The NA3HL (North American 3 Hockey League) has spent a great deal of time to introduce a set of standards that all teams must adhere to. These “Standards of Excellence” are unique to the NA3HL. They include on-ice practices minimums, off-ice workout minimums and educational guidelines design to enhance the overall performance of each player throughout the journey of a junior hockey season.
If you are even considering playing for another Tier III league, ask the program you are considering playing for what sets of standards they have and ask for it in writing. It is the hope of the NA3HL that all Tier III leagues will adopt these standards to enhance their players overall junior hockey experience.
SOME OF THE MAJOR STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Ice Time – Practice:
Each team must provide a minimum seasonal average of seven (7) hours of practice time, per week. Practice times must be scheduled around player’s high school class schedules in their particular city. Players who are attending college must be informed of the team’s practice schedule and must schedule their classes around these times. This standard will be in effect in weeks that teams participate in 1-2 games. In the event of additional games, teams will adjust this ice time accordingly. All team’s proposed practice schedules for the upcoming season must be submitted to the NA3HL office.
Off-Ice Strength and Conditioning Facility:
Each NA3HL member team must provide its players with an elite workout facility for the duration of that team’s playing season. Players must be able to access this facility anytime from 6:00am-10:00pm. In addition to mandatory team workouts, players must have access to a facility for any additional off ice strength and conditioning needs.
Off-Ice Strength and Conditioning Schedule
Each NA3HL team must provide a minimum seasonal average of 3.5 hours per week of strength and conditioning time dedicated to a team workout setting. These team workouts must be supervised by a team official. Each NA3HL team will submit their team off ice strength and conditioning schedule to the NA3HL office for review by a certified Athletic Trainer. These workouts will be sports-specific to ice hockey. In the event of a 3 or 4 game week, these workout times may vary.
Education Coordinator
Each NA3HL team must have an Education Coordinator (EC). This person will be required to be well versed in the NCAA Clearing House procedure and will assist all NA3HL student-athletes in the process of being cleared through the NCAA for eligibility. The Education Coordinator must also be versed in the state school system and will assist players with the transfer process from their home school to the school in which they will be attending while playing in the NA3HL. The EC will also be available to the parents of players wishing additional consultation.
Education / Work Policy
Each NA3HL team will enforce the following minimum baseline standards for players:
- Players who have high school eligibility remaining must attend the required full slate of high school courses towards graduation.
- Players who have graduated high school have the option to either:
- Attend a maximum of 6 credit hours of college courses or
- Gain employment in their respective town. Their job will not interfere with scheduled team practices and workouts.
Nutrition Plan
Each NA3HL team must supply their players with a nutrition guideline for the season. This guideline will be shared with each players billet family and will be the recommended daily staple diet for their players. Teams will submit their nutrition guidelines to the league for review and consultation with a certified nutritionist.
ACT/SAT Test Scores
Each NA3HL player who attends high school must work towards obtaining an ACT test score of 22 or the equivalent SAT mark. Teams must illustrate to the league that this work is being achieved and progress reports will be sent for periodic review.