First, Clare stresses players should figure out how to be the best teammate they can be. Encourage teammates and work together in the locker room and on and off the ice. Just be supportive regardless of the player's stature on the team.  "All the personal accolades are great, but if you're the only one taking the puck up and down the ice, that's nice but it's not going to make your team better and at the end of the day it's not going to help you achieve any of the team goals you want," Clare said. "It has to be team first and then the individual." READ MORE>>

All Tier I, Tier II, Prep and High School Varsity players within the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 birth years are eligible by invitation only for the 2020 Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI) Player Development / Identification Tryout Camp held in Bensenville, Illinois, the weekend of March 20-22, 2020.

The process will start this month with an online ranking of each of the age appropriate players.  AHAI has developed a web tool that allows ALL the Illinois Head Coaches, from each of the above divisions, to go online to rank ONLY those players they saw play during this season. The due date for these rankings will be early February. These Head Coaches will be ranking the "best" players from this State, NOT JUST THEIR OWN PLAYERS, within a specific birth year, by position, starting with number 1 as the best and so on down the line. READ MORE>>

The 2020 AHAI Tier I Boys and Girls Illinois State Hockey Championship round robin schedules have been announced. Click on the buttons below to view, download or print schedules.  Good luck, Teams!

Kenny McCudden was born in Chicago, Illinois. His older brother, Brian, was instrumental in his developing a passion and love for the game of hockey. He started skating on ponds and river overflows and then at park district outdoor rinks. He also played at an early age indoors at local rinks like Michael Kirby, Oak Park and Franklin Park Ice Arena, which eventually changed his life not only as a player, but in his hockey future. At a young age, Skip Thayer and Lou Varga, legendary trainers for the Chicago Blackhawks, allowed Kenny inside the ropes to help set up and pack up when the Blackhawks practiced at Franklin Park when the Stadium was unavailable. They eventually brought him to Chicago Stadium as a stick boy when Kenny was 17 years old. The following year, the Blackhawks hired him as an assistant trainer as he became the staff's first-ever third man. READ MORE>>

By Ned Forsberg, AHAI All-State Chairman - For the past 30 years, AHAI has been conducting a High School All-State game for the boys and girls varsity divisions statewide. This year will mark the 31st year of this very special event. The  2020 Boys and Girls High School All-State games  will be played on Monday, February 10, 2020 at the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Illinois. The Girls game will start at 6:40 p.m. and the Boys game will begin at 8:35 p.m. Admission to the High School Hockey All-State Games is  FREE . Can't make the game? The SHL Network on YouTube Live* will be streaming both games with Max Anderson, Taylor Rammelt and the rest of the SHL Network's great crew! READ MORE>>

*The SHL Network is sponsored by CCTY Bearing, OPRF Hockey, Stormy's Tavern & Grill, Cognitive College Advising, GBN Hockey, Carmel Hockey and Brink Personalized Nutrition.

The Chicago Blackhawk Alumni Association (CBAA)  distributes college scholarships annually to the three most deserving high school hockey players. Awards are determined from a candidate's level of community service, volunteerism, good citizenship, academic performance as well as the hockey talent of the individual. Recipients will receive an annual $7,500.00 scholarship over four years for a total of $30,000. Please click here  to download the application . If you have any questions regarding the scholarship, please direct them to Tom Dillon at  tom.dillon@amwins.com .

The Chicago Blackhawks are excited to announce another year of the Little Blackhawks Learn to Play program! Learning to play hockey is more than just learning a game. More than skating, passing and stick-handling, hockey is about responsibility, respect and teamwork. The Little Blackhawks Learn to Play program offers participants, between 5-9 years of age, free head-to-toe equipment, age appropriate instruction and certified coaching, led by NHL Alumni. MORE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION>>

Congratulations to Caroline (Sabres) and Tyler (Mission) for winning our Mini 1v1 Shootout and earning a VIP package for the All-Star game in St. Louis! Dawid (Vikings) and Zach (TI) were fierce competitors but came up short in the final. Good luck to all four players as they head towards their respective playoffs!

Registration is now open for the 2020 North American Hockey League (NAHL) Combines. The NAHL Combines are driven by the North American Hockey League and operated by the NAHL's professional staff in order to serve the most valuable asset to hockey... the players.  The goal is to provide the aspiring hockey player a one-of-a-kind experience designed to maximize exposure at grand-scale events that provide a true look and feel of the genuine NAHL Experience. NAHL Combines are carefully designed to provide an Education, Exposure, and Experience for prospects that strive to advance their hockey development at the junior hockey and college level. MORE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION>>

USA Hockey proudly announces the release of Free Hockey Registration Systems [USAH Member Organizations Only]. As part of our digital transformation road map we are now able to provide free solutions to our member organizations helping them manage local events and saving them thousands in processing fees. Email us at: myevents@usahockey.org to sign up! WATCH VIDEO>>

The Spring 2020 Try Hockey For Free Day will take place on February 22, 2020. February provides a great opportunity to attract new families who are thinking about hockey because it's winter. With a goal of 350 host locations, this event is part of the Hockey Week Across America celebration. Participating host locations will receive jerseys and giveaways, marketing tools, USA Hockey sanctioning and online registration to maximize participation. Click  HERE to register as a February 22 Try Hockey Host Site.  Questions? Email ComePlayYouthHockey@usahockey.org.