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Volume 1 Issue 1 | October 18, 2016
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
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Welcome to the 2016-17 Season!
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I would like to welcome everyone to the NIHL 2016-17 playing season. We at NIHL look forward to making the season full of even competition, great hockey, and a lifetime of memories. The seeding round is well underway and our regular season seeding is right around the corner. A few highlights for the upcoming season include the return of mite hockey, our bantam game of the week streaming, and of course the best playoff tournament in all of sports. The board looks forward to seeing many of you around the rinks this season and many of you at our Championship weekends in Joliet. Please come enjoy the atmosphere and great hockey.
Sincerely,
Bob Apter
NIHL President
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Thank You, Team Managers!
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First, let me thank you for taking on what might sometimes feel like a thankless job. You may not hear it often enough, but your coaches, your team and your team’s parents truly do appreciate you taking on this position.
There are a few things that may make your job a little easier. First, get very acquainted with the NIHL web site. There is no place on the site that you, and your families, are not welcome to see. While you’re there, read through the Manager’s Handbook. The handbook is new this year and will answer most of your questions about the league without having to find someone else to help you. If you still have questions, we’re here to help make your season a smooth ride at any time! Just email the person you need and we’ll get right back to you.
I’ve had some questions recently about the NIHL Night at the Wolves on October 30. Click HERE to find all the information you need to get your team’s tickets for a great night out. We hope to see every NIHL team in the stands wearing their jerseys and cheering on the Wolves!
As always, thank you for what you do for our teams. We couldn’t do it without you! - Sue D’Anza, NIHL Registrar
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October 29 - Seeding Round Concludes
October 29 - Midnight - Seeding Round Score Posting Deadline
October 30 - 4pm - NIHL Appreciation Day with the Chicago Wolves
November 5 - NIHL Regular Scheduling Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield in Schaumburg
- 8:00am - Squirt through Midget Elite & Girls Gold Divisions; Mites - TBD
- 9:15am - Squirt through Bantam Silver Divisions
- 10:30am - Squirt through Bantam Bronze, Girls 12U & 14U Divisions
November 6 - 10pm - Deadline for posting Regular Season Schedules to StatMGR
November 7 - Regular Season Play begins for Mite through Midget and Girls Gold
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Each season NIHL partners with the Illinois Media School’s SportsTownChicago.com to do online broadcasts of NIHL Bantam games. The broadcasts are done once per week during the Seeding Round and Regular Season, and in recent years there have been NIHL Wolves Cup Tournament playoff broadcasts as well. There have already been four NIHL Game of the Week broadcasts this season.
An effort is made to broadcast Bantam games at every level from Elite to Bronze, and across as many clubs and teams as possible. However, since these are weeknight games, all of the broadcast’s game locations are in the Chicago suburbs.
The league’s players and their families enjoy their day in the spotlight. The players’ families can watch online wherever they are. We have had viewers from all over - grandparents in Hawaii, parents deployed in the Middle East, parents on business trips, etc. If the teams wish, they are able to order DVD’s of the broadcasts for a very reasonable price.
The student announcers, camera operators and editors from the Illinois Media School also gain valuable experience that translates to class credits and real-life experience they can use to build their portfolios. We have seen announcers with NIHL Game of the Week experience advance to broadcast for college hockey and minor league hockey organizations.
Upcoming NIHL Game of the Week broadcasts are announced on the NIHL Facebook and Twitter accounts, and on the
NIHL
website.
Tuesday, October 18 ~ 7:20pm
Bantam Silver ~ Huskies #2 vs. Leafs #2
Tuesday, October 26 ~ 7:55pm
Bantam Gold A ~ Jets #1 vs. Wildkits #1
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NIHL is very happy that we have four all-girls divisions again for the 2016-2017 season. There are six teams in our Girls 10U division, nine in the Girls 12U division, twelve in the Girls 14U division and six in the Girls 16U/19U division.
Because of the large number of Girls teams in the Girls 12U and 14U divisions, these teams are first playing an eight-game Seeding Round to determine placement for the Regular Season. In the Girls 10U and Girls 16U/19U divisions the teams have already begun their Regular Season which will run until February 11, 2017.
Remember that USA Hockey and AHAI rules allow girls to double-roster on a Youth team and a Girls team. If you want to learn more about NIHL Girls hockey you might want to catch a nearby game. You can find all the teams and their schedules on the NIHL website.
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The second weekend of mite hockey has passed with 12 teams lacing them up at Addison Ice Arena and Center Ice of DuPage the weekend of October 7th. A couple of undefeated teams have separated themselves from the pack at the Silver and Bronze levels in the second weekend of half-ice tiering round games.
Due to a scheduling issue, the gold division did not play, but will catch up in a few weeks to finish up the first mite tiering round for NIHL in quite some time. We are excited to close up tiering and seed the teams for what should be a very competitive season of mite hockey in NIHL.
The weekend of October 23rd will end tiering and the teams will play 6 half-ice games and 12 full-ice games during the regular season culminating in a league and state championship. Parents and spectators are encouraged to tweet about the NIHL Jamborees by using the hashtag #NIHLJamboree. To all those participating, thank you and we look forward to building on this season.
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Team Results Worth Noting
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All NIHL divisions have begun their 2016-2017 games. In nearly all the playing divisions, teams are playing their Seeding Round games to demonstrate if they deserve to be moved up, down, or remain at their metallic levels (Elite, Gold A, Gold B, Silver, Bronze) for the Regular Season. At this point some teams have finished half of their Seeding Round games, but with the other half still left to play a lot can still change. Click NIHL logo below for team results worth noting so far (teams with at least 4 games played).
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2016-17 Academic Excellence Program
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NIHL encourages all their players to participate in this season's Academic Excellence Program, supported by the Chicago Wolves. All qualifying participants will be recognized on the NIHL website and receive two (2) free tickets to a Chicago Wolves hockey game. In addition, all High School age qualifying participants will receiving a "Making the Grade" plaque. Click HERE for complete details on the 2016-17 Academic Excellence Program.
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CHICAGO WOLVES NEWS & INFORMATION
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The Chicago Wolves treasure the partnership we’ve built with NIHL.
That’s not just because the Wolves and NIHL share an appreciation for the greatest sport in the world. We also value the principles that hockey instills in young hockey players: Work ethic, respect, self-esteem, persistence, sportsmanship and other positive characteristics that are relevant for the rest of their lives.
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With that in mind, we enjoy rewarding hockey players (and their families) for their achievements – and not just those that occur on the ice.
We offer a Youth Hockey Player of the Month award, presented by Moe’s Southwest Grill, that takes into account academics and leadership as much as goals and assists.
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The Chicago Wolves have also created a Hockey Mom of the Month honor, presented by Little Debbie, that acknowledges the heart and soul of every youth hockey team – the moms who eagerly support their children’s love of hockey at all hours of the day.
Additionally, we have instituted a Youth Hockey Team of the Month award, presented by Xfinity, that recognizes teams of all ages and abilities.
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And, of course, we’re starting the 2016-17 season off right with NIHL Appreciation Day on Sunday, Oct. 30. Not only do the Wolves face the Cleveland Monsters at 4 p.m. at Allstate Arena, we’re hosting Pokémon GO festivities as soon as the doors open at 3 p.m.
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If you have any questions about our youth hockey programs or opportunities to play on the Allstate Arena ice, don’t hesitate to contact Wolves youth hockey coordinator Rob Newburg at rnewburg@chicagowolves.com or (847) 832-1993.
Good luck to everyone chasing the Wolves Cup this season!
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