USA Hockey Participant Eligibility Policy wrt Executive Order 14201

Dear NCWHL,

The Board wants to take a moment to acknowledge the impact of USA Hockey’s new eligibility requirements on our community. We reached out to them and were informed that the new rules are to comply with Executive Order 14201, and basically states that for leagues designated as women’s, all participants must be assigned female at birth. You can read the new policy here: USA Hockey Participant Eligibility Policy.

We know the value of inclusion in the NCWHL. Our community is worth protecting and standing up for. As a Board, there is zero intention or desire to comply with this new policy. 

We are assessing all options, one of which includes ending our membership with USA Hockey. We invite you to join us for a Town Hall, where we are hoping to share more about our thinking and hear from you. For those who cannot attend, we will send out a survey for you to provide your thoughts. 

Town Hall Details:

Wednesday, February 4th at 8 p.m.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87947786792?pwd=jpUhkoXwZ9imFE8aNbZ9tuiioUS31w.1
Meeting ID: 879 4778 6792
Passcode: 297420

Please reach out to any of the Board with questions. 

Eula on behalf of the NCWHL Board

Give Hockey a Try – Feb 7, 2026

 

 

UPDATE 1/13/2026: This event is FULL!

To get notified of the next GHATD, sign up here –> Notification list

 

Give Hockey a Try Day

When: February 7, 2026, 5:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bridgepointe San Mateo Ice Oasis
Cost: $25
Register here –> I want to give hockey a try!

Come join NCWHL’s popular Give Hockey a Try Day!

First-time skaters and goalies welcome. We’ll gear you up and teach you everything you need to know to get started. Most participants have little to no prior hockey experience. Our League coaches will walk you through some basic on-ice drills, then you’ll participate in your first ever low-key, controlled scrimmage. Our League members will cheer you on as you PLAY HOCKEY! Much fun will be had!

Many of our League skaters started with this fun event and have played with NCWHL for many years. We hope you’re ready to hit the ice, too!

We need volunteers to help make this event a success! 
Sign Up to Volunteer >


GHATD Notification List >
Donate Gear >

UPDATED 9/2: 2025-26 Winter Evaluation Schedule

NOTE: Sept 5 pre eval skills and leaguewides added.

NOTE: Sept 7 sessions moved to Sept 6; Sept 13 sessions moved to Sept 14.

Registering for Placements
If you are thinking about being evaluated for a new division, let your Placement Coordinators know! NCWHLevals@gmail.com

(1) The easiest way is to select “Try out for ____” when you register for Summer season.

(2) If you have already registered for the next season and want to evaluate for a higher division, email NCWHLevals@gmail.com.

In order to skate in a placement session, you must pre-register (by either method just mentioned) at least a week in advance. If you’re uncertain, email us anyway NCWHLevals@gmail.com; we’d rather be over-prepared than to be surprised on evaluation day. We will do our best to accommodate last minute requests to skate, but know that adding any hopeful skaters at the last minute diminishes our ability to make sure everyone is evaluated properly.  

If you have any questions about Placements, from the process to how to sign up, please reach out to NCWHLevals@gmail.com. Your Placement Coordinators can answer your questions. There is also a handy FAQ for placements on the NCWHL website, https://ncwhl.com/placements/.

Evaluators and Skaters Needed!
Our placement sessions depend on help from our players! It is vital to the process to have players volunteer to evaluate the division below theirs, as well as skating in division placement sessions. Contact us at NCWHLevals@gmail.com.

All Skaters
Please show up and skate hard. You are the standard by which the hopeful skaters are evaluated. 

Maroon and Blue Players
Please come out and evaluate, even if you have never done it before. We provide snacks, a thank you gift card/entry to raffle, and training for those who need it. You can even shadow an experienced person if you’d like.

Seeking Blue Division Evaluators
If you know someone who has plenty of hockey experience and is willing to come sit and watch, we are always on the lookout for Blue division evaluators, please let us know by emailing your contact information to NCWHLevals@gmail.com. These people can be referees, significant others, and friends who have a lot of hockey knowledge but don’t play in the league. We rely on their help to evaluate hopeful Blue players. 

We look forward to seeing you on the ice soon. Have a great new season!

2025 Summer Evaluation Schedule

Registering for Placements
If you are thinking about being evaluated for a new division, let your Placement Coordinators know!

(1) The easiest way is to select “Try out for ____” when you register for Summer season.

(2) If you have already registered for the next season and want to evaluate for a higher division, email NCWHLevals@gmail.com.

In order to skate in a placement session, you must pre-register (by either method just mentioned) at least a week in advance. If you’re uncertain, email us anyway; we’d rather be over-prepared than to be surprised on evaluation day. We will do our best to accommodate last minute requests to skate, but know that adding any hopeful skaters at the last minute diminishes our ability to make sure everyone is evaluated properly.  

If you have any questions about Placements, from the process to how to sign up, please reach out. Your Placement Coordinators, Liz Tan and Lucy Williamson, can answer your questions. There is also a handy FAQ for placements on the NCWHL website, https://ncwhl.com/placements/.

Evaluators and Skaters Needed!
Our placement sessions depend on help from our players! It is vital to the process to have players volunteer to evaluate the division below theirs, as well as skating in division placement sessions.  

All Skaters
Please show up and skate hard. You are the standard by which the hopeful skaters are evaluated. 

Maroon and Blue Players
Please come out and evaluate, even if you have never done it before. We provide snacks, a thank you gift card/entry to raffle, and training for those who need it. You can even shadow an experienced person if you’d like.

Seeking Blue Division Evaluators
If you know someone who has plenty of hockey experience and is willing to come sit and watch, we are always on the lookout for Blue division evaluators, please let Lucy know by emailing contact information to NCWHLevals@gmail.com. These people can be referees, significant others, and friends who have a lot of hockey knowledge but don’t play in the league. We rely on their help to evaluate hopeful Blue players. 

We look forward to seeing you on the ice soon. Have a great new season!

Policy on Gender Inclusion

The NCWHL welcomes transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive (TNG) people to the league. We recognize that we have far more to gain than lose when we create solidarity among women and TNG people, all of whom experience gender based bias and discrimination.

• We encourage folks to share their pronouns when they introduce themselves. You can add your pronouns to your name in the Player Portal by adding it after your last name.

• League members are expected to respect every player’s gender identity by consistently using their authentic name and pronouns. If you make a mistake (it happens), simply correct yourself without making a big deal about it, and then work to improve.

• League members should strive to use gender inclusive greetings and language such as friends, everyone, people, or team.

• When referring to bathrooms, the best practice is to provide directions to all available bathrooms; describe them as with or without urinals, and gender neural if available. Encourage everyone to use the bathroom that they are most comfortable with.