NCWHL welcomes skaters and goalies of all levels and abilities. We have a coaching staff dedicated to teaching and encouraging beginner players, even those who have little to no skating experience. We also have a system in place to evaluate player skill levels to place you in the appropriate division. Joining NCWHL is easy!
Step One:
Registration is easy with our online system. If you haven’t done so before, you will also need to register for a USA Hockey ID. USA Hockey is the entity that insures our League and its players. Each USA Hockey registration must be renewed annually.
NCWHL REGISTRATION >
USA HOCKEY REGISTRATION >
Step Two:
Once you have registered, one of our League representatives will reach out to welcome you and determine your skating experience. You can also contact one of our Division Coordinators at any time, if you have questions.
GREEN (BEGINNER) >
RED (INTERMEDIATE) >
MAROON (INT-ADVANCED) >
BLUE (ADVANCED) >
Step Three:
If you are brand new to hockey, you will start in the Green Division. Once the season starts, you can expect coached practices to teach you hockey and skating skills. Your games will also have bench coaches guiding you through.
If you are not new to hockey, you will be asked to participate in a placement session in order to determine your place in one of the higher level divisions. At the beginning of the season, you’ll be instructed to go to one of the placement sessions available on the schedule. If you are joining mid-season, you’ll be placed temporarily in a division until the next season begins. At that time, you’ll be able to get evaluated in an official placement session.
OUR DIVISIONS >
PLACEMENT PROCESS >
Step Four:
Right after Placements, you’ll learn what division you are in (unless you are starting in Green). All 4 divisions will hold team drafts held by the Division Coordinator and volunteer Team Captains. You’ll be notified of your new team and your game schedule. At this time, the Jersey Coordinator will also reach out to you for purchase of uniforms. You’re all set to hit the ice!
Odds & Ends:
– Carpooling: If you’ll need a ride to the majority of games and practices you can talk to your Division Coordinator to help facilitate a carpool.
– Schedule: Note on our Schedule page, ice times in San Mateo are set each week. Each team rotates through these designated ice slots and plays approximately one game or has one practice each week. The schedule is balanced to give each team roughly the same number of ice slots at each of the designated times in a season.
– Equipment: We host a gear sale at Give Hockey a Try Day twice annually. This is the absolute cheapest way to get (used) gear. Pure Hockey in San Jose is a great local options for purchasing new equipment.