With the official countdown to puck drop over and the regular season now underway, we wanted to share why we’re so excited for this season and for you to be a part of it.
Despite reports to the contrary, hockey registration continues to grow as we have seen steady growth over the past three seasons. This puts us right back at pre-pandemic registration numbers.
Players are also coming back, driven by the positive experiences they've had.
Over 5,000 respondents participated in our Player Experience Survey at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season with almost equal representation from Representative and Recreational participants. The top three rated areas were:
1. FUN - Players are looking forward to being at the rink with their team and playing hockey.
2. SAFETY - Parents trust that their kids will be safe while participating.
3. RESPECT - Players feel included and appreciated in the sport.
Along with Fair Play, Coaching/Skill Development and Meaningful Competition – every aspect of the game that we asked about was given at least a 3.5 out of 5 rating.
Ontario Minor Hockey continues to lead the way in player registration as the largest minor hockey association in the world. This number has steadily increased year over year coming out of the pandemic, and it makes up just under half of all participants in Ontario. When you add bench staff, our participant numbers climb to nearly 100,000.
99,000+ PLAYERS & BENCH STAFF
Largest Minor Hockey Association in the World!
Our survey also delved into where hockey fits into the overall mix of activities for our participants. For over 60% of Players at the Representative level, hockey is their primary activity while just below 50% of Recreational players list hockey as their primary activity.
Recreational players list hockey as one of many activities or a secondary activity more so than Representative players.
For both Representative and Recreational players, more than 50% state hockey is their primary activity at age 13 and older.
With an 87% retention rate from 2021 to 2022, the OMHA again topped all minor hockey organizations in Ontario. At least 93% of players came back during their U9 to U13 years, with a peak during their U11 season. This five-year period is one in which we as community sports leaders have an opportunity to develop skillsets both on and off the ice. This is the next group of minor hockey coaches, volunteers and administrators.
This tells us that once players fall in love with the game at a young age, they stay with it.
From our survey, Coaching continues to have the single biggest impact on player experience and player retention. Coach selection and player evaluation process were identified as areas for improvement at the Association level.
Player registration is growing at the youngest ages, showing a sport that maintains a foothold in our communities. Families continue to put their kids into hockey, often to mirror the same positive experience they had. We all need to work together to keep that connection strong for the next generations of hockey players to come.
MYTH: Hockey registration is on the decline.
WRONG.
FACT: Registration is growing at the game's youngest ages!
Another positive area of growth - On-Ice Officials. Just like our participants, our game officials have seen growth every season since the pandemic. This is a situation where younger officials had opportunities as older officials chose not to return.
This, however, is a delicate balance. As much as there is clearly an appetite to officiate, we need to remember to be respectful in our words and actions towards our referee crews if we want to attract and retain this group. That’s one of the reasons why the Green Arm Band initiative was introduced for this season and why #NoRefNoGame resonates so strongly.
Player movement is another topic that we asked about in our survey. Over 86% of respondents believe all players should have access to AA and A Representative hockey.
We also received feedback regarding two key aspects of the Seasonal Structure & Calendar. The first was that families over the course of a long season still value family-time with the request for seasonal breaks at Christmas, Family Day and March Break.
Competitive balance and meaningful competition were also noted as important elements and could mean the difference between a good or poor experience. Interestingly this was not about winning but rather about being competitive. Feedback included examples of where the competitive mix was strong and others where the suggested solution was to move teams early in the season if they were not competitive.
Participant numbers and the interest from our membership tell us that people are engaged and care about our game. The OMHA and minor hockey continue to grow and rebound from the pandemic and in a very competitive marketplace, hockey remains strong. Together, we will continue to guide and drive our sport forward.
PARENTS, LET'S REMEMBER: #HockeyIsFun
WHAT ELSE IS IN STORE FOR 2024-25?
This season, we will continue to highlight the importance of our volunteers – the lifeblood of minor hockey. With programs like Team of the Month, Coach of the Month and Volunteer of the Month, we are always thrilled with the number of stories we receive and where we can see the impact that these leaders are making in our game at every level.
We look forward to supporting teams through team sponsorship programs, as well as upcoming details on Player of the Game and partner discount offers for hockey families that will soon be announced.
For the Hockey Moms and Hockey Dads, stay connected with us as we share tips on everything from tournaments to nutrition to teamwork. Follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, Youtube and LinkedIn!
To our bench staff, keep an eye on our Drill of the Week series, podcast and other resources to bring back to your teams.
Just like our player registration numbers, let’s keep growing together this season. Growing as a game, growing in our communities, growing our skillsets and helping our players grow as people. Thank you for making hockey the sport of choice for your family. Can’t wait to see you at the rink!
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