams - some associations have more access to ice and refs than others.  If managers are unable to resolve a conflict, we will decide, taking into account travel and home/away games of each team.

Manager contact information is on the NEAHL website under the “Staff” tab for each team.  If a team does not have contact information posted or you cannot get a response, please contact the association contacts posted here:  https://neahl.ca/content/associations.

Since this weekend is Thanksgiving, we did not assign any mandatory games.  Some teams have opted for games this weekend.  The week 1 game match ups are attached.  We are attempting to give every team 2 games during the first two weekends, so if you have a game this weekend, expect to only have one game next weekend.  If you do not play this weekend, expect to play two games next weekend.  Because we won’t be waiting on this weekend’s results to set the games for week 2, we will get the week 2 match ups out to you shortly.

Expect that there will be travel in your tiering games.  Our league is ridiculously large geographically - 650 km from our northernmost association to our southernmost association, and literally the entire width of the province from the Rocky Mountains to the Saskatchewan border.  Some teams will have to make the north/south east/west trip in order for us to tier properly.

No tournaments during tiering weekends.  Teams have to be available to play.  However, you are permitted to schedule exhibition games (league games have priority).  Exhibition gamesheets can be submitted to the league for consideration during tiering.  Note that although exhibition game penalty minutes do not count towards league penalty minute accumulation, exhibition game suspensions do count towards suspension accumulation totals (e.g. if a player gets a fighting major in an exhibition game, then if they get another during league play, the league suspension will be for second fight of the season).

Just like last year, we have a google sheet for managers to report their scheduled games here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mPDMRdARhN6wsdacVbB-fC_yDd5xYrTO2oJFrEPQST0/edit?usp=sharing

Once your game is booked, please provide home team, away team, date, time, arena/location.  The deputies will assign game numbers and get those games posted on NEAHL.  

We have changed up the format a bit this year.  All teams are listed alphabetically in the first column, and then the team/teams you are assigned to play will be in the next column(s).  That means every game appears twice (e.g. if Elk Point plays Lloydminster, then the match up will appear as Elk Point | Lloydminster AND as Lloydminster | Elk Point in the list.  It’s still just one game, not a home and away series).  

Only one manager needs to post the game information.  It doesn’t matter which manager does it (some of you are more tech-y than others or are more familiar with google sheets), but please home team manager, ensure that it is posted.  If you struggle with the google sheet, you can email your game information to the deputies, but it is less likely to get lost if it is all consolidated on that document.

If the game doesn’t get posted on the NEAHL website, then it is NOT sanctioned.  You also need the game posted in order to get gamesheet app codes.

We will use the same document throughout tiering.  There will be a new page each week (click on tabs at the bottom to switch pages - right now, there is only one page).

Regular Season Games

Managers will book their regular season after the retier once they know who to play and when they are playing.  Note that starting this year, Hockey Alberta has imposed a maximum of 18 regular season games.

Goalie Stats

Please record the shots and add the goalie stats.  If you forgot to write down which goalie it was or they switched and you didn't notice what the shots were at, ask the manager to ask the goalie parent  - they always know.  And they care a lot about having the stats up.  Unlike players, their stats don't show up unless we add the goalies to the game (under the shield icon in the app or go into the website game portal through your team login and add them there).

The league can take shots into account when looking at retiering.  A few shots missed either way won’t make a difference for that, but a game with shots of 25-30 tells a different story than a game with shots of 54-12.

When entering stats - Team A shots are the shots that Team A took on Goalie B, and Team B shots are the shots that Team B took on Goalie A.  When you enter the stats, you are entering the shots taken ON THE GOALIE.  Eg Team A took 60 shots and scored 3 goals, and Team B took 50 shots and scored 2 goals, then Goalie A stats are 60 min of play, 50 shots, 2 goals against (what team B took against team/goalie A) and Goalie B will show 60 min of play, 60 shots, 3 goals against (the shots/goals by Team A).

