Houston Youth Hockey

How can I get my child into hockey?

Step 1:

Learn to Skate

Skating is the most important part of Hockey, Registering your child in a learn to skate program will help them prepare to hit the ice!

Step 2:

Learn to Play

A learn to play program will continue to develop your child's skating skills while also teaching them the basics of stick handling, shooting, and passing!

Step 3:

Youth House Hockey

Signing your child up for a local house league is the final step for getting them into hockey. At the house level they will continue to develop their skating and hockey skills while also learning about teamwork and sportsmanship!

Where can I go to sign up?

What gear do I need to start?

Nothing! Learn to skate programs all include skate rental, so you wont need to invest in anything until you know your child wants to play! You should probably bring a helmet, but any kind of helmet will work.

My kid loves it, what gear should I buy now that they are committed?

All local learn to play and house leagues follow strict USA Hockey guidelines when it comes to protective equipment. Each player must wear the following to be on the ice.

  • HECC Certified Helmet - You should probably buy these new to make sure the helmet wasn't previously damaged
  • Neck Laceration Protector - The name sounds scary, but its basically just a piece of reinforced fabric that goes around the neck. Certain companies also sell hockey base layers with the neck guard already built in.
  • Shoulder Pads - can be purchased new or second hand, you just want them to be snug on the chest
  • Elbow Pads - can be purchased new or second hand
  • Hockey Gloves - can be purchased new or second hand but beware the smell of a used pair! They should cover to just above the wrist while allowing for full range of motion.
  • Hockey pants/Hip Pads - can be purchased new or second hand, they should reach down to just above the knee
  • Athletic cup - a must have for male skaters, most hockey base layer pants come with one included.
  • Shin Pads - can be purchased new or second hand, they should cover the knee down to the top of the laces on the skates
  • Hockey Skates - can be purchased new or second hand, they fit differently than shoes so size down about 1.5 sizes. You want them to fit snug, any movement inside the skate can cause blisters.

How can I save money on gear?

Reputable secondary market gear can save you a ton of money, kids grow so fast that nearly new gear is not hard to find! Below are a couple of sites that have worked well for me in the past. I have also had great luck checking the end of season clearance sales at the major retailers.

Don't be afraid to talk to other hockey parents about gear, lots of them probably have piles of old gear in their garage collecting dust!

I have all the gear and my kid is on a team, how do I help them improve?

This is the question we hear the most as hockey parents. Ice time is limited, and sometimes it feels like our kids aren't improving as fast as some of the other kids. It's important to remember that every kid develops on their own schedule, so don't get upset if that's the case. If your kid is begging for more time on the ice here a some things you can do to help them grow.

  • Sign them up for lessons with a figure skating coach - Why figure skating? Simply put, they are better skaters, they dont need to worry about sticks and pucks so they can focus fully on edge work and skating techniques. Private lessons cost around $40-$50 for a half hour but you should see an immediate improvement.
  • Stick and Pucks - These are my kids absolute favorite and he asks to go nearly every day. Stick and puck is like freeskate, but for hockey players. No organized drills just fun with friends. Communicate with the other hockey parents at your rink and bring a crew!
  • Homework - Have your child work on their stick handling at home with a green biscuit or a speed ball!

Now that my child is established what do I do?

Get involved! Nearly all of the youth hockey programs in Houston are volunteer led, get in there and make a difference. The rinks always need coaches, so reach out to the rink director and let them know you want to help. Can't skate? Help organize snacks or plan group stick and pucks!

Local rink contacts:

CONTACTS

Get in Touch

Do you have a hockey program or any other general information you would like me to add to the site? Do you have questions that weren't answered on this page? Feel free to reach out!

Who am I?

I'm a hockey dad and coach who's kids play out of the Sugar Land Ice rink. I struggled to find information about youth hockey when I first got involved so I built this site to help like minded parents find the information they need!