COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today an addition to its slate of 2017 and 2018 Youth Tier I National Championship Tournaments. The new event, a single birth-year USA Hockey National Championship for 15-year-olds, was recommended by USA Hockey’s Youth Council, approved by its Board of Directors and will be conducted as a two-year pilot tournament with potential to become a permanent part of the Youth Tier I Nationals in 2019.
USA Hockey and the Arizona Amateur Hockey Association will host the inaugural Youth Tier I National Championship for 15-year-olds in Scottsdale, Arizona, from April 6-10, 2017. Tier I teams comprised entirely of players born in 2001 will be eligible to compete.
“Age 15 is a pivotal point in a hockey player’s long-term development,” said Kevin McLaughlin, USA Hockey’s senior director of hockey development. “They’re segueing between true youth hockey and the next level of competitive development, so by offering a single birth-year Tier I national tournament for 15-year-olds, USA Hockey is putting those players in the best possible position to make that transition successfully.”
For more information, contact Jayson Hron ([email protected]/719.538.1159).
NOTES: USA Hockey has crowned the national amateur hockey champions in America for nearly 80 years … To date, 36 states have produced USA Hockey national champions, led by Michigan, Massachusetts and Minnesota.
