Team Manager Handbook
Canmore Minor Hockey Association
If you are reading this document, it means you have decided to volunteer for one of the most important roles on a minor hockey team: the Team Manager. The Team Manager position is an often thankless job, but one that is crucial to the functioning of a minor hockey team, so thank you!
The Team Manager role can be overwhelming at times, especially for new or first-time managers. This document is designed to guide you through that process as smoothly as possible, to ensure a great season for you and your team.
At any time, if you have any questions, or if something isn't clear, don't hesitate to reach out via email to the CMHA Registrar at info@canmorehockey.org. Have a great season and thanks for volunteering!
The duties of the Team Manager vary depending on the age group and league/division a team plays in. This guide is broken out by age group in order to provide the most relevant information needed for a specific team. The reader should start by jumping to the section for their team's age group. From there, you will be linked to material in the General Information section, that applies to all Canmore Minor Hockey Association (CMHA) teams.
The U7 (aka Timbits) groups do not participate as part of a league and hence don’t have regularly scheduled games. The exception to this is a home tournament that both the U7 Junior and U7 Senior teams will participate in. However, a team may choose to play additional games by:
As gameplay is considered extra at U7, the Team Manager should get a feel from coaches and parents what the appetite is for gameplay. A good time to do this is at the Parents Meeting, held early in the season. It’s also important to know that at U7, an emphasis should be placed on building skills in practice versus playing games. While games are also good for development and fun for the kids, it’s recommended not to go overboard on gameplay. Additionally, the Team Manager and Ice Coordinator will work together early in the season to earmark some dates for a team to obtain additional ice times for exhibition games.
Also important is to note that at U7, it is often parents' first exposure to organized hockey. It's best to keep games close to minimize travel as much as possible and avoid overwhelming parents with more commitments than they signed up for.
The following is an approximate timeline of a U7 season:
Mid October |
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Mid October to November |
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November - December |
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Late December - Early January |
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January - March |
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March |
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Late March - Early April |
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U7 games are generally played half-ice, with no score being kept. For each U7 exhibition game the team plays, the following must be done:
The U9 age group is the first time in which regularly scheduled games occur for the players. Games are played half-ice (same as U7), and game scores are not kept. However, even though no game score is kept, a game sheet must be submitted for league games. See the Data Entry section for more information.
The following is an approximate timeline of a U7 season:
Early/Mid September |
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Late September |
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Early October |
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Mid October |
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Mid October |
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Mid-Late October |
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Late December - Early January |
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January - Feburary |
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Early/Mid March |
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Late March - Early April |
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In the RHL and CAHL, U9 games are played half-ice, and no score is kept. A game sheet, however, must still be filled out by the home team. For each game:
This section contains information generally applicable to all teams. Before you read through this section, start by finding the section specific to your team and read through it. That section will link to information in this section.
Managers whose team players in the Central Alberta Hockey League (CAHL), should review the following documents:
The following are important dates to note for the CAHL season:
Tiering Round | October 18, 2024 to November 10, 2024 | |||
Regular Season | November 22, 2024 to February 9, 2025 (U18 is Feb 16th) | |||
Christmas Break | December 23, 2024 to January 2, 2025 | |||
Playoff Season | U13 and U15 February 14, 2025 to March 9, 2025 | |||
Playoff Season | U11 February 21, 2025 to March 23, 2025 / U18 February 17, 2025 to March 16, 2025 |
Managers whose team players in the Rockies Hockey League (RHL) should review the following documents:
The following are important dates to note for the RHL season:
Tiering Round | October 18, 2024 to November 10, 2024 | |||
Regular Season | November 15, 2024 to February 16, 2025 | |||
Christmas Break | December 23, 2024 to January 2, 2025 | |||
Playoff Season | February 21, 2024 to March 23, 2025 |
Every player participating in minor hockey requires a parent or guardian (one per family) to have completed the Respect In Sport for Parents online course. The certification is good for four years. For more information, or to take the course, visit: https://hockeyalbertaparent.respectgroupinc.com
Head coaches, assistant coaches, and on-ice helpers must complete the Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders online course, in addition to the Respect in Sport for Parents course. All coach courses will be reimbursed by the association.
