Player's Guide to Ontario Hockey Federation U18 Hockey 2026-27

From the OHF Playing Regulations (Regulation E):

• One team: you cannot be registered with a second hockey team in the same season unless you were released from your first registration under the regulations, or an OHF or Member regulation or policy specifically permits it. Registering with a second team where this is not allowed results in your immediate suspension (E4).
• Signed release: a release is valid only if signed by the official signing officer(s) of the team, club, centre or association you are registered with (E30).
• Fees and equipment: if you owe money or items such as equipment, you will not be given a release for any reason until you pay your outstanding obligations to the previous team or club (E29).
• Deadline: a player released after January 10 of the current season is ineligible to register with any other team that season, except for matters under appeal to a Member or the OHF for divisions and categories that do not take part in a Regional or National Championship (E31).
• In-season moves: the OHF Player Movement FAQs say players need a release to move during the season, and a release to a higher category can make sense between Associations.
• Registration closes: the final date to register players in the season is February 10, or earlier if a Member declares it (E14).
• Residency: a minor hockey release is unconditional, but you must meet Hockey Canada residential requirements to take part outside the OHF (E34).

Yes. The OHF Player Movement FAQs (written for the 2025-2026 season, applying to competitive levels U10 to U18) say:

• Players can attend tryouts at different Associations. An Association can restrict who from outside can attend its programming but cannot restrict a player from leaving.
• You must be registered for player evaluations (directly with the Association or through the Member) to attend and to be offered a spot. You can register with every Association whose evaluations you want to attend, and there is no minimum or maximum number of evaluations before a team can make offers.
• You can choose which level you try out for, including going straight to A tryouts instead of AA within the same centre.
• Each team that offers you a spot can set how long you have to accept; there is no minimum or maximum time.
• Permission to Skate forms still apply for Minor to Junior, but no permission to skate is required within Minor Hockey.
• If you owe outstanding fees or equipment recorded in the Hockey Canada Registry (HCR), you cannot take part in player evaluations until that is settled.
• Players at U14 and above remain registered with their previous season team until released as of 12:00:01 am on April 21.
• Player evaluations can be advertised from February 15, and registration for evaluations opens April 2.

Players resident in the OHF are required to attend player evaluations and play within the OHF (Playing Regulation E20), unless otherwise provided.

Affiliation lets you play as an affiliate player (AP) with a team in a higher division or category. For minor hockey at U18 AA and below, OHF Playing Regulations D18 to D25 say:

• Who you can affiliate to: teams can affiliate players registered at lower categories in the same division or in a lower division at the same or lower category. Where teams play in mixed-age divisions (for example U15 including U14), affiliates come from lower categories in the same division.
• Permission: you need the approval of your registered team or Minor Hockey Association, both to be selected as an affiliate and to play in a game as one. Written consent from both teams is filed with the Member Executive Director, and you cannot play for the selecting team until your registration is endorsed as an affiliate.
• One list only: you cannot be on more than one affiliate players' list in a category at the same time during the season.
• Game limit: you can affiliate for a maximum of 10 games with any specific team, with permission of your registered team. If your registered team finishes its regular season and playoffs before the affiliated team does, you can affiliate an unlimited number of times after that.
• Game sheet: affiliate players are marked "AP" after their name on the official game report.
• End of season: all affiliations end when the season ends.

According to the OHF Player Movement FAQs (written for the 2025-2026 season), tampering means directly or indirectly inviting a player to take part in any activity that leads to being considered for a team they are not registered with, for example skating with another Association while still registered.

• A player registered to a team may not be communicated with by other teams without the permission of the registered team. Communication without permission is tampering.
• Coaches can contact players on the first day of their category's player evaluations, and Associations can announce coaching staff from February 15.
• Birthday skates or end-of-season skates can be tampering when held outside your registered team if the invitation stems from consideration or intent to offer you a spot on a team you are not registered for.
• Consequences listed by the OHF include ineligibility of the player to take part with the Association, coach suspensions of up to three years, and fines for Minor Hockey Associations.
• Paying participants is not allowed in minor hockey.

Tampering is covered by OHF Playing Regulation H.

