Parent's Guide to Hockey Canada U9 Hockey 2026-27

No. Hockey Canada's U9 pathway says no score or standings are kept, and game sheets are optional. There are no playoffs in U9 hockey.

Tournaments are in jamboree or festival format. In a jamboree, players come together and are placed onto teams, and games may or may not be competitive, with the emphasis on fun. In a festival, teams come together for games and fun activities, and games may be competitive but no standings are kept.

Hockey Canada Playing Rules are followed except as stated in the U9 pathway. The main differences:

• 4-on-4 plus a goaltender in full goalie equipment.
• Two periods on a run-time clock, not to exceed 60 minutes total, with face-offs to start each half.
• No offside and no icing.
• Continuous play: after a whistle that changes possession (or the goaltender freezing the puck), the attackers back off three metres and play resumes once the other team has the puck. If a puck is shot out of play, the offending team backs off three metres and the other team gets a new puck.
• Line changes on the fly at a timed buzzer or whistle. Players must give up the puck immediately and leave the ice, and new players enter immediately.
• Shifts do not exceed two minutes.
• No body-checking (incidental contact may happen).
• Penalties are called. Minor penalties are noted, the offending player sits out the next shift, and the team plays at even strength (no power plays). A player who would normally be ejected is removed for the rest of that game, and the team still does not play shorthanded.

Yes, that is what Hockey Canada's U9 pathway recommends.

• Positional rotation: all players play all positions (forward, defence and goaltender).
• Goaltenders: there are no full-time goaltenders. All players should get a chance to play goal, in full goaltender equipment, before any player who wants a second chance plays again.
• Each team dresses two goaltenders, one for each half-ice game, and goaltenders wear full goaltending equipment in games.
• Basic positional play can be introduced at the end of the season or before the start of the U11 regular season.

Hockey Canada's reason: focusing on a single position at this age may limit the chance to practise skills in all areas.

Fair and equal. Hockey Canada's U9 pathway says all players should have the same opportunity to contribute, regardless of skill or ability, and that a coach's responsibility is to develop all players.

• Shortening the bench to win games is not permitted.
• All players and goaltenders should receive fair, and as close to equal as possible, ice time.
• Shifts are timed by buzzer or whistle and do not exceed two minutes (60 seconds is the recommendation).
• Teams with fewer players double-shift so four skaters are always on the ice, and coaches must make sure all players take turns double-shifting.
• All players should get a chance to start the game or start the second half, if numbers allow.

• Puck: either a blue puck (4 oz) or a regular black puck (6 oz) is acceptable. A blue puck is not required. Hockey Canada says it suits the height and weight of young players and can promote proper mechanics in shooting, passing and carrying the puck.
• Nets: smaller nets are not required. With goaltenders in full equipment, 3x4 nets are recommended, and 2x3 and 4x6 nets are also acceptable.
• Crease: no crease needs to be drawn. Each net is placed just inside the centre-ice circle, which gives the goaltender a small marking for positioning (a crease may be drawn if there is no circle).

Hockey Canada has a national policy that all U9 hockey is played in smaller, modified spaces. Its U9 Player Pathway gives these reasons:

• Players get about 3 times as many puck touches, 2.5 times as many pass attempts and completions, and 4 times as many shots on goal.
• There are about 4 times as many puck battles and recoveries, and about 2 times as much ice time, with less waiting on the bench.
• The emphasis is on skating skills, agility, balance, coordination and the fundamentals of skating, puck control, passing and shooting.
• Putting young players into a competitive environment too early compromises their development, so Hockey Canada asks parents to trust its research.

Offside, icing and positional play are introduced later, when players move to the full-ice model at U11.

Hockey Canada's U9 pathway sets these rules for player evaluation and selection:

• None in the off-season (March through August).
• None before the first week of school, or during the first week if school starts the week after Labour Day.
• Where school starts before Labour Day, there must be four skates or practices starting the week after Labour Day before evaluation begins.
• At least four practices or skill sessions must be offered before formal evaluation starts.
• At least three formal evaluation sessions. The recommended mix is one skills session, one small-area games session and one half-ice game.
• A period of development time must follow selection, before the regular season.

Players are grouped with like-ability players for maximum growth, and players should not be cut.

Hockey Canada's U9 pathway describes a season in phases, with some dates fixed and the game and practice numbers as recommendations:

• Preparation/evaluation: up to 4 weeks.
• Development: up to 8 weeks, with practice focused on skating, shooting, passing, puck control, agility, balance and coordination.
• Regular season: up to 16 weeks (14 if the players transition to full ice). The ideal practice-to-game ratio is 2 practices to 1 game, with a recommended maximum of 40 games in total (exhibition, league, and tournament, jamboree or festival games).
• Breaks: two seasonal breaks (not counting Christmas or long weekends), each at least five days with no scheduled game or mandatory practice.
• End of season: up to 4 weeks (6 if transitioning), in jamboree or festival format. There are no playoffs in U9 hockey.

Hockey Canada recommends 18 players per team (four lines and two goaltenders), and says players should not be cut.

U9 half-ice games need a minimum of one official per game. U9 is not part of the Hockey Canada Officiating Program (HCOP) system, so associations can use developing officials in a one-official system.

• Whether officials must be fully registered is at the discretion of the Hockey Canada Member (the provincial or territorial body).
• If a Member has officials work the games, they wear at least an officiating jersey with the Member crest, black pants and a black CSA-approved helmet with a CSA-approved half visor.
• A mentor or shadow on the ice with an official does not need the officiating uniform (a Member tracksuit is fine) but still wears a black CSA-approved helmet with a CSA-approved half visor.
• When a puck goes out of play, the official keeps spare pucks in a pocket and gives a new puck to the non-offending team so play restarts quickly.

Hockey Canada's U9 Player Pathway says head coaches of U9 teams require:

1. Hockey Canada Learning Lab - Coach 1 (the NCCP Coach 1 - Intro to Coach clinic, designed for coaches of under-9 players). Certification is not required at Coach 1: a coach can stay "Trained" indefinitely.
2. The Shift Forward or Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders, as set by the coach's Provincial / Territorial Member.
3. Additional qualifications where a Provincial / Territorial Member requires them.

Coaches also get 32 U9 lesson plans free through the Hockey Canada Network app, and free ice-session plans through Drill Hub.