Hockey New Brunswick announces changes to U13 AAA Structure

Hockey New Brunswick has announced changes to the U13 AAA league structure, which will launch in the 2021-2022 hockey season.

Over the past two years extensive research was completed on the U13 AAA structure, that included a parent survey, interviews with coaches and a review of the number of U13 AAA teams in New Brunswick compared to other Atlantic Provinces.

Based on the research that was completed, a decision has been made to reduce the current number of teams from 18 teams in New Brunswick to 13 teams. The previous U13 AAA structure had 5 teams in EDZA West, 5 teams in EDZA East, 4 teams in EDZA South and 4 teams in EDZA North. The new structure will have 4 teams in EDZA West, 4 teams in EDZA East, 3 teams in EDZA South and 2 teams in EDZA North. The location of the teams will be determined by the respective EDZA’s.

The overwhelming consensus during the consultations was that U13 AAA players should be playing against other U13 AAA players of a similar skillset. By establishing a 13-team league, we can ensure players are playing where they should be playing, as well alignment with Hockey Canada’s Long Term Player Development Model.

Each team will play a 30-game schedule – that’s weighted with more games against teams from the same Zone, to reduce the amount of travel. A complete breakdown is provided below:

Player boundaries are outlined in the Elite Hockey Commission Constitution.

For more information, contact Mike Gillingham

Mike Gillingham
Hockey New Brunswick, Technical Director
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