Parents,

We want to provide you an update as to what we know currently in regards to the coming youth hockey season.  There are still major question marks that every Association in the state is trying to navigate right now.  As you are most likely aware, the state has listed ice hockey as one of the Higher Risk sports grouped with football, basketball, and wrestling.  Since hockey is a Higher Risk sport, we are currently limited to small skills practices without competitive drills or games.  

Today, the state issued its guidance on Phase 111 Step 1 Expansion of Activity. You can read the state-issued order in its entirety, posted below. While ice hockey is still categorized as Higher Risk, the state is providing guidance to potentially allow for game play this season. Please note, the order contains some conflicting information and will most likely require some significant adaptations to game play.  MA Hockey needs to provide guidance on what game play will look like before we as an Association can pass along what the season will look like.  While there are reports of hockey being able to hold competitive games as early as this coming Monday, as of this moment please do not expect hockey to return to exactly as it was pre-COVID that quickly. 

There are many possibilities to what the season will look like.  

Some examples discussed include:

·       Players arrive dressed for games and practices.

·       Practices have to continue to be non-competitive/non-contact but possibly, we can have games.

·       Game play might be altered for this season. No body checking at the Bantam level is one example that has been discussed.   

·       There might be limits on the number of parents/family members that can attend games.  Maybe only one family member per player. 

·       Face-offs between players that have masks on. 

·       We may have to start the season with practices only and then have games start a little later this year than the beginning of September. 

·       No handshake lines.  Maybe giving stick salutes from opposite blue lines. 

These are only some examples and may not be the only changes to this season.  We just cannot anticipate every eventuality at this point, and we must await MA Hockey's guidance as to what the State has given the approval for.

As an Association we are still moving forward in planning the 2020-2021 season.  We are collecting tuition because when the rinks open we need to pay for our ice time and league fees - the hope being that we can start the season on time.  Our current commitment is that if there is not a full season or if there is a significant disruption, we will look at refunds at the end of the year.  The hockey season is long, and what we cannot anticipate now is if there will be stops & starts to the season.  We are a non-profit organization made up of volunteers who always understand that we have a commitment to manage our members' tuition with great care.

We have also gotten questions about potentially scheduling games in other states.  This is not an option we are currently considering.  The state currently has guidance mandating a 14-day quarantine when returning from (some) other states.  Based on that and other liability concerns this is not something that as an Association we are comfortable committing to at this time.  If guidance changes then we may be able to reconsider. 

The last thing we must ask of each and every one of you is patience.  As an Association we are doing the best we can with the information that we have currently.  There has never been a youth sports season like this.  What is permitted one week may not be permitted a couple of weeks later. The goal is to get the kids out of the house and playing sports. If parents or players do not follow the State guidance then there is the risk that hockey will get shut down as Higher Risk sport. As we get more information we will pass it along.

Thank you,

Brian Casey

President, Wakefield Youth Hockey 

(From the 1972 WYH Supplement to the Wakefield Daily Item)

Charlie Kirk and Donald MacKay started it all back in 1946 with a handful of boys, and it has now grown to the program you see today. The children of Wakefield can thank these dedicated men for starting it all.

The Wakefield Youth Skating Association (WYSA) as it is know today was organized in 1969.