USA Hockey

History

The Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) was founded on October 29, 1937, in New York City by Tommy Lockhart. When he first started operating AHAUS, the paperwork fit into a shoebox in his apartment. The need for a national governing body for hockey came from the desire to efficiently manage the growing game of ice hockey, rather than having several different groups which included the Amateur Athletic Union.

In September 1938, Lockhart reached signed an agreement with W. G. Hardy of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) which regulated international games in North America, set out provisions for transfer of players between the organizations, and recognized of each other's authority. In 1940, he led AHAUS into a union with the CAHA by establishing the International Ice Hockey Association, and served as its vice-president. AHAUS was admitted as a member of the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace in 1947, being recognized as the international governing body of hockey in the United States instead of the Amateur Athletic Union which was previously recognized by the IIHF.

Lockhart established the first national ice hockey tournaments for pre-high school boys in 1949. He announced the establishment of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame on May 19, 1968, to be located in the town of Eveleth, Minnesota. Lockhart was succeeded as president by William Thayer Tutt in 1972.

Executive personnel

Presidents

• Tommy Lockhart (1937–1972)
• William Thayer Tutt (1972–1986)
• Walter Bush (1986–2003)
• Ron DeGregorio (2003–2015)
• Jim Smith (2015–2021)
• Mike Trimboli (2021–present) Executive directors
• Hal Trumble (1972–1987)
• Bob Johnson (1987–1990)
• Baaron Pittenger (1990–1993)
• Dave Ogrean (1993–1999)
• Doug Palazzari (1999–2005)
• Dave Ogrean (2005–2017)
• Pat Kelleher (2017–present) Director of hockey operations
• Jim Johannson (2000–2018) Coaching directors
• Ken Johannson (1970–1978)
• Lou Vairo (1978–1984)
• Dave Peterson (c. 1980s–1997) Chief medical officers
• George Nagobads (1984 to 1992)
• Michael Stuart (c. 2000s)

Hall of fame

Main article: United States Hockey Hall of Fame

Structure

Playing levels

Until 2016, USA Hockey used division names such as Mite, Squirt, and Peewee in their youth levels and to indicate the age level of the players. Starting with the 2016–17 season, USA Hockey started using divisions labeled with the oldest age in the group.

Districts

USA Hockey has divided its control into geographical youth districts as follows:

;Atlantic

• Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware ;Central
• Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska ;Massachusetts ;Michigan ;Mid-American
• Ohio, Indiana, Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky ;Minnesota ;New England
• Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire ;New York ;Northern Plains
• Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming ;Pacific
• California, Hawaii, Nevada, Alaska, Oregon, Washington ;Rocky Mountain
• Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, New Mexico ;Southeastern
• Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland

National teams

• Men's national team
• Men's U20 national team
• Men's U18 national team
• Women's national team
• Women's U18 national team
• National inline hockey team
• National sledge hockey team

National Team Development Program

Main article: USA Hockey National Team Development Program

USA Hockey also operates the National Team Development Program (NTDP), based in Plymouth, Michigan. The program's goal is to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. national teams and continued success throughout their future hockey careers. The NTDP consists of two teams; the U.S. National Under-18 Team, and the U.S. National Under-17 Team. The teams compete in the United States Hockey League in addition to playing NCAA colleges and in International competition. Until 2009, the NTDP competed in the North American Hockey League. Numerous NTDP alumni have gone on to play in the NHL. In the 2012–13 season, 60 former NTDP players suited up for NHL teams. In the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, six first-round selections (including no. 1 pick Erik Johnson) were former members of the NTDP. In 2007, four NTDP members were selected in the first round, with Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk going 1st and 2nd overall respectively. Through 2013, some 228 NTDP players had been selected in the NHL Entry Draft. The NTDP plays home games at USA Hockey Arena.

International participation by year

;2017

;2018

;2019

;2020

;2021

;2022

;2023

;2024

;2025

Chipotle-USA Hockey Nationals

USA Hockey has conducted the country’s ice hockey national championship tournaments since 1938, with teams from all across the United States crowned champions across various classifications. The 2022 Chipotle-USA Hockey National Championships crowned champions at 25 different classifications, across nine different host sites across the country. Champions represented 17 different states.

References

References

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2. (January 1, 2000). "Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States". Greenwood Publishing Group.
3. (February 24, 2015). "American hockey has come a long way since 1980s miraculous gold". [[CBS]].
4. (June 26, 2013). "USA Hockey encourages kids with NHL dreams to play other sports - ESPN The Magazine".
5. "Coaching Certification".
6. "Alliance for Audited Media Snapshot Report - 6/30/2013".
7. Allen, Kevin. (2011). "Star-Spangled Hockey: Celebrating 75 Years of USA Hockey". [[Triumph Books]].
8. Thompson, Harry. (2015–2016). "Digger: A Lifetime Of Leadership".
9. "Hockey Talk".
10. "Thomas F. Lockhart".
11. (September 6, 1938). "Canadian-U.S. Amateur Hockey Pact Is Signed". Lethbridge Herald.
12. Clarke, Robert. (April 16, 1940). "New Controlling Body Formed At C.A.H.A. Meet". Winnipeg Free Press.
13. (March 22, 1947). "C.A.H.A. Gains Few Points At Prague Hockey Confab". Winnipeg Tribune.
14. (May 20, 1968). "Eveleth Site Of Hockey Hall of Fame". Fergus Falls Daily Journal.
15. "William Thayer Tutt".
16. Morreale, Mike. (December 13, 2015). "'Tireless worker' DeGregorio lifted USA Hockey".
17. (January 27, 2018). "Jim Johannson Passes Away".
18. Feldman, Jason. (December 5, 2018). "Hockey: Johannson lived to give back to the game he loved". [[Associated Press]] News.
19. Weiner, Jay. (February 7, 1988). ["1988 Calgary Winter Olympics: Steady as he goes, this isn't the Dave Peterson show"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119340301/peterson-1988/}}; {{cite news). [[Star Tribune]].
20. "Dr. V. George Nagobads".
21. Kennedy, Megan. (February 18, 2016). "Seen & Heard: Physician, 'hockey dad' sticking up for the sport". [[Post-Bulletin]].
22. "Youth Hockey Levels, Explained". [[Pure Hockey]].
23. (2023). "USA Hockey Districts & Affiliates". USAHockey.com.
24. Kennedy, Ryan. (June 21, 2015). "How USA Hockey went from failure to hockey factory - The Hockey News".
25. (2009). "USA Hockey's National Team Development Program". USAHockey.com.
26. (2022). "2024 Host Sites Announced For Chipotle-USA Hockey National Championships". USAHockey.com.
27. (2022). "Champions Crowned at Chipotle-USA Hockey National Championships". USAHockey.com.