Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from class to class. In North America, the rules are governed by the national bodies, Hockey Canada and USA Hockey, while local hockey associations administer players and leagues for their region.
If you’re new to youth hockey, you might be confused by terms like Midget, Squirt, and Peewee. Many people needed clarification on the old hockey age group terms. They wondered if a squirt was older than a peewee or if a bantam was younger or older than a midget. The terms seemed more decorative than meaningful.
Each age division is divided into skill levels: B, A, AA, and AAA, with B as the lowest and AAA as the highest. Within the USA Hockey system, AAA is Tier 1 youth, and B through AA are Tier 2 youth.
The Hockey Canada classification system, like USA Hockey, has been updated in recent years to be more age-specific. Minor hockey is for every child who plays for a local association.
Here's a breakdown of age divisions in youth hockey, focusing on Bantam and related age groups:
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- Youth ages 5 and 6: Youth hockey associations offer programs that focus on teaching the basics of skating and hockey skills. Most programs are very affordable to allow kids to try the sport at a low cost and commitment.
- Youth ages 7-9: Primarily youth ages 7-9 but can include players eligible for Mini-Mite/6U. Most associations have multiple levels of Mite Divisions (I, II, III) based upon skill, age and size. There’s usually something for everyone! Contact your local association to get in touch with a Mite Coordinator for more information.
- Youth ages 9-11: Most associations have multiple levels of Squirt teams (A, B & C) with varying amounts of cost, travel and competitiveness.
- Youth ages 11-13: Most associations have multiple levels of Peewee teams (A, B & C) with varying amounts of cost, travel and competitiveness. Contact your local association to get in touch with a Peewee Coordinator for more information.
Hockey Canada's Development Model for youth hockey.
Bantam Hockey Age Requirements
Youth ages 13-15. Most associations have multiple levels of Bantam teams (A, B & C) with varying amounts of cost, travel and competitiveness. Contact your local association to get in touch with a Bantam Coordinator for more information. Minnesota Hockey hosts Region and State Tournaments for the Bantam B, Bantam A and Bantam AA levels.
Bantam / 15U hockey is a pivotal stage for players aged 13-15, where physical play is introduced and the pace intensifies.
Bantam: Boys Only Teams ages 13 - 14 (8th & 9th Grade)
15U: Girls Only Teams ages 13 - 15 (8th, 9th, & 10th Grade)
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Players must be in 8th, 9th, or 10th grade to compete at the Bantam or 15U level and must satisfy the age eligibility requirements as published by MN Hockey.
New players to Forest Lake Hockey Association will need to submit a photocopy of their Birth Certificate to the Secretary in order to participate in their team's first ice session. Players that live OUTSIDE the official Forest Lake School District boundaries must complete a waiver form and submit it to FLHA before participating in any Forest Lake Hockey Association activities. Teams will typically play in up to 16 league games for the season. Players will need to purchase a home and away jersey through the association if they do not have one or need to get a bigger size. Families of Bantam / 15U players WILL be required to participate in the Volunteer Hours Program.
15U Note: Costs for 15U is $300 higher than Bantam because of the number of players expected and budgeted at the 15U level vs Bantam.
NEW for the 2025/26 Season: The 15U season will operate the same as the rest of the travel team programs with tryouts in late September & early October. There will be NO 15U October Clinic as a result of this change.
Youth ages 15 and 16. Select associations now field a Junior Gold 16 team in addition to or as an alternative to high school Junior Varsity and Junior Gold.
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Young men ages 16, 17 and 18. Most associations now field Junior Gold teams in addition to or as an alternative to high school Junior Varsity. Contact your local association or district to get in touch with a Junior Gold Coordinator for more information. Minnesota Hockey hosts Region and State Tournaments for Junior Gold.
Young girls ages 8 and under. Offered as an alternative to mites for girls only, many associations within Minnesota Hockey are hosting teams, either as individual associations or combined.
Young girls ages 9 and 10. Offered as an alternative to squirts for girls, most associations within Minnesota Hockey are hosting teams, either as individual associations or combined. Contact your local association to get in touch with a Girls Coordinator for more information.
Girls ages 11 and 12. Offered as an alternative to peewee for girls, many associations within Minnesota Hockey are hosting teams, either as individual associations or combined. Contact your local association to get in touch with a Girls Coordinator for more information. All girls hockey is non checking.
