USA Hockey is the national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

and the

United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...

as the

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...

for organized

ice hockey in the United States Ice hockey, rarely referred to in the U.S. simply as "hockey", is a popular sport in the United States. Hockey in the U.S. began in 1894 when the first artificial ice rink was built in Baltimore, Maryland. Now hockey is most popular in regions of ...

and is a member of the

International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...

. Before June 1991, the organization was known as the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS). The organization is based in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. Its mission is to promote the growth of ice hockey in the U.S. USA Hockey programs support and develop players, coaches, officials, and facilities. USA Hockey also has

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

and

senior ice hockey Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired. Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisd ...

programs, and supports a disabled ice hockey program. USA Hockey provides certification programs for coaches and officials. Members of the organization receive a subscription to USA Hockey Magazine.

History

The Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) was founded on October 29, 1937, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Tommy Lockhart Thomas Finan Lockhart (March 21, 1892 – May 18, 1979) was an American ice hockey administrator, business manager, and events promoter. He was president of the Eastern Hockey League from 1933 to 1972, and was the founding president of the Amat ...

. When he first started operating AHAUS, the paperwork fit into a shoebox in his apartment.''Allen, Kevin (2011) Star-Spangled Hockey'' The need for a national governing body for hockey came from the desire to efficiently manage the growing game of ice hockey, rather than having several different groups which included the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

. In September 1938, Lockhart reached signed an agreement with

W. G. Hardy William George Hardy (February 3, 1895 – August 28, 1979) was a Canadian professor, writer, and ice hockey administrator. He lectured on the Classics at the University of Alberta from 1922 to 1964, and served as president of the Canadian Aut ...

of the

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...

(CAHA) which regulated international games in North America, set out provisions for transfer of players between the organizations, and recognized of each other's authority. In 1940, he led AHAUS into a union with the CAHA by establishing the

International Ice Hockey Association The International Ice Hockey Association was a governing body for international ice hockey. It was established in 1940 when the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association wanted more control over international hockey, and was in disagreement with the ...

, and served as its vice-president. AHAUS was admitted as a member of the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace in 1947, being recognized as the international governing body of hockey in the United States instead of the Amateur Athletic Union which was previously recognized by the IIHF. Lockhart established the first national ice hockey tournaments for pre-high school boys in 1949. He announced the establishment of the

United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...

on May 19, 1968, to be located in the town of

Eveleth, Minnesota Eveleth is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,718 at the 2010 census. U.S. Highway 53 and State Highway 37 (MN 37) are two of the main routes in Eveleth. Eveleth was the site of the conflict that resu ...

. Lockhart was succeeded as president by

William Thayer Tutt William Thayer Tutt (March 2, 1912 in Coronado, California – February 24, 1989 at El Paso) was an executive for several ice hockey leagues and organizations. He is the son of Charles L. Tutt, Jr., and has two brothers, Charles L. Tutt, III ...

in 1972.

Executive personnel

Presidents *

(1937–1972) *

(1972–1986) *

Walter Bush Walter Lewis Bush, Jr. (September 25, 1929 – September 22, 2016) was an American ice hockey administrator. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1955, he helped start the Central Hockey League, which turned into one of the few successful mi ...

(1986–2003) * Ron DeGregorio (2003–2015) * Jim Smith (2015–2021) * Mike Trimboli (2021–present) Executive directors *

Hal Trumble Harold L. Trumble Jr. (August 28, 1926 – March 5, 2010) was an American ice hockey administrator and referee. He served as the executive director of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States from 1972 to 1987, and managed the United ...

(1972–1987) * Bob Johnson (1987–1990) *Baaron Pittenger (1990–1993) *Dave Ogrean (1993–1999) *

Doug Palazzari Douglas John Palazzari (born November 3, 1952 in Eveleth, Minnesota) is a former professional ice hockey player and USA Hockey executive. He is the son of former NHL player Aldo Palazzari. Too small to become a regular in the National Hockey Lea ...

(1999–2005) *Dave Ogrean (2005–2017) *Pat Kelleher (2017–present) Director of hockey operations *

Jim Johannson James Johannson (March 10, 1964January 21, 2018) was an American ice hockey player, coach and executive. He played for the United States national junior team at the World Juniors in 1983 and 1984, then played for the United States national t ...

(2000–2018) Coaching directors *

Ken Johannson Kenneth Johannson (October 6, 1930November 27, 2018) was a Canadian-born American ice hockey player, coach and executive. A native of Edmonton, he attended the University of North Dakota on a football scholarship, then played for the Fighting ...

