GENERAL MIDGET INFORMATION:

There are a number of hockey options at the midget / high school level and this can create some confusion.  First, there are 2 hockey seasons at this level.  The early/ split season through MJH and the preseason skate run from Aug – Oct and the regular season for both high school and MJH which runs from around Nov 10 through the end of February / beginning of March.

The split season was initiated by MAHA after having been done in other states prior to that.  The season start of Midget / high school hockey has been dictated by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.  In order to avoid conflict with fall high school sports and promote multi-sport athletes, high school hockey cannot begin until after high school football ends in each school district.  This means high school hockey tryouts cannot begin until the football team gets eliminated from the playoffs each season which can vary from year to year.  High school hockey tryouts usually begin the first week in November but sometimes go into the second week.  The MAHA split season was created to give high school players an opportunity to skate earlier and also provide an opportunity for a shot at a state and national championship title through MAHA.  The early season also provides an opportunity for house players under MAHA to participate in a competitive early season and then still participate in the regular house season under MJH.  

Under MJH there is also a midget preseason skate that runs from late Sept-beginning of Nov.  It is separate and distinct from the early/split season.  The midget preseason was created a few years ago to get midget-aged players who do not want to do the preseason team or do not make the preseason team skating when all the other MJH levels begin.  The preseason usually consists of 2-3 skates a week from late September until mid-November when the regular season starts.  It mainly consists of scrimmaging and possibly some skills and drills depending on who is available to run the skates. It is open to all midget aged players whether they intend to move onto HS or stay in the MJH regular season.  The cost is $175 if the player will not continue on in the MJH season.  For players who continue on to the MJH regular midget season, the cost is included in the annual midget registration ($800). 

Once the early season/preseason is complete, MSHS varsity hockey tryouts usually lasts 3 days with final cuts happening on the last day, then JV tryouts can go up to 3 more days.  Once the varsity and JV high school teams are finalized, MJH gives a few days to a week for additional midget registrations for players cut from the area high school teams.  After a few days for additional registrations, MJH begins the process of deciding how many house midget teams there will be and what level the team(s) will be (16U/18U).

The details of the regular season choices are as follows:

Varsity - High school varsity is a cut sport.  Typically the best players strive to play varsity hockey.  A few do leave Marquette to go play AAA .  Varsity is extremely competitive where skill, hard work, and discipline determine playing time like AA hockey throughout MJH.    It is where players get noticed through showcases if they have an interest in continuing hockey after high school.   Varsity hockey is a pay-to-play sport.  Practices are after school and usually 4-5 days per week.  The maximum number of games per player is 25.  Varsity does have a state tournament and playoffs.

JV – JV hockey is also a cut sport.  JV hockey is fairly competitive.  Hard work and discipline are demanded but playtime is pretty equal across all players.  JV hockey is about player development on and off the ice.  Some JV players will get some varsity playtime due to varsity player injuries.  JV is also pay to play sport. JVs also practice after school 3-4 days a week and the maximum allowed games per player is 25.  JVs do not have a state tournament but do have an end of the year tournament usually consisting of MSHS, Calumet, Houghton, and Hancock. 

MJH 16U/18U -  It is house hockey like the younger levels of MJH house, meaning it is fairly competitive but the emphasis is on fun and teams played across the UP are similar to the younger levels although there aren’t as many organizations that can field midget teams.   The major challenge for the MJH midget program is the number of registrations between 16Us and 18Us.  Any team formed must compete at the level of its oldest player so if an MJH midget team has mostly 16U players and only one or two 18U players it must compete at the 18U level.  This means that in some seasons 14-year-olds could be playing with 18-year-olds turning 19.  However, most of the teams MJH midget teams play are 18U teams since the smaller areas of the UP can only field 18U teams.  So even if MJH can field a 16U team and an 18U team the 16U team plays mostly 18U teams anyway.  A 16U MJH team will have a good opportunity to get into the 16U MAHA state tournament each season since there are not a lot of 16U teams across MI.  MJH midget teams typically practice 2 to 3 days per week.   Also since MJH cannot really close registration for midgets until HS tryouts are complete, the number and makeup of MJH house teams is usually not know until mid-November.  The preseason skate does get the players skating by mid-September,  but team practices don’t start until mid-November.  MJH midgets under MAHA can play up to 50 games for 16U teams and 55 games for 18U teams in order to qualify for states.  For most seasons MJH midget teams play 35-45 games and registration costs are $800.  Usually MJH midgets participate in at least 2 tournaments totaling about $150 per player.   The MJH midget experience is geared more toward recreational hockey but players do still compete in districts for a chance to go to a state tournament.

Since there is the potential to have only one team of 20 and a refund to those registrations above 20,  MJH will take players on a first registered basis, meaning only the first 20 registered will be ensured a spot on a team.  Registrations above 20 will be waitlisted and may be refunded if there are not enough registered players for 2 teams.  To ensure a spot you must register for the FULL SEASON at the $800 registration price.  Registration for the split season and/or the preseason does not ensure a spot for the full season. For those interested in high school hockey but not sure if they will make either the varsity or JV team you should register for the MJH regular season to ensure a spot just in case.  Any player who registers for the regular season with MJH and moves on to high school hockey or quits before the regular season begins will be refunded the midget regular season registration cost less $175 for the preseason skate and $10 for each discount card not returned.