Officials League Information

Prospective officials should contact Bob MacPherson for details on how to get started.

DO NOT PURCHASE AN AAU MEMBERSHIP UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE CUHL ASSIGNORS AND ADDED TO THE SCHEDULING WEBSITE. SIMPLY HAVING AN AAU NUMBER DOES NOT QUALIFY AN OFFICIAL TO WORK IN OUR LEAGUE. OUR ASSIGNORS HAVE FINAL SAY OVER WHO IS ACCEPTED AND OFFERED GAMES IN THE CUHL.

The CUHL recruits, trains, and mentors their own officials. Membership or certification as a Level 1 or higher official with USA Hockey does not automatically qualify someone to work CUHL games. All new prospective CUHL officials MUST ATTEND a CUHL sponsored seminar unless previously approved by Officials Education and Oversight Committee. Seminar attendance does not guarantee membership, as the candidate must pass both a written and skating exam. After attending a CUHL seminar, officials will be notified within 72 hours of acceptance/denial into the league.

AAU Membership is required to officiate in the CUHL, but AAU membership should not be purchased before August 15 of the playing season when the AAU membership year opens up. A valid 2024/25 AAU membership will be required to work any games in the 2024/25 CUHL season.

Returning officials: you may purchase your membership beginning August 15 following the steps outlined below in the Registration Instructions section.

For NEW officials - AAU membership should not be purchased until after acceptance following our seminar attendance or approval by the assigning committee. Once approved, you may follow the instructions below beginning August 15.

AAU membership does not guarantee placement on CUHL games. Assignors select officials based on their qualifications and experience. Please reach out to our assignors with any questions.

We have added an additional seminar for this season on Monday, October 21 from 6-9pm in Bensenville. We expect a lot of requests to attend and will have limited space available, so the session will be capped. We will be taking application through October 10th. There will be no walk-ins: pre-registration and confirmation are mandatory.

Announcements on acceptance will be sent no later than October 13. Additional information will be sent to officials at that time.

This seminar has a minimum age level of 14 years old, no exceptions.

Seminar: Monday, October 21 6-9pm (Edge on Jefferson)

Application Cut Off Date: Thursday, October 10

Confirmation Notice Date: Sunday, October 13

To register for this posted session, please complete the form below and email to:

AAU Membership Requirement: Just as with other organizations (such as USAH), officials must be registered and insured within the appropriate organization, in order to officiate within those games. In this same manner, referees officiating AAU games must be possess a current AAU membership, which in turn provides the individual with insurance while working AAU sanctioned events. Please note that USA Hockey membership as an official will not provide insurance benefits for AAU sanctioned events and vice versa.

Please find AAU registration instructions below. If an official does not already possess a current AAU membership then registration can be found HERE. Officials should register as Non-Athletes with the EXTENDED BENEFITS option selected. If you currently have an AAU membership, please email membership@aausports.org and ask to be affiliated with Chicago United Hockey League (W34YT3).

AAU Ice Hockey Officials Registration Process:

Officials under 18 years of age will need a parent:

• Go HERE and select YOUTH ATHLETE link.
• Click REGISTER FOR AAU MEMBERSHIP
• Click REGISTER MY CHILD AS HOCKEY-ICE-YOUTH ATHLETE (EXTENDED)
• When prompted, select CHICAGO UNITED HOCKEY LEAGUE W34YT3 as their club

Officials 18 and over:

• Go HERE and select NON-ATHLETE link.
• Click NON-ATHLETE button
• Select sport – HOCKEY-ICE and select EXTENDED BENEFITS option
• When prompted, select CHICAGO UNITED HOCKEY LEAGUE as their club W34YT3

Once you are done, please email the CUHL referee assignors at cuhlrefs@gmail.com with your name, AAU number, and information to get on the contact list.

For the 2024-2025 Season the Chicago United Hockey League will strongly recommend the use of neck laceration protectors ("neck guards") by all officials, especially those under the age of 18. Officials and their guardians (if minors) should use their best judgement regarding these protective items.

Neck guards will be REQUIRED for all players in the CUHL for the 2024-2025 season.

League-Specific Rules:

• Neck guards are required for all players
• Icing the puck is allowed during a penalty kill
• Slap shots are permitted
• Immediate offsides is called (no tag-up)
• Black 6oz puck is to be used for games

Game Timing:

D1 and D2 - 12:00 periods, 1:30 minor penalties

D3 and D3 Minor - 11:00 periods, 1:30 minor penalties

All divisions 4min Majors / 8min Misconducts

Tie after regulation (seeding round/regular season):

3 round shootout. If no winner, then game ends in a tie.

Tie after regulation (playoff games):

3 round shootout. If no winner, then sudden death shootout until a winner is decided.

Tie after regulation (playoff finals):

10 minute sudden-death OT (teams do not switch ends), then 3 round shootout. If no winner, then sudden death shootout until a winner is decided.

Game Officials

To file a Game Incident Report, please send the appropriate write-up to:

The CUHL is thrilled to partner with our official assignors in the creation of the CUHL Officials Education and Oversight Committee. This committee's objectives include recruiting, educating, developing, and retaining officials. By growing the pool at 8U, the committee hopes to eventually increase both the quality and quantity of officials at all levels, and develop passionate professionals who will give back to the game.

Thank you to:

Bob MacPherson

Steve Deinzer

Mike Wagner

To contact the committee, please reach out to:

Independent Contractor Status: Please note that hockey officials are independent contractors. They are not employed by or are agents of either AAU, the Chicago United Hockey League (CUHL) or any member Clubs’ or their respective Referee Schedulers (including CUHL Assignors). Officials may work games across all organizations and for USA Hockey affiliates too, if they so choose. CUHL’s member Clubs, acting through Referee Schedulers (including CUHL Assignors), make referee assignments as an accommodation to CUHL and its member Clubs. Referee Schedulers receive a fee for doing so. CUHL provides a website that lists games available to referee. Once an official is approved to work games in the CUHL, they will be given instructions on how to join the association and gain access to the assigning website.

Requirements: The CUHL recruits, trains, and mentors their own officials. Membership or certification as a Level 1 or higher official with USA Hockey does not automatically qualify someone to work CUHL games. All new prospective CUHL officials MUST ATTEND a CUHL sponsored seminar unless previously approved by Officials Education and Oversight Committee. Seminar attendance does not guarantee membership, as the candidate must pass both a written and skating exam. After attending a CUHL seminar, officials will be notified within 72 hours of acceptance/denial into the league.

Legal Issues: USA Hockey and its affiliates may not attempt to coerce, interfere with or take reprisals against any officials choosing to work AAU sanctioned events. On the contrary, USA Hockey is obligated under its National Governing Body status (NGB), granted by the US Olympic Committee to provide education, training, certification and support to officials throughout youth hockey, regardless of what organizations they may choose to work for. Further, any attempt to coerce officials to not work AAU sanctioned events, for the purpose of maintaining a competitive advantage to USA Hockey and its affiliates over other organizations, would be an unlawful restraint of trade (which is a felony under the Sherman Antitrust Act). Any referee and/or referee scheduler who believes that they have been, or are being coerced by officials from USA Hockey and/or its affiliates should report any such unlawful activities to the US Olympic Committee and also to the appropriate law enforcement authorities (such as the US-DOJ).