QCHA Ice Eagles

Travel Hockey Joins

Northern Illinois Hockey League

In an exciting development that will energize the Quad City Hockey Association the Ice Eagles full travel teams have been granted admission to and are joining the Northern Illinois Hockey League for the 2017-18 season.  The NIHL consists of 40 youth hockey associations all affiliated with USA Hockey.  A significant number of the hockey clubs are located in the northeast part of the state, but also includes associations in Bloomington, Pekin, Peoria, Rockford and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to join this well-established and exceptionally well-run league.  There is stability in being part of the NIHL in that we will always have access to a strong number of guaranteed games and against high quality competition,” stated Squirt Travel team head coach Zach Honert.  “On a year-to-year basis we will be able to measure the development of our players against some common league opponents.”

The NIHL works to group teams at appropriate and balanced competitive levels. Teams are allowed to reflect on past competition experiences and at first self-declare for a level of competition within an age classification.  Teams then play in a ‘seeding round’ consisting of 6 to 8 games.  Based on play during this period, teams are then directed into a pool of teams of similar potential to then play their regular season.  The season concludes with playoffs for which teams can qualify for a championship weekend tournament.

“Having a chance to compete for a league championship is a great development.  This dynamic has a ‘pull’ to it that will provide incentive to our players and staff members to seek improvement all the time,” added PeeWee head coach and former Quad City Mallard Darren McMillan.

To meet the demands of the quality competition the Ice Eagles travel teams have been able to schedule additional practice ice time relative to past seasons and all teams will incorporate efficient off-ice training to improve athleticism, stamina and technique.

The NIHL schedule is expected to provide approximately 24 – 28 games of an Ice Eagles travel team schedule with most games in the Chicago area.  Ice Eagles teams will also have the opportunity to schedule ‘friendlies’ with nearby youth hockey associations as well as participate in 2-4 weekend tournaments that fit their interest.

NIHL seeding play begins in late September.