Earlier this year, the NYHL announced the introduction of an Elite Division for the U8 and U9 age groups. The league is looking forward to the competitive balance these divisions will bring to the tiering structure of these age groups and help to properly facilitate the growth and development for players of varying skill levels.

Registration and Fees

Registration for teams who wish to participate in the Elite Division is now open and will close on August 15^th. Teams must alert their club association of their interest and their Club Contact will register their team with the league on their behalf.

All teams who register for the Elite Division must participate in an Evaluation Period. The Evaluation Period will take place at Downsview Arena in September. More information will be released after registration closes.

Team Registration Fees will be required prior to participation in the Evaluation Period. The Team Registration Fee for U8 and U9 in the 2025-2026 season is $1600.00 and is to be paid by August 22^nd.

There will be an additional fee for participating teams in the Evaluation Period that will be between $1000.00 and $1400.00 depending on the number of teams entered. This fee is due to be paid by September 5^th.

Evaluation Period

The objective of the Evaluation Period is to gauge the competitive level between participating teams in order to achieve a competitive balance for the division.

Placement into the Elite Division will be dependent on the team’s evaluation during this period. If a team is determined to not meet the competitive standards of the division, as decided by the NYHL’s Tiering Committee, they will be subject to standard Fall Season tiering.

The format and schedule will be dependent on the number of registered teams and will be released at a later date.

All teams who register for the Elite Divisions are required to register with the North York Hockey League to participate in the 2025-2026 season regardless of the results of their Evaluation.

Elite Division In-Season Format

There will be a 4-team minimum for each Elite Division. The league is targeting a 10-team maximum but is willing to add more teams at it’s discretion.

Teams participating in the Elite Divisions will require a mandatory minimum of 13 rostered players, a breakdown of 12 skaters and 1 goalie. There will be no exceptions.

There will be no re-tiering of the Elite Division teams. Teams will not be dropped down from the Elite Division to a lower tier mid-season. A lower tier team may be considered to join the Elite Division mid-season at the discretion of the NYHL’s Tiering Committee.

There will be an opt-out deadline for team’s who wish to not participate in the Elite Division despite being invited after evaluations. Teams who opt out will be subject to standard Fall Season tiering. This date will be released with the Evaluation Period schedule.

All participating teams are required to follow NYHL Rules and Regulations, including house league participation.

U8 will be playing on modified ice for the entirety of the season and U9 will play on modified ice until the OHF set date to transition to full ice. In-season game times will be 18 x 18 stop-time for modified ice and 12-12-12 stop-time for full ice.

Further information will be forthcoming once registration closes. Please direct any questions or inquiries to your designated Select Club Contact and stay connected at www.nyhl.on.ca or follow the NYHL on Instagram.