Knights Hockey

For those players who have mastered the skating and fundamental hockey skills taught in our Pre-Hockey programs, St. Jude offers competitive youth teams that compete in either the Northern Illinois Hockey League (NIHL) & Central States Developmental Hockey League (CSDHL) for squirt through bantam level teams and the Chicago United Hockey League (CUHL) for mite level teams (see Jr. Knights program tab for details). St. Jude youth teams are open to both boys and girls and compete at the mite (2016-2018 birth years) through midget (2008 and 2009 birth years) age levels.

Players time commitment is expected to be 3-5 hours per week (practices and games). Home games are played at Southwest Ice Arena and Oak Lawn Arena. Away games are played at other area rinks in the Chicagoland area. NIHL hockey features 5 possible levels of play within NIHL: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Elite and Premier Select. CSDHL teams will compete in the PeeWee Minor division (2013). Players selected to teams will be placed on the appropriate level depending on the skills demonstrated during tryouts. 

Midget team(s) will compete in NIHL with games at SIA, Oak Lawn or Morgan Park and will have limited practice ice. No scheduled/planned team tournaments at this time.

All first year Bantam players (2011's) MUST attend at least two checking clinics before they begin game play in the 2024-2025 season. Players that attended checking clinics in the spring of 2024 or fall of 2023 are not required to attend these sessions again, but encouraged to ensure a strong understanding of the checking process.

Checking clinics are run by St. Jude travel hockey coaches along with additional St. Jude instructors.

Checking Clinics will feature the following concepts:

• Proper balance and stance in order to receive a check and give a check
• Use of the boards to brace yourself when being checked
• Proper angles to use when checking

Proper technique to give and receive check:

• Hand and stick down!
• Keeping your head up and not ducking of leaning into the boards  

It is mandatory that players at this level participate in at least two hours of checking clinic (2 of our 3 on ice sessions). This will ensure that players are prepared to both receive and deliver a check on the ice. All sessions are at SIA

Sept. 7th - 11:30-12:30pm

Sept 14th - 10:20-11:20am

Sept 15th - 10:30-11:30am

***Only Bantam and Peewee players can attend checking clinic******

Cost of the clinic is $50