Hockey New Brunswick outlines changes to Elite Hockey structure

Following the Hockey New Brunswick Annual General Meeting that was held June 7 - 8, changes to the structure of AAA programs have been announced.

U13 AAA: Moving forward, each U13 AAA team will only be permitted to roster five (5) players in their first year of U13 eligibility (2013 birth years for the 2024-25 season). This change was made to keep more second-year players in the high-performance pathway, providing them the opportunity to continue in the high-performance pathway moving forward to U14 AAA. 

U14 AAA: Previously known as U15 Minor or U15 AAA, this name change is made to reflect the true age bracket that is now in place. U14 AAA teams within the province will only be permitted to roster players in their first year of U15 eligibility (2011 birth years for the 2024-25 season). This change will provide more opportunity for first-year players to continue in the high-performance pathway within the province and continue their development playing against elite competition.

U15 AAA: Hockey New Brunswick has awarded the six U15 franchises to operate within the province. As outlined in the Press Release on April 29, each franchise will operate under a board structure and within specific boundaries. This change will provide an increase in consistency from a hockey operations perspective and provide the opportunity for an enhanced development experience for our players. Hockey New Brunswick will maintain oversight over each franchise with quality assessments completed on a three-year cycle.

Player boundaries: in the U13 and U15 divisions, players from Kent Centre will be able to choose between the North or East draw zone. Once the area is chosen, the player must stay with that area for the duration that the player is in that division.

Female: Hockey New Brunswick has created a female elite hockey committee that will over see a new U13 AAA division within the province and the existing U15 AAA teams. The U18 AAA female teams in the province will continue to operate as franchises. This change allows for more specific oversight as it relates to the growth and development of female hockey in the province.

For more information, please contact:

Brogan Bailey
Director, High Performance & Events
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