Hockey Canada Could Vote To Change Midget and Bantam Age Groups

Chatham-Kent Cyclones

Midget and Bantam players with the Chatham-Kent Cyclones, along with area minor hockey systems, would see their age group divisions change should this proposal move through – Photo by Brian Watts/ OHL Images

According to reports by TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, and other hockey organizations across Ontario, Hockey Canada may be looking to change the age guidelines governing Bantam and Midget hockey.

“Sounds like the Hockey Canada federations will vote at Dec meeting to standardize 1 midget aged level…eliminating the minor midget level,” Tweeted Dreger (@DarrenDreger) this week.

With the changes, could come alterations to the OHL draft, with a similar format to the WHL, where a Bantam draft is held, selecting players one year prior to Ontario’s draft.

According to Hockey Northwestern Ontario, one of three Ontario branches of Hockey Canada, the proposal is actually to revert to a system previously in place, where Bantam players would be aged 14 and 15, while Midget players would be aged 16 and 17.

“the proposal is to go back to the old ages Midget 16/17, Bantam 14/15,” Tweeted Hockey Northwestern Ontario.

The current age groups see Minor Midget as a 15-and-under age group, while Major Midget is 17-and-under.

Chatham-Kent has not fielded a Major Midget team since 2010-2011, forcing players into lower levels of hockey, or outside the Chatham-Kent Cyclones organization. The new age groups would allow players to remain in ‘AAA’ for one season after their draft year, or two seasons if the draft were to convert to a Bantam draft.

CKSN will continue to provide updates on this story as they become available.

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  • comment-avatar
    Jody 9 years

    Having a son who is always called oh the DECEMBER BABY, it makes every first year rough and never part of the team skill wise (most cases they are shafted to the bottom)and most importantly social wise! We think this is a fabulous idea and would be a very wise decision to improve a higher success rate for elite players and to keep both male and females playing hockey and not quitting at such a young age of 14/15, because of too much pressure of being with such an age gap, our kids are already growing up too fast, why speed up the process with older influence! You should listen to the ones that matter and that is the young hockey players, there should be a poll on every town/cities hockey websites to vote their opinion! crossing our fingers this happens sooner than later! Great article!

  • comment-avatar
    Joe McLeod 9 years

    I would like to know if Hockey Canada has voted to change the age of bantam to (14/15).
    In BC many kids are going to house from Bantam rep instead of going to midget rep and having to compete against 17 year olds.

    JM

  • comment-avatar
    Jeff Goble 8 years

    First of all I agree with the age change, grade school together and high school together. great idea. But I would go one step further. Hockey Canada is dealing with a decrease in player interest and can’t seem to figure out why, cost? checking? parents? competition from other sports? could be a lot of things.
    Here is my two cents.
    First we have to agree that when any youngster starts in a sport, the oldest most mature kids are the best, and therefore get the most attention and therefore advance the most. they get the most ice/field time, the best coaching and it snow balls from there.
    If this is true, then every sport that uses the calendar year to set up their teams will be competing for the same kids. Soccer, Hockey, Lacross it doesn’t matter, they are all interested in the kids born from January 1st to April 30th.
    Why not change the hockey registration age from calendar, to September 1st? Let soccer have the January babies and we will have the Sept – Dec kids. This means that another 25% of our kids are getting special attention on the ice/field and 25% less kids are on the computer because they cannot compete in sports.
    Jeff Goble