Current Season & Registration
The AYHA is excited for your child to come play hockey as a Bobcat this season! It is the goal of the Association to offer a broad hockey experience that emphasizes team play, sportsmanship, and skill development in a fun and positive environment. Additionally, the AYHA offers through its partnership with the Buckeye Travel Hockey League competitive play with other teams with similar skills and abilities, while also providing a high ratio of practices to games to ensure youth players can focus on developing their on-ice skills.
This season the AYHA looks forward to continuing its mission of providing a quality youth hockey experience for players in the southeast Ohio region. The Association believes that all current youth players and those interested in learning should have an opportunity to play hockey, and all of the AYHA members, coaches, and volunteers are dedicated to making that opportunity a reality.
practice planning
For youth players, the Association’s emphasis is on player development by maximizing the ratio of practice time to game time to ensure the focus remains on player skill development, with occasional competitive game play. For a typical season, the AYHA provides High School, the most competitive age division, with the most practice time with approximately 85 hours, while 8U has the fewest at approximately 45 hours.
Each team typically has two practices per week, plus opportunities for shared ice skills practices with other age divisions and specialized goalie practices.
game planning
Zero-Travel Hockey Games - the 8U team will participate in scrimmages and games at Bird Ice Arena. For a typical season, 10 home games over 5 weekends are allotted to 8U.
Travel Team Hockey Games - the 10U, 12U, and 14U travel teams participate in the Buckeye Travel Hockey League, while the High School travel team participates in the Ohio Scholastic Hockey League. For a typical season, the following number of home games are allotted to each age division:
- 12 home games over 6 weekends for 10U
- 14 home games over 7 weekends for 12U
- 16 home games on available nights throughout the season for 14U
- 20 home games on available nights throughout the season for High School
Registration
Step 1
Regardless of age you need to register your youth hockey player with USA Hockey, which is mandatory to participate in both the AYHA’s zero-travel and travel team leagues for all age divisions. For 2024-2025, registration is $15 for children born in or after 2018, $50 for those born between 2016-2017, $61 for those born between 2012-2015, $70 for those born between 2006 & 2011, and $46 for those born in 2005 or earlier (adults).
USA Hockey will provide your player a confirmation number, which is required when registering with the AYHA. A confirmation number is typically a 9-digit number followed by the first five letters of the player’s last name (e.g., 123456789ABCDE). Please note that usually the number will be recognized immediately in Step 2 process, but sometimes it can take 24-hours or more after you receive your number for the USA Hockey database to update and allow Active to recognize the number for the registration process in Step 2.
Step 2
Register your youth player in the appropriate age division. Registration fees for each age division are established each summer by the AYHA Board of Directors to cover the anticipated costs incurred by the Association for the upcoming season. Major costs include renting Bird Ice Arena from Ohio University ($180/hour), BTHL registration fees ($2,000+/- per team), 8U and 10U registration fees for the Marazon Memorial and Veteran's Day tournaments, game referees, and associated administrative costs such as maintaining the website, online registration, and others.
2024 / 2025 Season Registration Fees by Age Division
8U Zero-Travel Team (Birth Years 2016 & Younger) - $725.00
10U BTHL Travel Team (Birth Years 2014 & 2015) - $1,175.00
12U BTHL Travel Team (Birth Years 2012 & 2013) - $1,350.00
14U BTHL Travel Team (Birth Years 2010 & 2011) - $1,700.00
High School Travel Team - $2,100.00
For full season registration, each of the above fees include a $50 non-refundable deposit (no deposit required if registering before August 1). The AYHA also offers a $100 discount for multi-player families as well as a 50% fee discount for youth players participating in their first, full season in the AYHA.
The AYHA offers families the opportunity to pay the season fee utilizing monthly installments. If you register by July 1st, the fee is divided in 9 monthly installments, 8 monthly installments if you register by August 1st, and 6 monthly installments if you register between August 1st and October 1st. The final monthly installment is billed March 1st at the end of the season for all installment plans.
Be sure to select the appropriate age division when you register using the links below. The Association recommends registering prior to August 1st to not only take advantage of the extended monthly installment payment plans, but also so the Association can commit to having BTHL travel teams prior the BTHL having their seeding tournament in September.
Step 3
Each family is required to complete several online health and safety training programs related to concussion awareness, SafeSport, and sudden cardiac arrest awareness. Additionally, each family must have both Parents and Players review code of conduct rules.
Please use this link to access and review AYHA policies.
Step 4
After you have completed the AYHA registration, you may order game jerseys for youth players on teams 10U and older. The Association will lend jerseys to the 8U players for their season, so those families do not need to purchase them.
Game jerseys are $130 for a pair (one green home and one white away), and they may be ordered by filling out and submitting an online form.
Please fill out the form, including three preferred numbers for the jerseys. All jersey numbers are reviewed and approved by the Registrar to avoid conflicts (prior season youth players may keep their previous jersey number).
Pay close attention to the jersey sizing chart and remember to account for your youth player wearing equipment as well as a little future growth when taking measurements (many families can get two seasons or more out of jerseys).
When the jerseys arrive, they will be billed to your Active.com account and added to the monthly registration fee payment.
Game socks for travel teams can be ordered directly by families from Homegrown Sporting Goods. The AYHA also has a selection of overstock game socks in different sizes available for purchase at the beginning of the season. When selecting a length, a hockey sock should run from the player’s ankle to about 50%-75% up the player’s thigh.