The RIS-Activity Leader course must be completed BEFORE they can be listed on the team’s game sheet or Hockey Canada Roster (HCR). This means that any team official that has not completed the course, can NOT be on the bench during a game, or listed on the team’s label/game sheet. All other coach courses have a deadline of November 15th, of the current season (this includes Safety, Coach 1 or 2).
Team officials should use the Coach Reimbursement Form to request reimbursement from CMHA for the Respect in Sport for Activity Leader course, or any coaching courses.
Any volunteer for the team with a role involving them being around the players (coaches and manager) must have an up-to-date Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC). A VSC is performed by Canmore RCMP, and is free of charge for any CMHA volunteer upon showing an approved volunteer letter. Please reach out to the Operations Manager for that letter.
VSC checks are good for three years. Any team official must have the check completed BEFORE they can be added to the team Hockey Canada Roster (HCR), which has a deadline of November 15.
All teams must be properly and duly registered with Hockey Alberta prior to their first League Game (including Tiering games) or by November 15th, whichever occurs first. All players/coaches participating on a hockey team must be registered in the Registry.
The Team Manager is responsible for helping the CMHA Registrar finalize the Hockey Canada Roster (HCR) for a team. This includes:
If there are any questions about the status of a team official, or uncertainty about the validity of a past certificate, email the CMHA Registrar.
The Team Manager is responsible for having a copy of the completed HCR on hand (electronically is acceptable) for all team games and events. After the HCR has been approved, any changes to the team personnel require the HCR to be updated. Most importantly, each team is assigned an HCR Number that the Team Manager will need when setting up exhibition games, applying for tournaments, etc… Keep this number handy.
Once the season is underway, it is important to hold a parent meeting as early as you can, and at a time in which you can maximize the number of parents who attend. A good day to hold the meeting is photo day, as it tends to get the most amount of participation from the team in general. The purpose of the parent meeting is to introduce yourself and the coaching staff in person, go over important aspects of the season, and answer any questions your parents might have.
The Parent Meeting is especially important for younger age groups, since they are the most likely to contain parents who are new to minor hockey. The meeting is a great way to help the parents gain clarity around expectations and answer the many questions they are likely to have.
Topics that are recommended to cover at the parent meeting:
The Team Manager position can be overwhelming due to the tasks the role is expected to handle. It’s highly recommended that Team Managers recruit a core group of volunteers early to assist with certain tasks, like jerseys, that are easy to delegate. A good approach to recruiting parent volunteers is to mention it in the introductory email you send to the team, and then revisit it during the parents meeting.
If you have been involved in any other team sport activity, you know that there is a mix of involvement from parents that varies greatly. But usually, it’s possible to get a handful of reliable parents who can help make your life much easier. Once you find this group, set up a group chat with them on TeamSnap as a way to communicate and delegate tasks. Some roles that are relatively easy to delegate to parents include:
Additionally, there are jobs that need to be done for each game, and it is in your best interest to get as many of the parents comfortable at helping with these as possible:
CMHA provides TeamSnap for all CMHA teams to coordinate practices, games, and all team events. The CMHA Registrar will do the initial setup of TeamSnap, adding all players and their contacts. The Team Manager is given permission to edit/delete/add practices and games to the schedule as required, in addition to updating player information.
As the Team Manager, it is your job to ensure that TeamSnap is always accurate and up to date. This includes:
The schedule for all CMHA teams can be found on the main website, at http://www.canmorehockey.org. To see your team's schedule, pick your age group, and then pick your team within that age group. From there, you will see a calendar with all of your games and practices on it. You’ll be responsible for ensuring that TeamSnap stays in sync with this master schedule. Games, which are announced later (after tiering rounds, etc…) will be your job to add to the TeamSnap schedule.
In TeamSnap, parents can set attendance for their players for practices and games. It is important that this be done consistently and accurately. Accurate attendance is crucial for the coaches to be able to plan games accordingly. Additionally, attendance records are important for historical purposes as well. It is the Team Manager’s responsibility to ensure the parents are setting attendance and keeping it up to date. Unfortunately, this often requires a lot of follow-up. Luckily, TeamSnap has some functions that allow you to send reminders to parents who haven’t set availability for their players.
