Silver Mite Information

The below  document for your players level contains the Team Placement.  The document contains the numeric portion of your player's USA Hockey # (123456789ABCDE).  If you see your player's USA Hockey number in a column, they are on that team and the date and time near the top of the column indicates their 1st practice session.  Once you see your player's number in a column, please click on the registrations below and register your player for the full season.

WELCOME TO THE 2023 FALL TRYOUT/EVALUATION INFORMATION PAGE WITH THE CHICAGO HAWKS HOCKEY CLUB!

Midgets:  August 15th, 17th & 19th.
Mites :  August 16th 19th & 20th.
Girls (non-National bound teams):  August 16th, 19th and 20th.
All Squirts, Peewees and Bantams:  August 27th through 31st.

Silver Mites:  September 6th and 7th

The first night of tryouts will be by birth year.  It is important to note that teams are not all being selected by birth year but will still be selected by ability.  After the first night of tryouts, you will find your player assigned to a group by looking for their USA Hockey number under one of the groups in their age division.  These groups will change each skate, so please continue to check for group assignments.  Please see the tryout schedule below and online.

NOTE - There is no guarantee a player will participate in every tryout session as cuts may be made at any point during the tryout process for all leagues.  

There are a number of schedules for each of the different levels offered.  Please check and make sure that you have the right schedule and times for your tryout.

** Please note that tryouts will be closed to parents and spectators **

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PLAYERS THAT ARE CURRENTLY 17 OR OLDER, OR WILL BE ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 31ST

Please note, if you are a 2005 birth year or earlier, you will be required to take the SafeSport Core Training or Refresher Course prior to participation for the 2022-23 season. 

One of the most exciting aspects of the USA Hockey Safe Sport Program is the online training/education that is available to help our members become aware of the information necessary to help prevent abuse from occurring in our sport. We are pleased to announce that all USA Hockey registered coaches, officials, players, employees and volunteers are entitled to take the training at no cost. 

The Safe Sport Training and Refresher Training are each valid for twelve (12) months beginning on 4/1/22.

As of January 1, 2018, all relevant individuals who need to be SafeSport trained or are seeking retraining will need to complete the new SafeSport training, which features updated content. 

Once you have completed the Core SafeSport Course, there will be a Refresher Course available for individuals who have previously completed the core Safe Sport course and need to retrain. Users completing the SafeSport refresher course will be trained for an additional season. After completing Refresher 3, you will take the Core Training for the next season.

PLEASE NOTE that you will need your own USA Hockey Confirmation Number or Referee Number and your own email address to access the training. You can locate your number OR obtain a number here membership.usahockey.com. If you will not be participating as a player, coach or referee, you can register at no cost under the ice manager/volunteer category to obtain your USA Hockey Confirmation Number.

Click here for more information:  https://www.ahai.org/

The most important part of any Hawks program is safety.  Our highest priority is to offer a safe environment for players to enjoy the sport that we love. One of the biggest safety concerns in youth sports today is concussion prevention and management. 

To ensure we are doing everything we can to address this concern, the Hawks have partnered with Achieve Orthopedic Sports Institute ( https://www.achieveorthosports.com ) to provide FREE and MANDATORY baseline concussion testing to our members. Achieve is a proven leader in the field of orthopedics and concussion management. They provide services to several area soccer and football teams, gymnasts, and NHL players.

The baseline test administered by Achieve is the ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) test. This nationally recognized test assesses a player’s decision-making ability, reaction time, verbal and visual memory and processing speed while healthy. In the event that the player suffers a head injury, the ImPACT test provides qualified medical providers the information necessary to determine the degree to which a player has been affected by an injury and the level of function that must be met before he/she returns to activity.

NO PLAYER WILL BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY ON-ICE ACTIVITIES FOR THE CHICAGO HAWKS OR DARIEN PHANTOMS 2023-2024 SEASON WITHOUT COMPLETING BASELINE TESTING

We understand that undergoing baseline testing before tryouts will inconvenience some members. Nevertheless, I strongly encourage you make every effort to fulfill this requirement as soon as possible. This test will not prevent a concussion; but in the unfortunate event that your child suffers a head injury, it will be the best tool you have to make sure your son or daughter fully recovers before he or she resumes activity.

How do I sign up for the free baseline test?

Register for tryouts. At the end of the tryout registration module, there will be a link to sign up for testing with Achieve through Sign-Up Genius. Tryout registration will be available the first week in July. 

How long is the ImPACT test?

The test will take approximately 30 minutes.

Where is Achieve located?

Achieve is located at 6300 Kingery Highway, Suite 204, in Willowbrook (in the Whole Foods plaza), about 1.5 miles from the Darien Sportsplex.

What happens if my player suffers a head injury?

If your player suffers a suspected concussion ANYWHERE (the injury does not have to be hockey-related) within a year of testing, Achieve will provide follow-up testing. The follow-up test results will help determine if your player requires further treatment. 

If you require additional treatment, Achieve has the resources to refer you to a professional in the area who is trained in concussion management. You are not required to use one of the physicians recommended by Achieve. However, if your player’s follow-up test results indicate that additional treatment is necessary, the player will not be allowed to return to the ice without written clearance from a qualified medical professional.

What if my player took the ImPACT test at another facility last year?

Best practices require athletes to re-take a baseline test every year. If you have an ImPACT test on file with another facility that was taken on or after 3/30/23 , we will accept the results of that test. However, we strongly recommend that you consider retaking the test at Achieve for consistency of administration.  

What if I take the ImPACT test and do not ultimately participate in a Hawks program?

If for some reason you sign up for tryouts, take a baseline test, and then decide not to participate in a Hawks or Phantoms fall program, you will still be able to get a copy of your test results for future use. There is no downside to completing a baseline test. 

Will ImPACT baseline testing replace the King-Devick remove-from-play test?

No. The purpose of the King-Devick test is to guide removal-from-play decisions. It is used to determine if a player who is not demonstrating other concussion symptoms should be removed from play until evaluated by a medical professional.

What else can I expect from the Hawks’ partnership with Achieve?

Achieve will provide education and training to coaches and parents on many different sports-related injuries and issues throughout the season. We are happy to be able to provide an injury resource for all members who require one during the season.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Chicago Hawks President Amanda Hanlon at hawkspresident@chicagohawks.com.