Registration is done online through our website at playhnib.com. Each player registers individually. Simply select the tournament event your player is eligible for, fill out the player information form, and complete payment.

You’ll receive an automatic confirmation email from info@playhnib.com. If you need to make any changes, email info@playhnib.com or call (978) 682-2425.

• Player info: Full name, home address, email, cell phone, Instagram handle (optional)
• School info: Current school, next year’s school, expected graduation year, additional sports
• Hockey info: Date of birth, position, shooting/catching hand, height, weight, most recent team & league, next season’s anticipated team, recent season stats, prep schools/colleges of interest
• Parent/Guardian info: Name, email, cell phone
• Payment info and Liability waiver

Registration opens in the fall for the following summer’s events. We accept registrations on a rolling basis until each event reaches capacity.

There is no hard registration deadline, however events do fill up. Once an event is full, additional players are placed on a waitlist. We strongly encourage registering early.

Yes. If an event reaches capacity, we maintain a waitlist. Players are added in the order they signed up if a spot opens due to a cancellation or withdrawal. You are not charged until you are officially moved off the waitlist and into the tournament.

Check your spam/junk folder first. Confirmation emails come from info@playhnib.com and sometimes get filtered. If you still can’t find it, email info@playhnib.com or call (978) 682-2425 and we’ll verify your registration and resend the confirmation.

Yes. Simply email the changes to info@playhnib.com or call (978) 682-2425. Common changes include updated stats, school information, position changes, or contact info corrections.

It depends on the tournaments and the player’s eligibility. Some events run concurrently at the same venue, so playing in two at once isn’t possible. However, if tournaments are on different weekends, a player may be able to participate in more than one. Contact us to discuss your specific situation.

• Boys/Girls Major Showcase: Players entering their Junior or Senior year in the upcoming fall. U20 players entering a PG year at a Prep school or Junior program are also eligible.
• Sophomore All-Star Tournament: Players entering their Sophomore year (10th grade) in the upcoming fall.
• Jr. High Festival: Players entering 8th or 9th grade in the upcoming fall.
• Girls Central/Regional Festivals: Eligibility varies. Check the specific event page for details.

Eligibility is based on the grade you are entering in the fall, not your current grade.

Eligibility is primarily based on school grade (the grade you will be entering in the fall), not birth year. If you have questions about a specific player’s eligibility due to reclassification, PG year, or an unusual situation, please contact us directly.

HNIB tournaments welcome players of varying skill levels, but they are competitive events with scouts in attendance. Our Showcase events tend to attract higher-level players being evaluated by college programs, while our Festival events are more inclusive and development-oriented. If you’re unsure which event is right for your player, feel free to call us.

Absolutely. HNIB tournaments attract talent from all over the United States, parts of Canada, and Europe. Our events are open to any eligible player regardless of geographic location.

Yes. HNIB runs dedicated girls events, separate from the boys events, with their own rosters, schedules, scouts, and media coverage. For 2027, that includes the Girls Major Showcase and three regional Girls Festivals (Central/West, Southeast MA/RI, and Mass/New England).

For the Boys/Girls Major Showcase, yes. U20 players entering a PG year at a Prep school or a Junior hockey program are eligible. For other events, please contact us to discuss your player’s specific situation.

• Regional Festivals: $379/player
• Jr. High Festival, Sophomore All-Star Showcase, and Boys and Girls Major Showcases: $479/player

The Boys and Girls Major Showcases are invite-only. Invited players register at the $479 rate.

If paying by credit/debit card, a small processing fee (approximately $13 to $17) is added. Paying by check avoids this fee.

• Credit/Debit Card: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, processed during online registration (small processing fee applies)
• Check/Money Order: Made payable to Hockey Night in Boston and mailed to:
  Hockey Night in Boston
  89 Main Street Rear, Suite 220
  Andover, MA 01810

You can also call (978) 682-2425 to pay by phone with a credit card after registering.

• 4 guaranteed games (two 23-minute stop-time periods each)
• Custom HNIB game jersey (yours to keep)
• Media coverage: professional videography, photography, and live social media
• Free HNIB Player Profile: early registrants get beta access, and all registrants will have access before the 2027 events begin
• Scout exposure from college coaches, prep school coaches, and junior team scouts
• Playoff eligibility based on round-robin performance
• No gate fees for family and friends
• For the Jr. High Festival and Sophomore All-Star Showcase: access to the Prep School Info Day Fair (25+ schools)

We don’t currently offer a standard payment plan through the online system. However, if you need to discuss alternative payment arrangements, please call the HNIB office directly at (978) 682-2425.

Discount availability may vary by year and event. Contact us at info@playhnib.com to inquire about any current promotions, sibling discounts, or group rates. If a coach provided you with a Coach’s Code, be sure to enter it during registration.

The credit card processing fee is approximately 3.5% of the registration amount, roughly $13.27 for a $379 event and $16.77 for a $479 event. To avoid this fee, you may choose to pay by check or money order.

