Is body checking allowed at 10U?

No. Body checking is prohibited at 12U and below and in every girls' and women's classification. These are USA Hockey's Competitive Contact levels.

What's penalized:

• A body check (deliberately using hip, shoulder, forearm or torso to separate an opponent from the puck with no effort to play it): minor penalty.
• A body check that recklessly endangers an opponent: major plus game misconduct, and a match penalty is possible.

What's still allowed (competitive contact):

• Angling: steering the puck carrier toward the boards to close the gap.
• Physical engagement: two players leaning into each other while both are going for the puck.
• Collisions when a player holds their established position. No one has to move out of an oncoming player's way.

Competitive contact doesn't mean "no contact." USA Hockey encourages it at every age to build the skills that lead to body checking, which starts at Youth 14U.