Rosters

Rosters have to be submitted to NEAHL by your association before you begin league play.  The rosters are imported directly from HCR (Hockey Canada Registry).  If your roster is missing, then either your association has not submitted the team via Alberta One (instructions were in the team login emails that were sent out to each association) OR if your players/bench staff have not been added to the roster in HCR.

A few things to note:

(1)  The import brings over everyone on your HCR roster, regardless of whether they are approved, pending, or released.  

(2)  The import does NOT bring over bench staff phone numbers.

(3)  The import brings over the HCR record as it is on that day.  It does not actually sync or update if changes are made in HCR.  If your contact information came over incorrectly, that’s what was on your HCR profile when you were imported to the NEAHL roster.  NOTE - your HCR profile is NOT the same as your spordle account profile.  Only your registrar (typically) will have access to edit your member profile in HCR.

(4)  Rosters are locked.  You will not be able to add/edit players or bench staff from the team login.

To request changes to your roster (e.g. remove a released member, update contact or name info), you can:

(1)  Contact your deputy (right now, any of us)

(2)  Contact web admin (me) at neahleague@gmail.com or admin@neahl.ca

(3)  Submit a Team Roster Edit form https://www.neahl.ca/form/6292

Although rosters are locked for editing, managers have access to jersey numbers.  Please add jersey numbers if they are missing.  You do not have to add jersey numbers for APs, but you might want to make them all 99 to move them to the bottom of the roster so you don’t have to scroll through them for every game.  You can add/change their jersey number in the gamesheet app if they appear in a game.

Overage players must be marked O/A on the roster.  If you have an overage player and it is not noted on the roster, please contact us to have O/A added to the player’s name.

ONLY PLAYERS AND BENCH STAFF WHO ARE ON THE OFFICIAL HCR ROSTER CAN BE ON THE BENCH.  If for any reason someone is not on HCR (e.g. waiting on respect in sport parent certificate, waiting on a transfer), they absolutely cannot be on the bench.  Ineligible players or bench staff will result in a head coach suspension.

Teams are still required to upload their current official HCR roster pdf (get it from your registrar) to the NEAHL website under the HCR Files tab when you login using your team login credentials.  As players are added or approved, please upload new HCR reports.

Affiliated Players

Affiliated players are not permitted during preseason because we need to judge the true strength of your team.  After preseason, they may play.  There is a grid for AP players.  Please check that any AP players are permitted to your level of team:  https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/iECUHP.

Team Logins (for NEAHL website)

Get your team login for the NEAHL website from your association.  Login to NEAHL.ca to get gamesheet codes, view or verify gamesheets, update jersey numbers, and upload the PDF of your official HCR roster.

RAMP gamesheet app

Lots of information here:  https://www.neahl.ca/content/ramp-gamesheet-app.  There are codes available on that page for practice games.  Encourage anyone new to the app to try the app in a practice game before using it for a real game.  

Gamesheet entry locks out after 24 hours.  If you need to make a change after that, contact your deputy.

Note that the gamesheet codes are slightly different this year.  They are in the format NEAH###-###-### (you don’t have to enter the dashes between the numbers - those are just there to make the number readable). 

Penalty Box

Visiting team is still required to supply someone to work the visitor's player box.  This was put in place in 23/24 to address some unsavory behaviour in the clock/penalty boxes.

Supplemental Discipline

NEAHL has a supplemental discipline policy.  Any player who accumulates 100 min of penalties in U18 will receive a one game suspension in addition to any other suspensions that apply.  Every additional 25 minutes, that will double (2 games at 125, 4 games at 150).  PENALTY MINUTES DURING TIERING GAMES **WILL** COUNT TOWARDS THE TOTAL.  Per the Alberta One regulations, at the end of the regular season, if a player has not met the first threshold (ie is under 100 min), we STOP tracking.  If a player has reached the first threshold (100+ min), then we continue to track penalty minutes and apply accumulation suspensions through the playoffs.  PLEASE WATCH YOUR PENALTY MINUTES.  Remind those kids that those 10 minute misconducts really add up.