The 2026-2027 OHF Minimum Suspension List for Minor Hockey sets minimum suspensions for exhibition, league and playoff games. They are on top of any penalty under Hockey Canada rules, and more can be imposed. Each team manager or coach must make sure players sit out their suspensions. Some examples (games):

• Fighting (rule 7.10 (b)): 1st offence 2, 2nd 3, 3rd 5, 4th indefinite (subject to a hearing).
• Instigator or aggressor of a fight (7.11 (a)): 1st 1, 2nd 3, 3rd indefinite.
• Second misconduct in the same game (4.7 (c)): 2.
• Checking from behind, minor plus game misconduct (7.5 (a)): 2.
• Majors plus game misconduct (for example boarding, body checking, charging, head contact, kneeing, roughing, cross checking, slashing): these accumulate over the season. The 1st is 2 or 3 games depending on the infraction, the 2nd is 4, the 3rd is 6 and the 4th is indefinite.
• Match penalties (for example attempt to injure, kicking, spearing, slashing): the 1st is 4 games (5 for checking from behind and head contact), and a 3rd is indefinite.
• Disrespectful and abusive behaviour, game misconduct (11.2 (e)): 3 for the 1st.
• Physical harassment of an official, match penalty (11.5 (c)): indefinite.

Indefinite suspensions are decided at a hearing, and the Member sets the number of games, which cannot be lower than the minimum stated on the list for that infraction (4 or 5 games).

From the OHF Playing Regulations (Regulation I):

• Extra discipline: the minimum suspensions are minimums. Members, the OHF Board or the OHF Chair of the Board can impose supplemental discipline on top wherever conditions and circumstances warrant, including suspension from all Hockey Canada sanctioned activities for the length of the suspension.
• Affiliate games: if you are suspended while playing as an affiliate player, the incident must be reported to the Member you are registered with, with a copy of the official game report, within 48 hours. You serve the suspension with the team you are registered with, and you cannot play for the affiliate team until it is served.
• Season end: if your suspension runs past the last game of the season, you can still take part in player evaluations the next season. The rest of it is served at the start of the regular season with the team you register with.
• Outside the OHF: a suspension received at an event outside OHF jurisdiction (for example in the USA or outside your Member) must be served in your team's remaining games at that event, even if longer than the OHF minimum. On return you cannot play until your Member rules on your eligibility.
• Unsanctioned events: a registered minor hockey player who plays in a game, tournament or camp not sanctioned by the OHF or a Member (other than those run by recognized academic institutions or native people organizations) that interferes with the OHF team's regular season or playoff schedule is immediately suspended for one year.

Under Ontario's Rowan's Law (Concussion Safety), 2018, the OHF must have a Concussion Code of Conduct. Before you can register or take part in the OHF you must review the OHF Concussion Code of Conduct and the Ontario Government's Concussion Awareness Resource for your age group, and you must do this every year. For a U18 player that is the "Ages 15 and up" resource at www.ontario.ca/concussions.

The OHF acknowledgement form is a receipt of that review. If you are under 18, a parent must also sign it. The signed form is submitted to the Minor Hockey Association you register with.

In the code you commit to:

• report any possible concussion you have, and any you suspect in someone else, to a designated person;
• share information about a removal from sport with your school and other sport organizations you are registered with;
• accept that a player with a suspected concussion is removed from sport and cannot return to training, practice or games until assessed by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner and medically cleared.

Sources: OHF Rowan's Law Acknowledgement Form and OHF Concussion Code of Conduct (the appendix is dated 2020-2021, the latest version on the OHF site).

The OHF Players Code of Conduct (approved 2025-11-29) applies to every player who is a registered participant of the OHF. During all OHF activities you must:

• Conduct yourself in a fair and responsible way and avoid comments or behaviour that are disrespectful, offensive, abusive, racist or sexist. The OHF will not tolerate harassment, abuse or bullying.
• Avoid behaviour that brings the OHF, its Members or hockey into disrepute, including abusive use of alcohol and non-medical use of drugs.
• Not use unlawful performance enhancing drugs or methods, and not do anything that endangers the safety of others.
• Follow Hockey Canada, OHF and Member policies, procedures and competition rules.
• Behave respectfully in all arenas and facilities: treat staff, officials, players, parents and spectators respectfully, avoid disruptive, aggressive or unsafe behaviour, leave the facility in good condition and follow facility rules (for example the OHF Music Policy and permitted arrival times for ice times).

Breaking the code can lead to discipline, including loss or suspension of privileges, the opportunity to take part in OHF and Member activities, and removal or a ban from an arena, games, practices and other team activities.