Coaching Registration

All Coaches, Team Managers, Locker Room Monitors, Board Members, Coordinators, and any volunteer that will have regular contact with or authority over NLYHA players are required to complete the following registration steps.  

Game day volunteers for penalty box, clock and scorekeeping are not required to register.

STEP 1 : USA HOCKEY REGISTRATION

You must obtain your unique USA Hockey volunteer confirmation number for the current season. It will be required for all of the remaining steps. Select membership type of Manager/Volunteer.

STEP 2 : NLYHA VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION

Follow the Volunteer registration link below. 

PLEASE REGISTER with the same name you used with your USA Hockey Registration, i.e. Rebecca vs Becky, Nathan vs Nate

STEP 3 : BACKGROUND SCREENING

USAH Requires background screening every two years. The cost is $30. 

Not sure if you need a new background screen this year?  Follow the link below and click through to Begin a New Background Screen. After you proceed past the welcome page and answer six short questions about your background, the next screen is titled Applicant Lookup. After you enter your last name, SSN and DOB, the system will tell you if you are ineligible to submit a background check at this time and must wait until next year. 

STEP 4 : SAFESPORT TRAINING

USAH requires SafeSport Training that must be renewed every 12 months. Training is available 60 days prior to the date of expiration. If your certification expires, you are ineligible to participate as a volunteer.

Not sure if your SafeSport Training is current? Follow the link below and access the US Center For SafeSport Training by logging in with your current USA Hockey Volunteer Confirmation Number and USA Hockey Password. (The screen will say MyHockeyHQ Portal Login.) Once logged in, it will show your SafeSport Training expiration date or your available SafeSport Training Courses.

If your registration is set to expire mid-season, a notification email will be sent to the email address on file with USAH.

USAH requires an active CEP certificate.

Exception - if you are only coaching Mites/8U you are required to have a Level 1 CEP; however, that Level 1 can be expired.

NOTE - USA Hockey only offers CEP Clinics until Mid-December, if you do not sign up for AND attend your clinic by then, you will be ineligible to be on the ice after December 31st.

If you need to take the next level training, click on the link below to sign up. Note - you can take a virtual class in any state.

After signing up for your next level CEP training, email the CEP enrollment receipt to nlyha.registrar@gmail.com.

Not sure when your CEP Certificate expires? Follow the link below. Click My Profile and then Coaching Information. The top section 

STEP 5: CEP ONLINE TRAINING

This needs to be done PRIOR to ANY participation with youth players. Complete required Online Age Specific Module.

STEP 6: ATTEND A CEP CIINIC

This needs to be done PRIOR to ANY participation with youth players. Complete required Age Specific Clinic.

NOTE - USA Hockey only offers CEP Clinics until Mid-December, if you do not sign up for AND attend your clinic by then, you will be ineligible to be on the ice after December 31st.

Need to know the status of your Coaches Certification? (CEP LEVEL)

STEP 7: CONCUSSION TRAINING

To coach, you must Complete Concussion training and submit the certificate. This needs to be done PRIOR to ANY participation with youth players. Concussion training needs to be done each year.

All fees associated with coach registration and training will be reimbursed by NLYHA. Please use this expense report for reimbursement.



• Mandatory helmets for on ice coaches.
• Per Minnesota Hockey, you will NOT be allowed on the ice prior to having all forms/training completed.

(1) Required Coaching Education Program Levels for Ice Hockey

All coaches must have the required certification level by January 1 of the current season.

(a) All coaches must enter USA Hockey's Coaching Education Program at the 6U/8U clinic if coaching Learn To Skate, Learn To Play, and/or 6U/8U classifications or a Level 1 clinic if they are coaching 10U classification and above. 

Coaches at the 6U/8U Level do not need to progress any further until one of the following occurs:

1. The coach moves up to another age classification above 8U, or
2. The coach returns to 6U/8U for the fifth consecutive season and the level is now expired.

Coaches at the 6U/8U must take the 6U/8U refresher education every five years if they are continuing to coach at 6U/8U classification or LTS/LTP.

Coaches in 6U/8U should not take Level 1 until they start coaching at the 10U classification and above level.

As of the 2025-26 season, Level 1 coaches must continue their education with a coaching clinic each year until such time as they are coaching any older age level of play or something other than disabled hockey.

A coach may attend only one certification clinic per year. This does not include continuing education clinics or modules. The 6U/8U clinic can be taken by coaches that are Level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 for continuing education credit.

(b) In addition to the training in paragraph (a) above, coaches must also complete online age-specific training modules specific to the level of play they are coaching, if they have not already taken that module. This requirement applies to all coaches at all levels, 6U/8U through 5. Coaches may complete more than one age-specific module in any given season. As of the 2023-24 season, all coaches must complete the Foundations for Player Development and the age-specific modules PRIOR to participating with a team.

(c) Effective in the 2022-23 season, Level 4 coaching certifications are valid for three (3) seasons, and Level 5 coaching certifications are valid for four (4) seasons, each as indicated by an expiration date.

(d) Grandfather Clause

For those coaches who received Level 4 or Level 5 PRIOR TO January 1, 2021, and who are coaching or begin to coach after this date, any Tier I or Tier II teams, will be required to do continuing education as required in (c) above.

Coaches who received a Level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 PRIOR to January 1, 2025 and who are coaching after this date, may coach at the 6U/8U classification or LTS/LTP classification with their current level, even if expired.

If a 6U/8U coach takes a higher level of education after January 1, 2025 they are no longer grandfathered in at the 6U/8U level and must remain current in education regardless of what age classification they are coaching.

(e) Previous/Expired Certifications

Coaches with any expired certification will retain their previous certification levels provided the certification can be verified. Coaches may re-enter the certification system at that previous level and be subject to the certification guidelines in (a) through (c) above and/or (f) below.

(f) Continuing Education (CE) Accumulation and Expiration

The USA Hockey clinic listings will indicate all continuing education offerings and the credit value of each. The Coaching Education Program retains the responsibility for defining continuing education credit values, including clinic or online course work.

Coaches that are Level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 may accumulate continuing education credits and will remain available for a maximum of 8 years since completed, subject to the Level 4 and Level 5 expiration credit hours.

Coaches at the 6U/8U Level will be able to take continuing education but will not be able to bank credit hours.

Once a Level 4 or 5 coach reaches their expiration date, all credits will be applied from their account and if they have their 5 credits of continuing education their certification will renew.

Any credits above the five needed to recertify their Level 4 or 5, the credits will be erased from their account.

(2) Evidence of Level

It is the responsibility of the local association to identify those coaches who do not meet the certification requirements. All coaches have until December 31 of the current season, to attend a USA Hockey coaching clinic. All coaches must complete the online age-specific modules PRIOR to participating with their team.

Beginning January 1 of the current season, prior to the start of each game, all coaches present are required to sign the designated area of the scoresheet in order to verify the accuracy of the playing roster, as it appears on the scoresheet, for that game.

(3) Penalty and Enforcement

Any coach not in possession of these certification requirements will be ineligible to coach for the remainder of the season. Districts and/or affiliates are required to uphold this penalty. It will be the responsibility of the local association registering the team to enforce the national penalty.