If you want to know the other thresholds:  U11 - 50 min; U13 - 75 min; U15 - 75 min.

Suspensions

We will notify teams if any players have carryover suspensions.

We follow the minimum suspension guidelines.  Coaches are expected to know and follow the guidelines as well.  The minimum suspension guidelines are posted on the NEAHL website (under the Hcoeky Alberta tab) and are an appendix of the Hockey Alberta bylaws and regulations.

 There are 3 ways to mark a player as suspended on the gamesheet app.

(1) Deputy marks it on the back end of the NEAHL website.  Once we mark it, there's no way for managers to remove it, so if a player serves a suspension at a tournament, submit the game sheets showing the suspension has been served to your deputy.

(2) Home team manager can mark the player as suspended when they go to the game ON THE WEBSITE PORTAL (can't do it on the app).  Click the player as on the roster and then click the suspended box.  Player will show as suspended on the app.  Deputies can also go into individual league games to do this.

(3) Either manager can add a User Note in the gamesheet app.  Write it the way you would on a game sheet (#16, Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton, susp 2 of 3). 

Some managers go into the individual player record and click the suspended box.  That DOES NOT RECORD a suspension on the gamesheet.  Once you unclick that box, there will be NO record that the player was marked as suspended for a game.  All it does is put "suspended" beside the player's name where it appears on the website or the app (just like changing the spelling of a player's name and then changing it back wouldn't leave a record on the electronic game sheets).  You must make sure the suspension served is recorded on the gamesheet in some way.

Suspension, Misconduct, Game Misconduct, Game Ejection

Misconduct, Game Misconduct, and Game Ejection are all infractions that can be called by a ref in a game.  A suspension is a disciplinary consequence that is imposed on a member AFTER the game by the league or Hockey Alberta.  Since we have some new managers this year, I am including this write up again.

Suspensions

When a player is removed during a game due to a major or match penalty or game or gross misconduct, that removal is not a suspension.  I'm pedantic about this because Hockey Alberta has minimum suspension guidelines, and the list of minimum suspensions has grown over the years to include all major penalties, all match penalties, most game misconducts, and all gross misconducts.  Even ten years ago, many major penalties did not have a minimum suspension.  This has led to a lot of confusion for coaches, managers, and parents who were familiar with the old way when a player would receive an infraction during a game and be ordered to the dressing room, but would be allowed to play the next game as long as the infraction occurred before the final ten minute mark. In those cases, there was no suspension. The removal from the game was just what happens for a game misconduct per the playing rules.

A suspension is issued AFTER the game after the league or Hockey Alberta has reviewed the gamesheet and incident report.  A suspension is served at the NEXT game or games.  A player CANNOT participate in a game when serving a suspension. No suspended Player or Team Official is allowed on the player's bench, in the timekeepers box or in the penalty box during a game. Therefore, by definition, the game in which the player received the infraction is not a suspension, even if he or she was removed for the remainder of the game.

 Please note there were some changes to suspensions in the minor hockey regulations in 24/25 (https://www.hockeyalberta.ca/uploads/source/BylawsPolicies/202526/5SectionBMinorHockey.pdf), and I encourage you to read section 12 regarding discipline. Note in particular they have removed "within 50 feet" and "dressing room" from the areas where a suspended member is not allowed to go, and they have changed the rules regarding participating in Hockey Alberta in other capacities while suspended (in short, for the most part, you can continue to participate in other roles while suspended).

The minimum suspension guidelines are available as appendix V of the Hockey Alberta bylaws and regulations and there is a link on the NEAHL website under the Hockey Alberta menu tab.  Please consult the guidelines or contact the deputy governors for a ruling any time there is a suspendable offence.  Coaches are expected to know and follow the guidelines and sit a player out if a suspension applies even if they have not received a ruling from the league or Hockey Alberta. Intent to injure match penalties receive an indefinite suspension and will be ruled upon by Hockey Alberta.

