Tournaments


WYHA teams can only play in USA hockey sanctioned tournaments. All USA hockey sanctioned tournaments will have an official sanction ID that can be requested by accessing the tournament director or will be advertised as part of the tournaments info.

Out of State Tournaments

Out of state tournaments can be found online. For recommendations, please speak with other coaches and managers.

All teams going to Canada for a single game, weekend of games, or tournament must apply for a travel permit. Please fill out the travel permit application at least one month in advance.

Popular Tournaments

House and Travel


House

  • Boulter Tournament (hosted by WYHA): Occurs annually in March; all of our house teams are expected to play
  • Wishbone Classic: Thanksgiving weekend at the Rochester Ice Center
  • Big Thaw: March at the Rochester Ice Center

Mite/RWB/8U

Popular RWB Tournaments are run by WYHA, Perinton Youth Hockey and one by Scottsville Ice Arena. There are several in the Syracuse/Auburn area and Pepsi in Buffalo runs a half ice division.


MyHockey

Travel AA, A, and B plus House divisions: Tournament locations in Tampa, Coral Springs and Miami, FL; Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA; Holland, MI; Rochester (at Bill Gray's Regional IcePlex); Washington DC; Madison, WI; Charleston, SC; and Charlotte, NC.


Big Bear

These are Tier II travel tournaments plus some have girls Tier I & II divisions. Some will also have House divisions. Empire House teams should make sure they sign up for a House division and not a Travel A or B division.


Tournament Levels

Most tournaments should be considered Travel, unless they say House. Only tournaments that say House A & B and generally only local tournaments run by Rochester organizations (or Pepsi in Buffalo) should be considered true House A & B.

Travel and House Distinctions

Most commercial tournaments (MyHockey, etc.) and any tournaments in PA, OH and mid-west/mid-Atlantic states will use Travel AA, A, B, House as classifications. 

Travel AA: Travel AA TB teams

Travel A: Travel Major

Travel B: Travel Minor

Mixed teams can be A or B depending on their strength. Occasionally commercial tournament vendors may run a AA Minor or Mixed division but these are rare and may be teams in WNYAHL only. Strong House A/White or House Red teams can be competitive at the Travel B level depending on the tournament. Otherwise, House teams should only sign up for House divisions. Call the Tournament Director and discuss placement and your concerns!

Buffalo

Travel divisions are WNYAHL compatible or follow the commercial tournament model. The House teams are either true "in-house" or play in the MOHL House league. MOHL team strength varies and there is no A & B or Red/White & Blue. Teams in MOHL are selected after the Travel teams are picked and it is rare to have more than one or two teams in an age division.

Syracuse

Travel teams play at the AA (Major/Minor) or A (Tier III Mixed) level. There is no formal Travel league website so most Travel teams are independent except for a few that play in WNYAHL. The House league in Syracuse is Snowbelt. Teams in Syracuse are either Travel or Snowbelt. Snowbelt teams are either Red (very strong with no Travel team so this is the top team in their organization in the age division), White (similar to our A/White division) or Blue (similar to our B/Blue division). Note: very good Blue are A- teams, very weak White are more B+.

Albany/North Section

There are a few AAA teams. Most teams play either A, B or C. 

A: TB or top team at the Tier II or Tier III level

B: kids who could not make the top team, generally a mixed group of major/minor aged players

C: everyone else and probably House B/Blue level although some teams may be House A/White level


Unsanctioned Tournaments

These tournaments MAY be unsanctioned. Check before signing up or paying a fee.

  1. Any tournament that tells you to obtain insurance (AAU or otherwise)
  2. US and Canadian tournaments before September 1st
  3. Tournaments run by a rink
  4. Tournaments advertising full ice Mites/RWB/U8
  5. Tournaments run by Canlan Classic (CCT) (not Can/Am), OneHockey, or another vendor you've never heard of


Unsanctioned Tournament Penalties

If the tournament is not sanctioned by USA Hockey or Hockey Canada, your team may not play in it. No exceptions! 

Penalties for playing in a non-sanctioned tournament may include (but are not limited to):

  • Loss of TB status for your team (and possibly all teams at Webster)
  • Suspension of Head Coach and Manager
  • Probation or other sanctions for WYHA
  • Any players injured will not be covered by USA Hockey insurance (thus coaches and managers can be sued)
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