Each team is allowed two blackout weekends to be incorporated into the game schedule. These dates are typically used to attend a tournament (both home and away). The CAHL and RHL require all blackout dates to be submitted around the end of October of each year so they know when NOT to schedule your team. Each team is allowed two blackout weekends in the year, and this includes any home tournament dates. When you submit your blackout dates, please indicate a first and second choice. Tournament requests will not be granted for the first two weeks and the last week of the regular season, and NOT during the tiering rounds. Please send blackout dates to the CMHA ice coordinator by October 26th, 2023.
There are several tournaments available for CMHA teams throughout the year. For some teams this includes a home tournament in Canmore, that is organized for many of the age groups. The CMHA Registrar is the point of contact in order to determine if a particular team will be getting a home tournament. For away tournaments, it’s the Team Manager’s job (with the help of parent volunteers) to organize a team's attendance. This includes applying for the tournament and paying for it.
Securing a tournament can be a stressful time. Both securing commitment from the team, and payment just occur in a relatively short time period. Tournaments are generally in very high demand in minor hockey, and so decisions need to be made quickly. The following are some points of guidance to help guide through the process.
At the beginning of the season, ideally at the parent's meeting, the Team Manager should talk to the parents to figure out how much appetite there is to travel to away tournaments. Some parents can’t get enough, and others prefer not to travel for hockey. The Team Manager will have to find the right balance for their team.
Once a team has decided on how many tournaments to try and attend, the hunt starts. Tournaments that are known to be well organized or are in a desirable area to visit fill up very quickly. It’s recommended that interest in a particular away tournament be expressed to the organizers as soon as possible. There are some useful sites available, that are useful for staying in the loop on tournaments in Alberta and British Columbia:
Once a team has been given a spot in a tournament, there is a deadline issued for which payment must be sent in order to confirm the spot. By this point, the Team Manager should have already polled the parents to determine if there is a sufficient level of commitment.
Practically, there are two options for payment of the tournament fee:
In terms of raising the funds for the payment to reimburse the Team Manager, or CMHA, there are several options.
Once a team has secured a tournament, the CMHA ice coordinator should be notified immediately. This is especially important if the tournament will overlap with any practice or game times, as that is ice (previously paid for) that will no longer be needed by the group and can be given to another group looking for extra ice.
As per the information in the Blackout Dates section, the tournament dates need to be submitted to the ice coordinator in advance of October 26th. If the tournament has been secured after this date, there is also an option to reschedule a game that overlaps with the tournament date. See the Game Changes section for more details.
Aside from payment, the other thing that needs to be organized as soon as possible is accommodation. Often, tournament organizers will have local hotels block off rooms for tournament attendees. This is the ideal case from a planning standpoint. If however, the tournament does not have any rooms blocked, it is a good idea for the Team Manager to contact a local hotel and get a room block, before submitting payment. If a team does not receive any such information after applying for a tournament, it’s recommended the Team Manager reach out to the tournament and inquire about where to stay.
Looking for and booking accommodations can be a very time-consuming exercise. It’s highly recommended that you recruit a parent volunteer early in the season who is willing to handle accommodations for away tournaments.
Playing in an away tournament also requires a Travel Permit from the CMHA Registrar. This must be submitted no later than two weeks before it is required.
For CMHA home tournaments, team parents are REQUIRED to volunteer for multiple shifts throughout the weekend to cover things such as:
There is no fee for a home tournament, and so having parents provide the volunteer support can be viewed as the entry fee. A word of warning: managing parents during the home tournament is one of the biggest pain points for the Team Manager throughout the season. However, there are things that can be done throughout the regular season to make things easier come tournament time. These include:
To manage volunteer shifts during a tournament, the CMHA tournament organizers will set up a volunteer sign up sheet for the team. They will also manage all of the prizing for the raffle and other tournament logistics. This allows a team to keep the main focus on filing volunteer shifts.
Any game a team is to play against another team outside of CMHA, outside of regular league play, and aside from tournaments, is considered an exhibition game, and must be sanctioned with Hockey Alberta before it can take place. The home team is responsible to apply for a game sanction with their governing body, via the CMHA Registrar. When a team wants to schedule a home exhibition game, it is the job of the Team Manager to secure an ice time. There are two main options for getting ice:
Once the day/time has been established, you will need to provide the opponent's HCR team ID # along with an email for the visiting team to the CMHA Registrar. The Registrar will then request the sanction. For exhibition games, the home team will submit the e-game sheets, and the link to this will be provided along with the sanction number.
