Coaching Information & Requirements

ALL COACHES MUST BE ON A ROSTER IN ORDER TO BE ON THE ICE OR ON THE BENCH.

All ice hockey coaches as well as instructors of USA Hockey programs shall be registered annually as individual Participants of USA Hockey for the current season (before the start of the season) in order to be eligible to coach/instruct in any regular-season activities (practices, clinics, games, tournaments, try-outs, etc.), state, district, regional playoff, national championships or in the USA Hockey Player Development Programs. There will be an annual fee to register the coaches (head and assistants) and instructors. Coaches who also play on a USA Hockey registered team are required to pay this registration fee only once per year. Coaches may register as participants online at usahockey.com or through a local association/member program (refer to Section I Participant Registration).

• Note 1: All USA Hockey Coaching Education Program Instructors and National Player Development Camp coaches will be exempt from the annual participant registration fee, but must complete the participant registration process.
• Note 2: The head coach and all assistant coaches of each disabled hockey team must complete the required CEP registration and online age-specific module(s) for each level of play. Those volunteers or employees who assist with helping disabled hockey teams (i.e. interpreters, pushers, on-ice mentors, etc.) must be properly registered with USA Hockey but are not required to attend a CEP clinic and otherwise comply with these rules and regulations.

All ice hockey coaches and instructors of registered USA Hockey Youth 18 & Under and below, high school, girls’/women’s 19 & under and below, and disabled programs must properly wear an approved ice hockey helmet during all on-ice sessions, including practices, controlled scrimmages and all Coaching Education Program clinics and/or workshops.

• Example of a Specialty Coach: Speed skating coach, Goalie Coach, etc.
• These coaches are not require to be rostered but must be screened.
• Associations are to monitor their effectiveness and skill to make sure they are value added.
• They cannot be on the bench.
• They can only be on the ice periodically...anything more than 20% of practice time would be questionable for rostering.

HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ARE NOT EXEMPT

No one can coach on a team unless they are properly certified, screened and rostered on the team in question...high school coached are not exempt from this rule. They must comply with USA Hockey regulations.

For comprehensive details and additional information regarding the prerequisites and criteria for Student Coach eligibility, please take a moment to click on the provided link. This will lead you to a dedicated resource where you can explore in-depth insights into what is expected and necessary for individuals interested in becoming Student Coaches.