U15AA FAQ

TEAM AND LEAGUE

Why does CRFMHA want to host a U15 Female AA team?
CRFMHA was formed in 2017 and has been running programs year-round since April 2019.
Over the years, we have offered various expanded options for female youth hockey programming. These include the FIRST all-female:
U7 team in greater Victoria (2019);
U21 team in greater Victoria (2019);
U11-Development team (2022);
U13-Development team (2024);
U15-A2 team (2025).

We have also offered an unprecedented number of all-female skills development sessions and programs both during the hockey season and in the off season. Our Reign Spring Hockey program has fostered continued skills development and enhanced team play. We’ve hosted the Reign Elite Skills Camp for the last two summers and plan to repeat this in 2026. The natural consequence is that we have many highly skilled female athletes in our community seeking advanced levels of competition.

As a minor hockey association (MHA), we strive to provide high-level programming at a competitive price with a reasonable travel schedule. We recognize that it may be quite some time before a Female AA League can be supported independently on Vancouver Island. Even if a District-wide Female AA program was introduced, it seems logical that CRFMHA would host the South Island team.

To meet the needs of our membership and to prevent attrition to other programs, competition in the Pacific Coast Elite Hockey League (PCEHL) is the best solution. The PCEHL is sanctioned by Hockey Canada and BC Hockey. Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association (VIAHA) supports our involvement. The League is close. The competition is excellent. The existing teams are willing to come to Vancouver Island. It is a perfect opportunity for CRFMHA and its members at this time!

What is the Pacific Coast Elite Hockey League?
The PCEHL was established in 2025 by Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association (PCAHA) as an opportunity for high performance female players to play on “zone” teams for an enhanced level of training and competition.  

The PCEHL is sanctioned by BC Hockey and Hockey Canada.

What other teams are in the PCEHL?
North Coast Thunder
South Coast Riptide
North Valley Surge
South Valley Havoc
Delta Hockey Academy
Washington Red Hawks

What is the League schedule?
Each team plays League 30 games. Two League games are played per weekend. Reign U15-AA will host games on five weekends (10 games) and travel to the Lower Mainland/ Washington on 10 weekends (20 games). Playoffs will be hosted on the Lower Mainland in March.

How many tournaments will the team enter?
We anticipate the team will play in 2-3 tournaments (8-12 additional games).

Where will the tournaments be hosted?
Female-AA tournaments are less common. They are hosted across Canada. In our inaugural season, the focus will be on events in BC and Western Canada. If permitted by tournament organizers, tournaments will be confirmed prior to tryouts.

Can the team play exhibition games?
It is anticipated that the team will play 3-6 exhibition games, pending confirmation of the League and Playoff schedule, Tournaments and Bye-weeks. These games will be arranged by the team and opponents would be at the team’s discretion. Exhibition games may be subject to approval from governing bodies.

What does an average week look like for the Reign U15-AA team?
The program will run from late August 2026 to Spring Break 2027. The team will have 2-3 practices per week and one dryland fitness training session per week. Some practices may be on weekends. Morning practices can be expected. The team will play games and practice at facilities within the Capital Regional District (CRD), and to the extent possible within our ice contracts, a recurring schedule will be formulated. All games will be played on weekends.

Who will coach the team?
The team will be coached by an individual with significant experience coaching competitive hockey. The coach will be paid. A “non-parent coach” is anticipated. Coaching applications are open from March 17 until April 5. A formal coaching announcement is anticipated prior to tryouts.

The current application process is also open to Assistant Coaches, who may be parents or non-parents and will also be paid.
The deadline for Head Coach applications is April 5, 2026.
An announcement of a Head Coach is anticipated by April 12, 2026.

What is the commitment level for each player?
Players are expected to attend all sessions unless affected by injury, illness or emergency family matters. A letter of commitment will be signed by each player.

Attire
The team will be outfitted with a team-specific apparel package (see below). Players will arrive at all games dressed in business casual attire.

Will the team be eligible for the BC Hockey Championship?
Currently the BC Hockey Championship is open to Female-A teams only. Should this change or if a new Tier of Championship is introduced, the team would be eligible. Currently the PCEHL League Championship in March 2027 would be the final event of the season.

TRYOUTS

Who is eligible to try out?
All female players born in 2012 & 2013 who live within the CRD are eligible to tryout.

Players from within VIAHA (but outside CRD) are also eligible, but only if their local MHA is not hosting a Female U15-AA team.

Players who played with CRFMHA in 2025-2026 are eligible without any additional documentation.
Players from any MHA in the District (VIAHA) who did not play for CRFMHA in 2025-2026 will require a letter of permission from their MHA President.

Players who played for a team or program not sanctioned by Hockey Canada and BC Hockey in 2025-2026 (aka non-sanctioned hockey) will require a letter of permission from the President of the last MHA they played for.

