Message from the President: SHA 2026-27 Player Movement Details – Rep Team Player Evaluations
SHA 2026-27 Player MovementDetails – Rep Team Player Evaluations
What is the OHF Freedom of Movement?
The Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) is the governing body of Alliance Hockey, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA), the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA), the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), and more. During the 2025/26 season the OHF determined that there would be no restrictions on where an individual chose toplay representative hockey for players in the U10 through U18 age group.
The OHF has continued the Freedom of Movement for the 2026-27 season for any levelof representative hockey (B, BB, A, AA, AAA) with any Association under the OHF umbrella. In addition, an agreement between the OMHA and Alliance Hockey for the 2026-27 season for U9 MD and below was announced detailing that players who are resident to ALLIANCE Hockey or the OMHA wishing to participate in U9 MD and below programming are eligible to attend evaluations with any U9 and below MD team within ALLIANCE Hockey and/or the OMHA.
What is next for the OHF?
To improve accessibility and participation, the OHF, in conjunction with their Minor Hockey Members, will be working to establish geographically structured leagues. This new framework will reduce travel burdens and promote a more inclusive hockey environment across all regions. There is no current timeline identified to implement these geographic leagues but will be announced once they are set.
Detailed information can be found on these OHF sites:
OHF Player Movement Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
How does this affect Sarnia Hockey?
The Sarnia Hockey Association (SHA) will continue to offer the same programming as in previous seasons which includes Representative hockey teams, Recreational hockey teams, Select hockey teams, and the Foundations development teams. However, what will change is the capability of players to attend tryouts at whatever centre they wish. In addition, players may attend tryouts at more than one centre if they so wish.
We understand that families will explore their options, but we strongly believe that the Sarnia Jr. Sting Representative teams remain an excellent choice for young hockey players. Here’s why:
1. Preserving the Spirit of Hometown Hockey
Playing for your local team is about more than just competition—it’s about community, friendship, and creating lifelong memories.
2. Personalized Development & Strong Coaching
SHA is committed to high-quality coaching and player development at all levels. Open borders also allow us to bring in new talent to enhance our teams.
3. Supporting the Growth of Local Hockey
By choosing SHA, you are ensuring the sustainability of hockey in our community and helping to build a stronger, more competitive program for future players.
4. Long-Term Commitment & Stability
Frequent team changes can be disruptive. Players who stay with SHA can develop alongside their teammates.
Player Movement FAQs
• Do I need a release from Sarnia Hockey Association to attend player evaluations at another center?No. The Freedom of Movement rule does not require any player to obtain a release or attend player evaluations in their home association before trying out elsewhere.Non-resident Player (NRP) cards were required in the past;however,they are no longer required.
• Will SHA allow players from other centers to join our teams?
Yes. We will welcome players from outside of Sarnia to compete for roster spots on our teams.However, we have added restrictions to the number of non-Sarnia residents that can be rostered on our Representative teams. These restrictions are as follows:
“A/AA” carded teams may roster up to:
(a) A minimum of five (5) skaters and one (1) goalie that are Sarnia/Pt. Edward residents,
(b) Up to ten (10) skaters and one (1) goalie that are non-Sarnia residents,
(c) For teams with more than 17 players rostered, up to two (2) skaters that are non-Sarnia residents.
“B/BB” carded teams may roster up to:
(a) Any number of Sarnia/Pt. Edward residents,
(b) Up to three (3) skaters and one (1) goalie that are non-Sarnia residents,
(c) For teams with more than 17 players rostered, one (1) skater that is a non-Sarnia resident will be permitted.
“U8 MD and U9 Tier 1 MD” carded teams may roster up to:
(a) A minimum of five (5) skaters and one (1) goalie that are Sarnia/Pt. Edward residents,
(b) Up to ten (10) skaters and one (1) goalie that are non-Sarnia residents,
“U9 Tier 2 MD” carded teams may roster up to:
(a) Any number of Sarnia/Pt. Edward residents,
(b) Up to three (3) skaters and one (1) goalie that are non-Sarnia residents,
• Will SHA allow coaches from other centers to join our teams?
Yes. We will welcome coaches from outside of Sarnia to compete for head coaching positions within SHA.
• Will SHA change the number of Rep teams for the 2026/2027 season?
