Please be advised that as of Oct 1st, 2020 no coaches or players registered within our organization including Tier 1 or Tier 2 cannot participate in any non-sanction play including non-sanctioned tournaments. Failure to adhere to this will result in you and your player's REMOVAL & NO REFUND will be given. The OHF & OMHA have made this clear, if you are caught you will be removed from our program and from your respective bubbles. Further sanctions are possible from Hockey Canada, OHF and the OMHA if you are caught participating in any of these events.
Below is from the OHF website for Unsanctioned Leagues -
"As the governing body of amateur hockey in Canada, Hockey Canada is committed to offering the best development programs in the world. Hockey Canada and our Members have invested significant resources in the development of officials, coaches, administrators and players countrywide. We have a committed strategy toward a cohesive long-term athlete development model and we feel our programs are second to none in sport. Despite, or perhaps because of, our success in delivering quality programming throughout Canada, other organizations operating outside our structure form leagues from time to time that offer various levels of amateur hockey programming. These “non-sanctioned” organizations do not support the development of Hockey Canada or Member programs. Further, they operate with limited, or no consideration to the impact of their programs on minor, junior, senior, adult recreational hockey, officiating development, female hockey, coaching development or administrator development in Canada. These Non-Sanctioned Leagues choose instead, in many instances, to utilize resources already developed by Hockey Canada and its Members. Because these Non-Sanctioned Leagues operate outside of our structure, the Ontario Hockey Federation has no way of ensuring that those Leagues implement many of the fundamental safeguards inherent in Hockey Canada programs. As a result, those Leagues may not be using the same Playing Rules that Hockey Canada has implemented to protect player safety and may not provide adequate insurance for their participants. We also cannot ensure that the quality of play in these Leagues matches the level advertised. The Ontario Hockey Federation respects the right of every individual to choose between participating in a Hockey Canada sanctioned league or a Non-Sanctioned League at the beginning of each hockey season. Every individual who makes the choice to Participate in a Non-Sanctioned League, however, must understand the ramifications of that choice, as described in greater detail in Section III of this policy.
“Cut-Off Date” means September 30 of the hockey season in question.
“League” means a Non-Sanctioned League.
“Non-Sanctioned League” includes any amateur hockey league that operates in Canada outside the auspices/sanctioning of Hockey Canada. This currently does not include summer hockey leagues/teams, adult recreational hockey leagues/teams, high school hockey, and/or hockey schools.
“Participate” means to engage, knowingly or otherwise, in an activity within a Non- Sanctioned League that could only be engaged in within Hockey Canada if the participant was properly registered on the Hockey Canada Registry. Such activity includes, without limitation, playing, managing, coaching, officiating, or acting as a trainer.
“Participation” in a Non-Sanctioned League will be considered to have occurred if the individual takes part in one game (including an exhibition, tournament, league or playoff game) after the Cut-Off Date.
CONSEQUENCES OF SUPPORTING OR PARTICIPATING IN A NON-SANCTIONED LEAGUE
The OHF will implement the Hockey Canada Non-Sanctioned League Policy and in addition has strengthened the application of that policy as set out below.
Any individual who Participates in a Non-Sanctioned League, or any minor hockey association which supports such a League, is subject to the following consequences:
Any individual who Participates in a Non-Sanctioned League after the Cut-Off Date will lose all privileges with the Ontario Hockey Federation for the remainder of that season, and, subject to paragraph (3) below, may only apply for the reinstatement of those privileges after the end of that season.
The OHF and its Members across the OHF will make every effort to ensure that local minor hockey associations in areas where Non- Sanctioned Leagues exist are not supporting these Leagues in any manner whatsoever. For greater certainty, “supporting” includes, but is not limited to, assisting a Non-Sanctioned League directly or indirectly through advertisement, promotion, ticket sales, volunteer activities, assigning Officials, sharing resources or enabling such a League to participate in Hockey Canada sanctioned activities. We will withhold tournament sanctions and will preclude such associations from benefitting from any OHF sanctioned event by whatever means necessary, including the withdrawal of any such event from any community within the geographic boundaries of that association if need be to stress this point.
Notwithstanding the consequences listed in paragraph 1), anyone who Participates in a Non Sanctioned League after the Cut-Off Date is entitled to seek early reinstatement of their privileges within the OHF by appealing to Hockey Canada’s Non-Sanctioned Hockey Reinstatement Committee, which may grant early reinstatement if it is satisfied that special circumstances exist.
The consequences described in this section of this policy will remain in effect even if the Non Sanctioned League or team folds, or the Participant is released, suspended or fired from that League
*****this is very important for everyone to understand, The PHA is sending this out informing our membership that there will be no exceptions from the OMHA****
please do not try and find a way around this, the OMHA and OHF is taking a hard stance on this