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Questions to Ask Before You Register

Nearly every important number in youth hockey is set locally, which means the only way to find it out is to ask. Print this, take it to the registration night, and write the answers down. From What to Know Before Your Kid Starts Hockey.

Ask for the total, not the registration fee. Registration is only about a quarter of what a hockey family spends in a year. The questions in the first group are the ones that find the other three quarters.

Money — what the real number is

  1. What is the registration fee, and what does it cover?Ice time, referees, jerseys and league entry are usually in. Almost nothing else is.
  2. What else is compulsory on top of it?The one question that matters most. Ask specifically about team fees, tryout fees, volunteer buy-outs, mandatory fundraising or raffle tickets, late fees, and card surcharges.
  3. What is the team fee likely to be, and who decides it?Often larger than registration. Some associations cap it; most do not.
  4. Is the tryout fee refundable if my child is not selected?Usually no — and some associations charge it per level attempted.
  5. What is the refund policy if we withdraw or move away?
  6. What financial assistance do you accept, and will you help apply?Grants are normally paid to the association, not the family, so they need to be in on it. Most families never claim anything.

Time — what you are actually signing up for

  1. How long is the season, and how many games and practices?
  2. How many weekends away from home, and how many require a hotel?This is the difference between recreational and competitive hockey more than the fee is.
  3. How many volunteer hours are we committed to, and what does it cost to buy out?

Safety — the local answers

  1. Is body checking allowed at this level, here?National rules are a floor. Local bodies may forbid it entirely, and some do.
  2. Do you require a mouthguard at this age?Required in the United States from 12U. Not required nationally in Canada, but an association may require it.
  3. Which neck-guard certification do you require — BNQ or HECC?Worth asking now: 2026‑27 is the last season a BNQ-only guard satisfies the US rule.
  4. How many screened adults are in the dressing room?Canada requires two. USA Hockey requires one and calls two "preferable" — so in the US you have to ask.
  5. Is the criminal record check on file for every coach, and when was it last renewed?In Canada it is a mandatory field in the national registry — the registrar can confirm it. In the US screening runs on a two-year cycle.
  6. Who is the safeguarding contact, and how do I report a concern about an adult?Ask for a name and a route before you need one. The "safety person" is an injury role, not this one.

The child, and the paperwork

  1. Which division is my child in — and do you use the national age cutoff or a local one?Some affiliates run a different cutoff date than the national chart, which can move a child a whole division.
  2. If my child wants to play goal, what does the association provide or discount?Goal is the most expensive position by a wide margin. Many associations discount it heavily; some supply the gear.
  3. What equipment must we buy before the first session, and what can wait?
  4. When do registration, tryouts and the first payment fall?Ask in the spring. A first-time family reading about this in September has usually already missed a deadline.