2024-2025 ICE SCHEDULE
The Watertown Hockey Association Board of Directors made the decision during the 2022-2023 season for the safety of our players that any player must be wearing neck protection during WHA activities and has worked hard to ensure compliance and this will continue into the 2024-2025 season.
In light of recent events the WHA Board of Directors has made the decision to MANDATE neck guards be worn by ALL players within our association for ALL on ice activities, i.e., practice, games, and any skating event sponsored by the association.
With the tragedy this past weekend suffered by Adam Johnson while playing in the English Professional Hockey League and in the passing in 2022 of Teddy Balkind who suffered a fatal neck injury while playing hockey in Connecticut, the WHA Board of Directors believes that neck guard usage must be mandated. Neck guards lower the risk of a tragedy occurring to our players. The WHA continues to incorporate modern safety practices on the ice for our players. These practices include proper helmet wear on the ice, the use of mouth pieces (which is now being strictly enforced by all officials and coaches. Players that are not in compliance risk being issued a penalty or possibly ejection from a game), and a focus on not being behind the goal when shooting is taking place. We also feel that the use of neck guards aligns with these practices.
USA Hockey will require the use of neck laceration protection starting on August 1, 2024, for players in all age classifications, except adults, in games and practices – as well as for on-ice officials under the age of 18.
We know that neck guard supply at this time might be an issue, but we will require the immediate use of neck guards. We have contacted Power Play Sports in Watertown and they do have neck guards in stock currently. If you are having difficulty obtaining a neck guard, please contact us immediately.
We are pleased to announce that LiveBarn will be available at Watertown Municipal Arena. For those that don’t know about LiveBarn, it’s a streaming service to broadcast the action on the ice in the arena. However, there is a monthly subscription fee. There will be a 10% discount code provided by the WHA as soon as it is issued by LiveBarn.
We are a LiveBarn Venue. If you can’t make it to the rink, you can still stay connected by watching all events Live and On-Demand.
Please forward this to friends and family and let them know they can still catch all the action, even from home!
10% DISCOUNT - PROMO CODE: 5f6e-2md8
· Live stream events from any LiveBarn venue
· Watch On Demand for 30 days
· Save and share 30-second highlights
· Download entire games/practices
LiveBarn is available via a monthly or annual subscription:
· Save 10% when you use promo code: 5f6e-2md8
· Existing subscribers can update their promo code to 5f6e-2md8 within their profile
For more information, visit livebarn.com. Download the LiveBarn App
Since its organization in 1958, the Watertown Skating and Hockey Association, Inc., has remained true to its original purpose of developing “the health and cultural growth of youth in the community” through participation in athletics.
Over the past 50 years the Association’s volunteers have coached, trained and mentored thousands of children in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. The Association has skaters on the ice ranging in age from 3 to 18 years old. Our teams compete throughout New York and Canada and we play host to several hockey tournaments in Watertown each season.
The Association is the local affiliated organization of USA Hockey, Inc., the national governing body for the sport of hockey in the United States. We take pride in the strict standards of coach education, qualifications and screening required by USA Hockey. The quality and dedication of our coaches and volunteer management and staff is directly reflected the years of loyalty of our many skaters and parents. Besides training athletic skill and teaching a sport, our coaches strive to develop character, sportsmanship, and overall physical fitness.
Our mission is to provide each child with the opportunity to grow socially, learn mental and physical discipline and experience the power of teamwork and collective competitiveness.
The Association looks forward to another 50 years of developing civic minded, responsible citizens through youth sport.
Click on the "Board of Directors" and "Board Minutes" links to the left for more information.
WHA has public participation available at every meeting and anyone is invited to join! Let us know if you will be attending!