West Calgary House League (WCHL)

2023-2024 Season Information - U9 & U11

SEPT 21 - REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

All Trails West players that wish to register for WCHL must contact the TWHA Administrator prior to WCHL registration.  WCHL players are rostered in the Hockey Canada Registry under Glenlake Minor Hockey Club and players must have their profiles shared with Glenlake in order to register for WCHL for the 2023-2024 season. Please contact the TWHA Administrator at admin@trailswesthockey.com with player's name, date of birth and Hockey Canada ID number. 

If you are age 11 - 20 and looking to play recreational hockey, please visit Recreational Hockey Calgary for more information and to register. RHC Homepage

2023-2024 Season Dates

EventDateNotes
Pre-SkateSept 21(U9) - 22(U11)On same weekday as age division practice day
Evaluation Skate (1)Sept 23 & 28U9 on Wednesday; U11 on Thursday
Evaluation Skate (2)Sept 24 & 29On same weekend day as age division game day
Fall (2023)
Practices startOct 12-13no practices Nov 11
Games startOct 14-15no games Nov 11
Picture DayNov 18Location: Strathcona Community Association, Main Hall
277 Strathcona Drive SW
Last practice (2023)Dec 14-15
Last game (2023)Dec 16-17U9 game December 21 (replacement for Remembrance Day)
Holiday BreakDec 18 - Jan 4
Winter (2024)
Practices startJan 4-5
Games startJan 6-7
EMHW BlackoutJan 15-24No practices or Games
Last practiceFeb 8-9
Last gameFeb 10-11
WCHL FestivalFeb 15-18
PRACTICE daysGAME days
U9ThursdaySaturday
U11FridaySunday

U9 Practices - Thursday: Will start as early as 4:30pm and will mainly be at George Blundun or Optimist, however may rotate occasionally to other locations where ice shortfalls might occur (see above for further details)

U9 Games - Saturday: Will start as early as 7:15am and will be at Optimist, however may rotate occasionally where ice shortfalls might occur (see above for further details)

U11 Practices - Friday: Will start as early as 4:30pm and will be at George Blundun or Optimist, however may rotate occasionally to other locations where ice shortfalls might occur (see above for further details)

U11 Games - Sunday: Will start as early as 7:15am and will be at Optimist, Joe Kryzka and Shouldice, however may rotate occasionally to other locations where ice shortfalls might occur (see above for further details)

Fees

Birth YearAge RangeProgramJun 15 - Aug 15After Aug 16 (Space Permitting)
2015-20167-8U9 House League$875$975
2013-20149-10U11 House League$875$975

About WCHL: 2023-2024 season

Season Dates: October - February

Pre-Skates & Evaluations: Late September / early October.   All age divisions are scheduled one pre-skate and two evaluation skates.  See below schedule for specific dates.  

Philosophy - The purpose of house league is to provide recreational players the opportunity to play organized hockey in an environment that is affordable, fun, and safe with moderate time commitments allowing for participation in other social, academic or recreational activities.  It also provides a less intimidating and competitive format for players with limited skills and knowledge of hockey.

While House League emphasizes fun hockey with no statistics or standings, skill development is still provided by certified volunteer parent coaches and games are played with certified officials.  There are fewer ice times on mostly fixed dates and times and less travel.  All teams play in one division and are equally balanced with a variety of skill levels. The season runs from early October to the end of February with pre-skates and evaluations usually beginning the last weekend of September. All teams have one practice and one game per week.  Practice schedules are fixed as much as available ice will allow and game schedules released with as much advance notice as possible so families have reasonable knowledge of how their schedule will look.  Teams are not permitted to play games or participate in tournaments outside their league or purchase additional ice for practices. There are no cash calls or fundraising permitted.  As demand for this program is high, registration is on a first come basis with a maximum number of players allowed per age division so register early. Every registered player is required to have a valid Respect in Sport – Parent certification.

The West Calgary House League is a part of Hockey Calgary’s Flames Community House League program and is composed of members from the South West quadrant encompassing the boundaries of Trails West Hockey Association, Glenlake Minor Hockey Club and Springbank Minor Hockey Association. Members who register for the West Calgary House League are governed by the Flames Community House League Operations Guide and the WCHL structure and procedures, including arena locations, as set forth below.


League Location/Home Arenas - We have worked closely with Hockey Calgary to secure ice at George Blundun/Optimist arenas (Optimist Park) for WCHL practices and games. This location is central to the boundaries of WCHL members and assists with reducing travel time for families during the season. 

ICE SHORTFALLS: Exceptions may occur in location(s) where ice was not available to be secured at Optimist Park, the WCHL Home arenas.  To accommodate the shortfall(s), ice will be pooled from the South West quadrant (Trails West, Glenlake and Springbank home arenas) and these secondary locations will be rotated equally through teams of the age groups affiliated with that set day.


Game JerseysWCHL game jerseys are sponsored by the Calgary Flames every other year and supplied by WCHL for the other year and players may keep their jerseys every season.