(1970–1978) *

Lou Vairo Louis Joseph Vairo (born February 25, 1945) is an American retired ice hockey coach and administrator. He served as head coach of the United States men's junior team at five IIHF World U20 Championships, and the United States men's team at fou ...

(1978–1984) Chief medical officers *

George Nagobads Visvaldis George Nagobads (born November 18, 1921) is an American physician. He was born in Latvia, earned a medical degree from the University of Tübingen in Germany, then emigrated to the United States in 1951. He served 34 years as the team ...

(1984 to 1992)

Hall of fame

Structure

Playing levels

Until 2016, USA Hockey used division names such as Mite, Squirt, and Pewee in their youth levels and to indicate the age level of the players. Starting with the 2016–17 season, USA Hockey started using divisions labeled with the oldest age in the group.

Districts

USA Hockey has divided its control into geographical youth districts as follows: ;Atlantic *Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware ;Central *Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Michigan ;Mid-American *Ohio, Indiana, Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky ;Minnesota ;New England *Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire ;New York ;Northern Plains *Montana, North Dakot, South Dakota, Wyoming ;Pacific *California, Hawaii, Nevada, Alaska, Oregon, Washington ;Rocky Mountain *Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, New Mexico ;Southeastern *Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland

National teams

* Men's national team * Men's U20 national team * Men's U18 national team * Women's national team * Women's U18 national team * National inline hockey team * National sledge hockey team

National Team Development Program

USA Hockey also operates the National Team Development Program, based in

Plymouth, Michigan Plymouth is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. The population was 9,370 at the 2020 census. The city of Plymouth is surrounded by Plymouth Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Plymouth is a western suburb of Metro ...

. The program's goal is to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. national teams and continued success throughout their future hockey careers. The NTDP consists of two teams; the U.S. National Under-18 Team, and the U.S. National Under-17 Team. The teams compete in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

in addition to playing

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

colleges and in International competition. Until 2009, the NTDP competed in the North American Hockey League. Numerous NTDP alumni have gone on to play in the NHL. In the 2012–13 season, 60 former NTDP players suited up for NHL teams. In the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, six first-round selections (including no. 1 pick

Erik Johnson Erik Robert Johnson (born March 21, 1988) is an American ice hockey defenseman for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed the "Condor", Johnson previously played for the St. Louis Blues, who selected him with the f ...

) were former members of the NTDP. In 2007, four NTDP members were selected in the first round, with Patrick Kane and

James van Riemsdyk James van Riemsdyk ( ; born May 4, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Between 2012 and 2018, he played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Van Riemsdyk w ...

going 1st and 2nd overall respectively. Through 2013, some 228 NTDP players had been selected in the NHL Entry Draft. The NTDP plays home games at

USA Hockey Arena The USA Hockey Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Plymouth Township, Michigan, opened in 1996. Originally known as the Compuware Sports Arena, its name was shortened to Compuware Arena on September 11, 2007, to better market the venue for non-spo ...

International participation by year

;2017 ;2018 ;2019 ;2020

Chipotle-USA Hockey Nationals

USA Hockey has conducted the country’s ice hockey national championship tournaments since 1938, with teams from all across the United States crowned champions across various classifications. The 2022 Chipotle-USA Hockey National Championships crowned champions at 25 different classifications, across nine different host sites across the country. Champions represented 17 different states. The High School Division, for example, had three champions.

Shattuck-St. Mary's Shattuck-St. Mary's (also known as Shattuck-St. Mary's School, Shattuck, or simply SSM) is a Mixed-sex education, coeducational Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal-affiliated boarding school in Faribault, Minnesota, United States. Est ...

(MN) won the Division I title; Denver East (CO) won the Division II title; and Team Texas won the Girls title. Minnesota high school AA and A hockey teams are not associated with USA Hockey and therefore are not eligible to compete in the USA Hockey Nationals. However, Minnesota's Junior Gold teams as well as AA and AAA teams are eligible for the tournament.

References

External links

USA Hockey
website
U.S. Hockey Hall of FameUnited States Hockey Hall of Fame MuseumPatty Kazmaier Memorial AwardUSA Hockey official publication
{{Authority control 1937 establishments in the United States International Ice Hockey Federation members Organizations based in Ann Arbor, Michigan Organizations based in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

Sports in Colorado Springs, Colorado Sports organizations established in 1937