HOCKEY NL FALL MEETING CONCLUDED ON SATURDAY

September 20, 2015

For Immediate Media Release

Hockey NL, the governing body for hockey in the province, hosted a meeting with all their membership during the weekend in Gander to plan their upcoming season.

A summary of the issues and decisions include:

Body Checking will be removed in all categories below A in the bantam and midget divisions this coming season. Body checking will now only be allowed in minor hockey for bantam and midget teams graded to compete in the A provincial tournament, competing AA or AAA leagues and in high school hockey. The provincial association will reevaluate this playing rule supplement at the end of the season.

Hockey NL approved the application for membership from the Paradise Minor Hockey Association. The new association will operate in the 2016-2017 hockey season.

Grant Thornton Minor Hockey Week is set for January 9-16, 2016. The kick off will be hosted by the Conception Bay Regional Minor Hockey Association on January 9, 2016 in the new CBS arena. This year’s slogan is Team Work- Divide the Task and Double the Success.

The dates were set for the AAA provincial championships. The AAA Pee Wee will be held March 11-13, 2016 and the AAA Bantam Irving Oil Championship will be held March 18-20, 2016. The location for the events will be announced in the coming weeks. The World’s Finest Chocolate AAA Midget provincial championship will be held in Labrador West from February 26-28, 2016.

Senior Hockey Council approved two Senior A Leagues this coming season. The Avalon East Hockey League has been granted A status with teams; Southern Shore Breakers, Northeast Eagles, St. John’s Capitals, Bell Island Blues and the return of the Conception Bay Cee Bees. In the Central West League all four teams will be returning. The defending Herder Memorial Champion Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts, along with the Corner Brook Royals, Gander Flyers and Clarenville Caribous.

The senior hockey delegates approved a three (3) out of five (5) Herder Memorial Championship series between the championship teams from both leagues. The Central West will play host to the first two games on March 19 and 20th, 2016 with the Avalon East champ hosting games three as well as four and five, if necessary, on March 25, 26 and 27, 2016. The Avalon East winning team will be permitted six (6) strengthening players from their own league for Herder competition.

The junior hockey representatives held a conference call to discuss the upcoming season. They are working towards a fan abuse policy and a more rigid discipline sanction based on the Canadian Junior Hockey League rule supplement.

The Avalon Junior Capitals will host the 2016 Don Johnson Cup Atlantic Junior B Championships from April 26-May 1, 2016 at the new arena in CBS.

The female hockey delegates have struck two working committees this season. One group will develop a proposal for an enhanced AAA program for the female players in the province. The second committee will create a retention plan to support female players over the next five (5) years.

The female hockey delegates set the dates for the AAA provincials this coming season. The Gros Morne Minor Hockey Association will host the bantam division and St. Anthony Minor Hockey Association will play host to the midget tournament. Both events will be held February 26-28, 2016.

Hockey NL adopted a revised social media policy to assist the membership in dealing with inappropriate behavior through this platform. The new policy details specific incidents and expectations on punishment.