Questions arise from parents looking to play different levels of hockey not provided by their Home Centre. In this article, we try to decipher which form is which.
Huntsville is classified as a “resident restrictive program”, meaning that a player that wants to play Representative hockey (OMHA) must play at their “Home Centre”, according to where they live. Residential eligibility rules are initiated by Hockey Canada and enforced by the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA).
When a player’s Home Centre is not capable of providing a "Rep" hockey team, the player needs permission from their “Home Centre”, to attend evaluations (tryouts) for another Centre. This permission, comes by way of different forms, for different situations. Permission is granted by the players “Home Centre” for a 1 (one) year period. The forms are issued by our Registrar however, permission is ultimately granted by representatives of the OMHA. Another point that is important to note is Huntsville Minor Hockey does not make the rules, but we are required to operate within them.
This guide is meant to try and clarify which form you will need to request if your child will be attending evaluations at another Centre. If a Centre is following OMHA procedure, your child will NOT be allowed to participate in evaluations without the proper form.
Permission To Skate (PTS)
A PTS (Permission to skate) form is required to participate in evaluations for AAA hockey team. Huntsville Minor Hockey's AAA Zone is North Central Ontario.
Non-Resident Player (NRP) Form
An NRP (Non-Resident Player) form is required to participate in evaluations for a “AA” or “A” Centre. The NRP is only available to players in U13 (Peewee) or older age groups. Players under an NRP, are allowed to participate in evaluations for a “AA” OR “A” base category Centre. The “A” base category Centres surrounding Huntsville would be Orillia. A player can only be issued 1 (one) NRP form. If a player doesn’t make "AA" team, they cannot be issued another NRP to attend evaluations for an “A” team. It is also important to note that a player cannot attend evaluations for the “A” team at a “AA” base category Centre.
3.5 Request Form
This form is an exemption to play in another Centre. This is a request form for players looking to attend evaluations at another Centre. According to OMHA Regulation 3.5 a) ii), a player may participate in evaluations only at their NEXT CLOSEST CENTRE, provided that other centres do not field a representative team at that division. Determining your next closest Centre, is based on the distance of your residence to the Associations “Centre Point,” if you are unsure, contact our Registrar to find out more. Similar to the NRP, a player can only be issued 1 (one) 3.5. If they are unsuccessful during evaluations for the other Centre, they must return to their home Centre.
IN ORDER FOR A PLAYER TO RECEIVE A 3.5, THEY MUST BE REGISTERED WITH THEIR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION BY THE REGISTRATION CUT-OFF DATE. IF YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A 3.5.
Hopefully this guide helps to clarify the various OMHA forms and their usage. If you have other questions, please feel free to contact our OMHA Contact or if you would like to request a form, please contact our Registrar.