No. Our current Rep team structure will remain the same for next season, as mandated by the OHF. We currently have eight (8) A/AA teams (U10, U11, U12, U13, U14, U15, U16 and U18),eight (8) B/BB teams (U10, U11, U12, U13, U14, U15, U16 and U18) and three MD teams (U8 MD, U9 Tier1 MD and U9 Tier 2 MD.
• Can a player try out for multiple teams at the same time?
Yes, but once a player commits to a team, that decision is final for the season.
SHA’s Strategy for Success in an Open Borders Era
Retain. Attract. Develop
Achieving success in hockey requires more than just basicskills; it demands access to great coaching, player development, and resources. SHA is prepared to thrive in the dynamic environment of Open Borders, offering a structureand platform to bring players to their full potential.
At SHA, we are dedicated to giving every player the tools they need to grow, excel, and succeed in their hockey journey. We are constantly evaluating tools, resources, and strategies to ensure SHAis the first choice for players and families. Below are just a few of the innovative strategies we haveto attract, develop, and retain our players:
Coaching:
• SHA knows that great coaches attract and develop great players
• Our Independent Rep Coach Interview committee reviews all applications and conducts interviews to evaluate potential coaches for our Rep teams. The committee provides the SHA Rep Executive Committee their rankings of the coaches who have applied to coach one of our Representative teams. The Rep Executive Committee reviews the rankings and recommends the candidates to the SHA Board of Directors for final ratification of the Head Coach for each Rep team.
• The Rep Executive Committee monitors the coaches over the season and ensures access to coaching resources, support, and guidance.
Comprehensive On-Ice Development:
• SHA Coaches have access to superior skill providers located in the Sarnia Lambton area.
• Enhanced goalie instruction is also available through a number of existing and recent additions to the goalie skills category.
Retention and Strategic Recruitment:
SHA is working to ensure that we:
• Encourage local players to stay and thrive here at home.
• Strategically add top-tier talent from across the Southern Ontario region to strengthen teams where needed.
• Remain dedicated to building teams with a strong local core as we continue to grow our organization.
Facilities & Ice Time:
• SHA Rep teams practice and play out of three arenas in Sarnia (Clearwater, Pat Stapleton & PASA).
• Each Rep team has 2x1-hour practices per week and typically 1 home game per week. Due to arena availability, some weekends may have 2 away games and some weekends may have 2 home games. Season structure for our Rep teams that play in the Alliance Hockey loop have approximately 28-32 games per season with the possibility of up to 4 tournaments.
• With the Sarnia Lambton AAA located in Sarnia and the Sarnia Sting Junior A team, access to superior coaching instruction is also available. Affiliation of SHA Representative players to the Sarnia Lambton Jr. Sting AAA also provides development opportunities.
2026/27 Season
a) Player Prep Skates
Due to all the Rep team player evaluations starting in mid-April and continuing till May 10thSHA will not be providing Prep skates for the U8 through U18 age groups. Since SHA is not providing Prep skates, members currently registered to SHA may attend Prep skates at any local association or through private skills providers.
b) Player Evaluations
The SHA player evaluations for the U8 MD and U9 MD teams will begin on April 13th and run for 7 days. Player evaluations for the U10 through U18 age groups will start immediately following the Sarnia-Lambton Jr Sting AAA player evaluations which begin immediately following the 2025/26 OHF Championships (April 17-90, 2025) and will run for 7 consecutive days. Our A/AA player evaluations start first and run for 7 consecutive days. Our B/BB player evaluations will start immediately following our A/AA tryouts and run for 7 consecutive days. In previous years we had a requirement that players must attend the A/AA evaluations to be able to attend the B/BB evaluations. This is no longer required. Players may register for A/AA only, A/AA andB/BB, or B/BB only evaluations. The cost of registration will be posted on our web site. The registration cost will cover single team evaluations, so registration for each team the player wishes to try out for is required.
The OHF has changed the requirement for both the minimum number of player evaluations for players to attend and the number of Associations that players can attend player evaluations at. Players may attend player evaluations for multiple teams at the same time, however, when a player accepts a rosteroffer, they must stop attending any other player evaluations. There is no minimum number of player evaluations for players to attend. Therefore, coaches may release players after the first player evaluation.
c) Coach Announcements
SHA Rep coach announcements were made on February 17th. There are still two teams where the Head Coach has not been announced. We will be looking to fill those positions in the coming days. The names of the successful Head Coaches for the 2026/27 season can be found in the SHA “News” section on the SHA web site.
Paul Walsh,
President, Sarnia Hockey Association