The refund deadline for 2027 events is May 15, 2027.

• Before the refund deadline: Full refund available upon request
• After the refund deadline: Refunds are generally not available, as jerseys have been ordered and rosters finalized

If you have an extenuating circumstance (injury, family emergency, etc.), please contact us as soon as possible and we’ll work with you on a case-by-case basis.

Email info@playhnib.com with the player’s name and the event they’re registered for, or call (978) 682-2425. We’ll process the cancellation and issue a refund if you’re within the refund window.

We understand injuries happen. Contact us as soon as possible at info@playhnib.com. While we can’t guarantee a refund after the deadline, we handle injury situations on a case-by-case basis and will do our best to work with your family.

Since our tournaments are held in indoor ice arenas, weather cancellations are extremely rare. In the unlikely event of a facility issue or other disruption, HNIB will communicate directly with registered families and work to reschedule affected games. We’ve been running these tournaments for 50+ years and pride ourselves on delivering every guaranteed game.

Partial refunds are not available for missed individual games. The registration fee covers the full tournament experience including all 4 guaranteed games, your jersey, program inclusion, and scout exposure. If you know in advance that your player will miss a game, please let us know so we can plan roster adjustments accordingly.

• Rising 8th/9th graders with strong high-level play looking at prep school: Jr. High Festival (open registration for individuals and teams, includes the Prep School Info Day Fair)
• Rising Sophomores at a top competitive level wanting early college and junior exposure: Sophomore All-Star Showcase (open registration for individuals and teams, includes the Prep School Info Day Fair)
• Any player looking for regional competition or a path toward the Major Showcase: Regional Festivals (open registration)
• Rising Juniors, Seniors, and PGs serious about college or junior hockey: Boys or Girls Major Showcase (invite only, see below)

About the Major Showcases: The Boys and Girls Major Showcases are invite-only events. There are two ways to earn an invitation:

• Perform at an HNIB Regional Festival. Coaches and evaluators select top performers for a direct invitation to the Major Showcase.
• Receive a direct invite from HNIB or from a coach organizing a private team for the Showcase.

Not sure which event fits? Call us at (978) 682-2425 and we’re happy to talk through the best path for your player.

HNIBnews.org is HNIB’s in-season media site. From November to March it covers New England high school and prep hockey, including high school hockey across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and prep school hockey with weekly polls, tips, and tournament coverage.

Its coverage runs during the school season rather than at the summer events, and it ties in HNIB players on a site that coaches and scouts already follow. At the summer events themselves, rosters, live scoring, and stats run through the HNIB App, and games stream on LiveBarn (with an active LiveBarn account).

HNIB summer events run from mid-June through early August. The 2027 schedule:

• Boys and Girls Central/West Festivals: June 12 to 13, 2027 at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center
• Boys and Girls Southeast MA/RI Festivals: June 19 to 20, 2027 at The Bog (Kingston, MA)
• Boys Mass North/Northern NE Festival and Girls Mass/New England Festival: June 26 to 27, 2027 at the Essex Sports Center
• Jr. High Festival and Sophomore All-Star Showcase: June 29 to July 2, 2027* at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center
• Boys Major Showcase: July 29 to August 1, 2027 at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center
• Girls Major Showcase: August 5 to 8, 2027 at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center

*Depending on the total number of teams, some Jr. High and Sophomore playoff games may extend to July 3.

Specific game times for your player are released closer to the event. Registration links for every event are at playhnib.com.

Every 2027 HNIB event is held in Massachusetts at one of three venues: the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center in Worcester, the Essex Sports Center, and The Bog in Kingston. Each event is played entirely in one building, so scouts can see every team without driving between rinks.

The venue for each event is listed on its registration page and confirmed in pre-event communications.

Every player is guaranteed 4 games in round-robin play. Teams that advance to the playoffs will play additional games beyond the guaranteed four.

Games consist of two 23-minute stop-time periods with full officiating: offsides, icings, penalties, the works. Live scoring runs through the HNIB App, and games are available to stream on LiveBarn. This format allows scouts to see players in a real-game setting with proper stoppages, faceoffs, and special teams situations.

After the 4-game round-robin, teams are ranked by record and tiebreakers. The top teams in each division advance to single-elimination playoff games. Standings and brackets are communicated through the HNIB App and at the venue.

Detailed game schedules are typically released 1 to 2 weeks before the tournament via the HNIB App, email to registered families, and at check-in. Game times can range from early morning to evening, so plan to be flexible.

Players register individually and are assigned to teams by HNIB staff based on position, skill level, geography, and balance. Every registration is reviewed for age and level of play, so each team is balanced and competitive. Our goal is to create competitive, well-rounded teams that give every player a chance to showcase their abilities.

If a coach recruited you using a Coach’s Code or referral link, you’ll be placed on that coach’s team.

We do our best to accommodate reasonable requests, but we can’t guarantee specific teammate pairings. If you have a request, email info@playhnib.com before rosters are finalized and we’ll take it into consideration.