There will be at least a one game suspension for every major penalty.  Every time a major penalty is assessed, a game misconduct is also assessed (this is in the Hockey Canada playing rules for every offence, and the game misconduct is the reason the player leaves the game after the incident).  A game misconduct that occurs in the last ten minutes of the game will result in a one game suspension IN ADDITION to any other suspensions that apply.  Some game misconduct penalties carry a suspension on their own (e.g. 11.2 Abusive Behaviour carries a minimum 2 game suspension). The suspensions are longer for any gross misconduct or match penalties.  Some penalties carry an indefinite suspension (e.g. 2.2 ineligible player or 11.4 discrimination), and those will be ruled on by Hockey Alberta.  (Indefinite just means suspended until the HA ruling, not suspended forever.)  11.4 discrimination will result in a minimum 5 game suspension.  

There are also accumulation sanctions for penalties (this is separate from the league accumulation of penalty minutes sanctions), so the suspension increases.  See the end of the guidelines for the accumulations (fighting major accumulations are listed in the chart).  The major penalties (except fighting) are lumped together, so a second major penalty will result in a longer suspension (the majors do not have to be the same infraction for the accumulation to apply).

Some examples of minimum suspensions:

Cross checking major & Game Misconduct at 12:45 in the second - minimum 1 game suspension

Cross checking major & Game MIsconduct at 7:30 in the third - minimum 2 game suspension (one for the CC major, one for the GAME in last ten minutes)

11.2 Abusive Behaviour Game Misconduct at 12:45 in the second - minimum 2 game suspension

11.2 Abusive Behaviour Game Misconduct at 7:30 in the third - minimum 3 game suspension (two for the 11.2, one for the GAME in the last ten minutes)

CFB minor & Game Misconduct at 12:45 in the second - no minimum suspension (there are no minimums for minor penalties)

CFB minor & Game Misconduct at 7:30 in the third - 1 game suspension for GAME in the last ten minutes

The minimum suspension guidelines are set by Hockey Alberta, and the league has NO authority to waive the minimums.

Misconduct, Game Misconduct, Game Ejection

There is a difference between these penalties.  

Misconduct is a ten minute non timed penalty that a player serves.  They return to the game after the penalty is served.  It is written as MISC on a gamesheet.  (Non timed means the player serves the penalty but immediate substitution is allowed, so the team does not have to play shorthanded.  Because of the immediate substitution, the player does not leave the penalty bench until the first whistle after the penalty has expired.  If he or she were to return to the game immediately upon the expiration of the penalty, that team would have too many players).  Sometimes a player is sent to the dressing room if they receive a misconduct in the last ten minutes of the game because the game will be over before they have finished serving the penalty.  If the scorekeeper is not sure whether a player has been sent because of a misconduct or a game misconduct, please ask the ref.

Game Misconduct written as GAME on a gamesheet.  It is a ten minute penalty, but a player who receives a game misconduct is removed from the game, so no one serves it in the penalty box.  This is a more serious penalty.  It is always assessed with a major penalty, and it is always assessed with a Check From Behind penalty, even a CFB minor.  It is also used for abusive behaviours and discrimination.  There will always be an incident report for a game misconduct.

Game Ejection - occurs when a player accumulates 3 stick infractions or 3 head contact infractions in a game (those are counted separately - if a player has 2 stick infractions and then gets a head contact infraction, they would NOT be ejected).  No penalty minutes are attached to a game ejection.  There are no suspensions for receiving a game ejection.  The stick infractions are slashing, cross checking, high sticking, butt ending and spearing.  Accumulating a total of any 3 of those stick infractions will result in a game ejection (e.g. player gets slash, cross check, slash - they would be ejected after the 2nd slash because it is the third stick infraction).  It is written as GE on the game sheet.

2025-10-06 Email to Managers of NBC teams

Yesterday, the league sent out the following email to association presidents and league contacts: