Kids' Hockey

October 14, 2004 4:22 PM

Hello, my name is Orange Swan, I'm a Canadian, and [takes deep breath] I don't know very much about hockey. Kids' hockey teams have levels, and the levels seem to be Novice, Atom, PeeWee, Bantam, and Midget. Does anyone know the age range breakdown for each of these levels?
posted by orange swan to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (6 answers total)

It varies depending on local rules. My city had Tyke which was 4-9 years old, but that is sometimes called Initiation or Tim-Bits (because of Tim Hortons' massive sponsorship). The breakdown is usually as follows:

Novice: Under 9 years old
Atom: Under 11 years old
Peewee: Under 13 years old
Bantam: Under 15 years old
Midget: Under 18 years old

Some cities also have "Juvenile" leagues for people over 18.
posted by mrgavins at 5:39 PM on October 14, 2004

There's this pdf file from hockeycanada.ca. It says atom is 9-10 and "atom and pee wee" is 9-12. I guess novice is 13-14? I always thought midget was the step below junior A (St. Mike's Majors, Oshawa Generals 17/18 - 20), so 15-16? This page lists novice/atom etc in what appears to be age-related chronological order - and the order your presented them.
IANAHP.
On preview, see mrgavins comment.
posted by philfromhavelock at 5:43 PM on October 14, 2004

I totally read that next-to-last one as "Batman". Visions of kids clumsily trying to skate around in capes ensued.
posted by jjg at 6:26 PM on October 14, 2004

Response by poster: Hmm, thanks. If it helps, I'd be looking for regulations applying to a hypothetical small town a couple of hours north of Toronto.
posted by orange swan at 7:06 PM on October 14, 2004

Well, this page is from a team that plays in the Greater Toronto Hockey League and it's age group table is fairly similar to the one in my previous post. If you specified the city I could possibly find more detail.
posted by mrgavins at 10:29 PM on October 14, 2004

I'd be looking for regulations applying to a hypothetical small town a couple of hours north of Toronto.

Gravenhurst Minor Hockey Association Operations Manual (pdf) - Gravenhurst is a small town about 1.5 hours north of Toronto.

Page 8 has the age group breakdown for this year:

DIVISION AGE GROUP (as at December 31)
Tyke - Born in 1996 or subsequent years
Novice - Born in 1995 or subsequent years
Atom - Born in 1993 or subsequent years
Peewee - Born in 1992 or subsequent years
Bantam - Born in 1990 or subsequent years
Midget - Born in 1987 or subsequent years
Juvenile - Born in 1984 or subsequent years
posted by Mahogne at 6:10 AM on October 15, 2004