Girls youth ages 13, 14 and 15. Offered as an alternative to bantam for girls, many associations within Minnesota Hockey are hosting teams, either as individual associations or combined. Contact your local association to get in touch with a Girls Coordinator for more information. All girls hockey is non checking.
Young women ages 16, 17, 18 and 19. Offered as an alternative to high school or for age eligible girls after high school, select associations within Minnesota Hockey are hosting teams, either as individual associations or combined. To find a team near you, contact your local association or click here.
Here's a summary table of age classifications in Minnesota Hockey:
| Age Group | Ages | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mini-Mite/6U | 5-6 | Focus on basic skating and hockey skills |
| Mite | 7-9 | Multiple levels based on skill, age, and size |
| Squirt | 9-11 | Multiple team levels (A, B, C) |
| PeeWee | 11-13 | Multiple team levels (A, B, C) |
| Bantam | 13-14 (Boys) | Multiple team levels (A, B, C). Physical play introduced |
| 15U | 13-15 (Girls) | Girls-only alternative to Bantam |
| Junior Gold 16 | 15-16 | Alternative to high school JV |
| Junior Gold | 16-18 | Alternative to high school JV |
In November 2019, Hockey Canada announced that beginning in 2020 (officially taking effect in the 2020-21 season), it would refer to its age categories by their age limits (with "midget" being renamed "U18", for example) rather than by names.
Here are some of the updated age category names used by Hockey Canada:
- U7 (formerly Initiation, Mini Mite, Tyke or H1/H2): Under 7 years of age
In some larger areas with multiple associations in close proximity, Tyke is broken up by age into U6 (minor U7 or H1) for 5-year-old players and U7 (major U7, major tyke, orH2) for 6 years old players. In the Province of Quebec, players start in Pre-MAHG to initiate skating techniques.
In Finland, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association roughly categorizes minor hockey players to under school-ages and school-ages.
Starting of season 2020-21 names of the minor and junior levels has been changed to represent the standards used in international competitions and other minor hockey leagues.
The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation designates the following levels : using terms from the national languages of Switzerland.
- Bambini (ages 6-9), Italian for "children".
- Moskitos (ages 10-12), German for "mosquito".
- Mini (ages 12-14), Latin for "small".
- Novizen, Novices or Novizi (ages 15-17), meaning "Novices".
- Junioren, Juniors or Juniores (ages 17-20), meaning "Juniors".
Many organizations and leagues that have larger numbers of registered players tend to delineate within the two-year window allowed for each age group. In these situations, teams composed entirely or primarily of players in their second year of eligibility are designated 'major' teams, while those with players in their 1st year of eligibility are designated "minor" teams.
CCHA player age eligibility is governed by the USA Hockey / Minnesota Hockey age and participation level classifications. Players will register for the age classification in which their birth date falls. Moving down to a younger age range is not allowed. However, moving up to an older age classification is allowed if the player has a summer birthdate (June 1 - Aug 31st) and is the school grade of the next higher age classification.
Players can play up at the corresponding level if they meet both criteria.
For example, a player with a birthday of June 13, 2014 will default to Squirts/10U, but the player could opt to move up to PeeWee/12U if he/she is in 6th grade. If the player is in 5th grade they must register for Squirts/10U.
If a player has a summer birthday and will qualify to play-up by grade they should contact their Level Commissioner to discuss further. Once tryouts have started, no changes will be allowed.
Girls may register for either Girls or Youth teams.
Recreational/Developmental: Includes house league and select.
AAU began licensing scholastic ice hockey programs at the HS Varsity and JV classifications about 2009. Then during the 2011-2012 season the AAU began licensing junior and youth leagues as well. The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) moved their operations from USA Hockey into AAU and Hockey Michigan was formed, providing traditional full-ice playing opportunities at the 7U and 8U age classifications (aka mites) in the face of cross-ice mandates adopted by the USA Hockey district affiliate. During the 2012-2013 season, AAU junior and youth operations expanded rapidly and currently span coast to coast.
Officials for youth hockey are often youth players themselves, calling games in lower levels than the one they participate in themselves. Currently, many youth officials quit after a few games, mainly due to verbal abuse from parents, coaches and players. The other issue faced by young referees is a reluctance from older officials to give them more advanced games. In the US and Canada, news stories pop up from now and then that describes physical abuse on youth officials, in addition to verbal abuse.