When will tryouts be held?
Tryouts will be on the weekend of April 17-19.
Friday, April 17 @ 18:00 - 19:35 (Pearkes Recreation Centre)
Saturday, April 18 @ 11:30 - 13:00 (Westhills Arena)
Saturday, April 18 @ 19:15 - 21:00 (Pearkes Recreation Centre)
Sunday, April 19 @ 12:00 - 13:00 (Westhills Arena)
Sunday, April 19 @ 18:00 - 19:30 (Westhills Arena)

What is the deadline to apply for tryouts?
The deadline to apply for tryouts is April 14, 2026.  (Deadline has been extended to April 14th with the knowledge that PCEHL has added Oceanside U15AA - more competition, less travel!)

Payment is due by April 14, 2026.

All required documents (MHA permission letter) are also due by April 14, 2026.

Any registered player who does not provide the required payment and documents by April 14 will automatically be removed from the tryout list.
Tryouts Registration Form

When will the player selections be announced?
Players successful in securing a roster spot will be notified within 1-5 days of the final tryout session. Once a roster spot has been offered, the player will have 24 hours to sign and return the letter of commitment AND submit a $500 non-refundable deposit. If the player does not accept or decline the roster spot within the 24-hour window, the offer will expire.

If the offer expires, the roster spot will be offered to the next eligible player. Players who are offered a roster spot but decline or let it expire will still be eligible to try out for the Reign U15-A team in August. However, they may not be considered further for the U15-AA team, since the available roster spot will immediately be offered to the next qualifying player.

How many players will be selected to the team?
The team will be composed of 15-17 skaters and 1-2 goalies.

COST

What is the cost?
The tryout fee is $175 and non-refundable. (Players who tryout for Reign U15-AA and are not successful would receive a partial credit for subsequent participation in Reign U15-A tryouts in August, but not a refund).  

The registration fee includes the U15 Basic Registration amount plus Rep Fees. The total cost is $5,775 per player. This includes the League, Playoff and Exhibition games, practices and dryland training. The registration fee also includes a team merchandise package consisting of an equipment bag, hockey gloves, dryland shirt and shorts, hoodie and travel coat.  

A mandatory tournament fee will be set after tournament applications are confirmed and is anticipated to be approximately $200 per player per tournament. Tournaments are entered on a cost recovery basis (i.e. the team pays the exact registration fee and team members share the fee equally).

The fees above do not include player or parent travel expenses (transportation, accommodation, meals). Opportunities for group travel will be explored to minimize and centralize player costs and secondarily maximize the opportunity for savings on parent/family travel.

The team may set a “team-fee”. Any team fundraising events or sponsorship can subsidize the tournament fee and team travel expenses.

Will there still be a discount for goaltenders?
CRFMHA will continue to offer its standard discount for goaltenders. The registration fee (above) is composed of the U15 Basic Registration amount for all U15 players and the remainder of the fee is the “Rep Fee”. The standard CRFMHA discounted rate for goaltenders applies only against the Basic Registration amount, as usual.

Can fees be paid in installments?
Yes. The U15-AA fees are composed of the U15 Basic Registration fee and a Rep Fee (Total: $5,775). Standard CRFMHA practice is for the Basic Registration fee to be paid prior to the start of the season (either at the time of registration or installments prior to September 1 of the current playing season). Rep Fees are due through installments, typically in September and October. Since this team roster will be finalized earlier, installment payments of the Rep Fee can be made
between May and October.  

If alternate arrangements are needed, please review this directly with the CRFMHA Treasurer (treasurer@crfmha.ca).  

Alternative funding sources can be reviewed through the CRFMHA Registrar (Langford SportAssist, KidSport, Athletics for Kids, JumpStart, Grindstone, NHLPA Assist Fund, CRFMHA
Player Assistance Fund).

DIVISION STRUCTURE AND AFFILIATION

Will there still be a U15-A team (aka U15-A1)?
Yes. CRFMHA still plans to host a U15-A team with tryouts occurring the weekend prior to the Labour Day long weekend as in previous years.

Is a tryout for U15-AA required to be eligible for a U15-A tryout?
No. U15-A tryouts are planned as usual for the weekend prior to Labour Day Weekend (last full weekend in August). There is no requirement to try out for U15-AA prior to tryouts for U15-A.  Any players who are unsuccessful in tryouts for U15-AA will be issued a partial credit toward U15-A tryouts.

Will the U15-A players be eligible to affiliate (AP) to the U15-AA team?
Yes

Will U15-AA players be eligible to affiliate (AP) to the Vancouver Island Seals (AAA)?
Yes

Will players who attended tryouts but were not selected be elidgible to be affiliate players (AP) to U15AA?
Possibly. The U15-AA team staff will request affiliates from any team in a lower Category or Division who they feel are the best fit for the U15-AA team. Attending U15-AA tryouts does not necessarily guarantee consideration for affiliation.

Will there still be a U15-A2 team?
CRFMHA will continue to host two competitive teams in the U15 Division: U15-AA and U15-A.

What is the impact on U15-C programming?
It is anticipated that a U15-AA team will enhance U15-C programming. The U15-AA offers elite level programming and is expected to draw interest from new CRFMHA registrants and transfers, potentially increasing the overall number of players in the U15 Division, including the recreational teams, and increasing the caliber of play in the recreational Category.