Uncertainty is the best word to describe minor hockey in Ontario before the 2025-26 season kicked off a few weeks ago, thanks to new player movement rules implemented by the Ontario Hockey Federation.
Rep players from the U10 to U18 age groups are no longer restricted by their place of residence when choosing a hockey association. In other words, they can now try out for or play with any association within the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF), regardless of where they live.
Stratford Minor Hockey President Matt Smyth said the changes were new for everyone, and the association was careful not to let in too many out-of-town players to put developing local players ahead of potentially adding more wins.
“We set restrictions on how many out of Stratford and the immediate area for kids that we took this year. It was graduated based on age level, so as age levels increased, the number of available players we consider non-residents would increase as well.”
Smyth mentioned a few players from Tavistock are playing in the Festival City this season, something made much easier since the Ontario Minor Hockey Association no longer needs to release a player to enter a different association, including Alliance Hockey centres like Stratford.
The SMHA did ice one additional team this season over last, but Smyth explained growth isn’t something on the radar.
“We are limited by the amount of ice we’re able to field teams with. The more teams we try to add means the more ice we take away from current teams and ultimately provide a lesser product. There’s a balance there we have to keep in mind,” he explained.
Smyth said one of the advantages of the new player movement regulation is a reduction in the politics of minor hockey, particularly between rival associations.
“It’s now left up to the player and their parents to decide where the best fit is, which ultimately is what should have been done all along.”
He added parents don’t necessarily have to drive as far to find a competitive on-ice product.
Smyth doesn’t have any children — something uncommon in minor hockey, where most volunteers are parents with kids playing in the association they serve. He said the goal of the SMHA is to grow players to be the best they can be.
“We want to provide the best product and value we can for our players with an emphasis on development. We don’t have a mandate to have the most wins. If we did that, we would try to take every single out-of-town kid we could if they are better than the locals.”
While Smyth backs most of the new OHF rules and regulations, he wasn’t a big fan of being forced to have spring tryouts for Stratford’s U18 team, a process normally done in the fall.
“We are in an area where there are a lot of junior programs. We found it difficult to commit to U18 players only to potentially lose them, which we did. We lost five or six players to junior teams this fall, then we were scrambling to fill the open roster positions.”
He added it has been a year of learning and transition, but he commends the job Alliance Hockey and the OHF did in listening to local feedback on the changes.
The SMHA is also holding its annual Silver Stick tournament from Nov. 7 to 9, featuring age groups from U10 up to U18. Smith said all eight divisions are full, meaning 64 teams will be participating.