Friend Requests - Requests must be made at the time of registration. Every effort will be made to accommodate ONE RECIPROCATED friend request per player but requests are not guaranteed. The league retains the right to place players on teams with the priority of coach placement and forming balanced teams over accommodating friend requests. Due to the volume of requests, friend requests will NOT be accepted after registration is submitted.


Respect in Sport - Parent - Hockey Alberta has instituted a mandatory RIS Parent program with the goal to educate our membership for all new families to Hockey Calgary.  Recertification for current families is required every 4 years.  If Respect in Sport-Parent was taken in the 2019-2020 season, re-certification prior to a player's registration for the 2023-2024 season will be required.  Note:  players will not be permitted to participate in pre-season skate or evaluations for the 2023-2024 season unless a valid RIS-Parent certification is noted on the player’s Hockey Canada Registry profile. For more information, please review the Respect in Sport-Parent section under the Registration tab.


Coach Qualifications - Coaches for House League are required to have the same coach qualifications as community stream. Exception is U11 Head Coaches are not required to have the Checking Skills qualification but it is strongly recommended.  Coaches may submit a request for reimbursement of clinic fees after they have been selected as part of the coaching staff for a team.  For further information, please reach out to your association’s Administrator.

Volunteer Bond - $150

The WCHL Volunteer Bond has been implemented to encourage parents of registered players to step up to volunteer for the various roles required to run this league smoothly. Without enough volunteers, we will not be able to continue to run this league resulting in the cancellation of the programs. Detailed role descriptions as well as bond commitments are available by clicking here.

The Volunteer Bond Agreement means you agree to fulfill a volunteer role for the WCHL. If you fail to complete your full commitment, the Volunteer Bond cheque provided at the beginning of the season will be cashed. Failure to pay will result in this amount being added to your registration the following season.

ALL U9 and U11 families must bring one post-dated cheque for $150 for each player This cheque must be dated February 15, 2024.  Players will not be permitted onto the ice until the player’s volunteer bond has been received. Detailed role descriptions as well as bond commitments are available by clicking HERE.

Withdrawal/Refund

Player withdrawal requests should be directed to the Age Group Coordinator for forwarding to the applicable association Administrator for processing.  Note, late fees are non-refundable.

  • Prior to pre-skates: Full refund of regular registration fees less $50 administrative fee
  • Prior to evaluation skates: Full refund of regular registration fees less $100 administrative fee 
  • Prior to team placement: Full refund of regular registration fees less $200 administrative fee 
  • After team placement: No refund

 

Waitlist

Subject to registration numbers but will be capped as noted below:

  • U9 - 8 teams
  • U11 - 10 teams

Waitlist Option - Should registration in an age group become full before August 15, there will be an option to select and register, as part of the WCHL registration form, on a waitlist.  If there is a sufficient number of players registered on the waitlist in an age group, an additional team(s) may be added to the WCHL provided the league can secure additional fixed ice.  Important to note:  Should this occur, it may affect the ability of the league to maintain the age group fixed day schedule resulting in a rotating schedule for practices and/or games on a different day than noted below for that age group.

End of Season Festival

February 16-19, 2024 - Family Day long weekend (no games Monday)

All age divisions will start on their usual weekday but may have other weekday Festival games.  The majority of games will be scheduled at Optimist/George Blundun however there will be games at other arenas in South West Calgary including Joe Kryzka, Shouldice, Rose Kohn, Frank McCool, and 7 Chiefs.

We understand that hosting the WCHL Festival on the Family Day long weekend may not be an ideal time for some families.  The WCHL is the only House League in Hockey Calgary that provides a year-end Festival and we need to accommodate the ice needs of both House League and Community in our three associations.  It is very challenging to secure the amount of ice required to host a Festival of this size for all WCHL teams on any other weekend in the season without causing an even greater negative impact on the ice available for community teams.  We have not scheduled games for Family Day Monday in the hopes this will help.

Contacts and Resources

Contacts

WCHL Coordinator - westcalgaryhouseleague@gmail.com

U9 WCHL Coordinator - U9WCHL@gmail.com

U11 WCHL Coordinator - U11WCHL@gmail.com

Resources

Hockey Calgary – Community House League Operations Guide 2023 - 2024

Hockey Calgary – House League In-Game Resources

U9 - Half-Ice Rink Divider System Procedures - to be used for games only.  Three rostered team coaches are necessary for set-up and moving the boards. No other volunteers are allowed on the ice so coaches must ensure they have their skates and helmets with them at all times to assist in using the rink divider system.  The rink divider system at Optimist was sponsored by the Calgary Flames.

U9 - Half-Ice Rink Divider System - Game Responsibilities (Oct 22 -Dec 4, 2022)

 

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Trails West Hockey Association

c/o Flames Community Arenas
2390 47 Avenue SW
Calgary AB T2T 5W5

admin@trailswesthockey.com