If you are an away team attending an exhibition game, you will need to provide your team’s HCR # and an email address for the sanction number to be sent to. IF traveling out of province for the exhibition game, the next step is to apply for a travel permit.
*Note that for 2 above, ice times are usually prioritized toward the older age groups, and so options for the younger groups are somewhat limited. For this reason it is best to get requests for ice in as early as possible. Typically, the Team Manager and Ice Coordinator will work together early in the season to earmark some dates for a team to obtain additional ice times for exhibition games.
If you are traveling for a Tournament (anywhere) or an Exhibition Game (Out of Province), you will need a Travel Permit issued by Hockey Alberta. See section above on how to get the sanction number of the exhibition game or tournament. Once you have the sanction number, please send the following information to the registrar.
Once you have the travel permit, keep it handy until after the game has been played.
Each CMHA team is provided with a set of game jerseys, which are stored in the teams designated locker at the Canmore Recreation Centre. The Team Manager is responsible for ensuring that jerseys make it back and forth between games and the locker. It is recommended that this task be delegated, and that one or two of the team parents be designated as Jersey Manager. It also helps to have redundancy in case one of the Team Manager, or Jersey Manager, can’t make a particular game. The responsibilities of the Jersey Manager include:
It is recommended that the Jersey Manager do not allow players to take jerseys home with them, as it far too often results in jerseys being lost or damaged. This way, no player shows up to a game without a jersey.
At the end of the season, once the Jersey Manager has done the final inventory, those jerseys flagged as requiring attention must be sent to Canmore Sweatshop for repair. The Jersey Manager should separate these jerseys in the locker, and then send an email to the Registrar letting them know the jerseys are ready to be sent off for repair.
The Team Manager should assign numbers to players once they have inventoried the jerseys in the pre-season. How numbers get assigned is ultimately up to the Team Manager, here is the recommended process:
Once the Team Manager has assigned numbers to the kids, they must update the roster in TeamSnap, and set each player's number.
Every team is responsible for submitting the home game input and PDF of game sheets to their respective Governors. The CAHL will require a list of all Data Entry representatives from each team, so please share this with the Registrar (prior to October 7th) as this information will be shared with the League and respective Governors.
Every RHL and CAHL team is required to maintain a scorebook, which contains the game sheet of each home game for that team. To save time writing down a team by hand, Roster Labels can be printed beforehand, that are then stuck into the scorebook. You will need to label all three pages of the game sheet (white, yellow, and pink)
Teams playing as part of a league (RHL or CAHL) who wish to reschedule a game due to a tournament or some other reason must submit the form for their league, as linked below:
Keep in mind that changing a time or date of a scheduled game is no easy feat. The opposing team needs to agree to the game change request and a suitable replacement ice time is not always easy to find, especially as the season draws to a close.
Note that for away tournaments, it is recommended that the dates be organized prior to the end of October, and submitted as Blackout Dates to the CMHA ice coordinator by no later than October 26th, 2023. If you have blackout dates to submit following this deadline, you will likely be looking at changing your game times once they have been added to the CAHL/RHL website.
CMHA employs younger kids from other teams in the association to referee home games. Very often it is the case that a sibling of a player in a game is refereeing that game. This represents a conflict of interest that MUST be reported on the game sheet. This is especially important for CAHL, in which teams will be fined in the event that the conflict of interest is not reported. The Team Manager will receive a list of referees for a game in advance, and must note any conflicts on the game sheet.
In the RHL, electronic game sheets are used to score games with a smartphone app. The following is the process for setting up the electronic game sheets:
Once the team has been set up in the app, any scheduled games should appear automatically. If a scheduled game does not show up, the Team Manager should contact the RHL Governor to inquire.
A useful video tutorial for the Gamesheet app is available on YouTube:
For RHL managers, a quickstart can be found here:
Written instructions on using the Gamesheet app can also be found here:
Team officials should use the Coach Reimbursement Form to request reimbursement for any coaching courses, or the Respect in Sport for Activity Leader course.