A typical team roster includes approximately 12 forwards, 6 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders (20 total). We require every team to have at least 2 goaltenders and 15 skaters.

The Private Team option allows a coach to bring their own group of players to compete as a team. Each player registers and pays individually through a custom registration link, so the coach doesn’t handle any money. You can bring a full squad or a partial group, and HNIB will fill remaining spots with top at-large talent. Every team needs at least 2 goaltenders and 15 skaters.

Coaches interested in the Private Team option should email jamie@playhnib.com.

We instruct coaches to distribute playing time as evenly as possible throughout the tournament. Every player should expect meaningful ice time across all 4 guaranteed games. The purpose of the tournament is exposure, so it’s in everyone’s best interest for all players to be seen.

Yes. Every registered player receives a custom HNIB game jersey included in their registration fee. Players keep the jersey after the tournament. Jerseys are distributed at check-in or at the venue before your first game.

Players should bring their full hockey equipment, everything except the jersey (which HNIB provides). This includes:

• Helmet with full cage or visor (as required by league rules)
• Hockey pants/breezers, shin guards, shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves
• Hockey skates, sticks, athletic cup
• Both dark and light socks : you may be home or away for different games
• Goalies: full goalie gear

Jersey sizes are generally assigned based on the height/weight information you provide during registration. If there’s a fit issue, visit the HNIB staff table at the venue and we’ll do our best to accommodate an exchange based on available inventory.

HNIB events are scouted by a wide range of programs including NCAA Division I, Division III, club hockey programs (ACHA), prep schools, and junior hockey teams. Over 50 years, HNIB has built strong relationships with college coaches nationwide. Thousands of HNIB alumni have gone on to play NCAA hockey since 1972, and more than 300 have gone on to play in the NHL, PWHL, AHL, and the Olympics.

The Prep School Info Day Fair is held during the Jr. High Festival and Sophomore All-Star Showcase and features 25+ prep schools with representatives on site. Players and families can visit booths, ask questions, pick up materials, and make initial connections with prep school admissions and coaching staff.

• Media coverage: professional videography, photography, and live social media at every event
• HNIBnews.org: from November to March, in-season coverage of New England high school and prep hockey that ties in HNIB players
• HNIB App: scouts can look up rosters, live scores, and stats during the event
• LiveBarn streaming: coaches who are not in the building can still watch games
• MassHSHockey.com coverage: additional digital visibility for Massachusetts high school players
• Free HNIB Player Profile: early registrants get beta access, and all registrants will have access before the 2027 events begin
• 50+ years of credibility: when a college coach sees “HNIB” on a player’s resume, it carries weight

Absolutely, and we encourage it. Having your player’s “Prep Schools and/or Colleges Interested In” field filled in on the registration form helps scouts identify interested players. After the tournament, players and families are welcome to email coaches referencing their HNIB participation.

Yes. On June 23, 2026, the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved a new age-based eligibility model. Every D-I athlete now gets five years of eligibility, and the clock starts when a player first enrolls full-time in college or at the beginning of the academic year after their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.

The original proposal would have started the clock at high school graduation, which would have devastated hockey’s junior pathway. After unified pushback from the entire hockey community, including a unanimous vote against it by all 63 D-I men’s coaches plus lobbying from the NHL, USA Hockey, and the junior leagues, the NCAA changed the trigger.

Timing matters: Players enrolling in fall 2026 get whichever system (old or new) is more favorable to them. The new rule becomes mandatory for players who first enroll in fall 2027 or later, which means today’s high school players fall squarely under it.

Yes, but the math has changed. Under the new rule:

• A player who graduates around their 18th birthday can play one year of juniors and keep all five years of NCAA eligibility
• A second junior season leaves four years of eligibility
• A third junior season leaves three years

The traditional one-to-two-year junior path is intact. The old “long road” of three years in juniors before college now costs real eligibility.

The rule also effectively eliminates traditional medical redshirts. Extra seasons are only granted for military service, religious missions, or pregnancy.

The Development League is USA Hockey’s new top tier of youth hockey, often called the NDL (National Development League). On October 5, 2026, USA Hockey invited 29 programs from more than 80 applicants, and all 29 accepted. Play begins in fall 2027.

• Structure: Each program fields one 15U team and one 17U team, roughly 700 players nationally.
• Schedule: 40 to 55 regular-season games from September through March, at least 60 percent of them against other DL teams, no more than one game per day, and a separate DL postseason instead of USA Hockey Nationals.
• Recruiting: Open residency lets programs recruit nationally. Returning players sign January 15 to 31, 2027, followed by an open signing period in February. A signed agreement guarantees a roster spot for the season, with a release if the player signs with the NTDP, USHL, or NAHL before the season starts.
• Programs in the Northeast: Boston Jr. Eagles (Mass.), Mount St. Charles Jr. Mounties (R.I.), Mid-Fairfield (Conn.), and Seacoast (N.H.) in New England, plus BK Selects and Buffalo Jr. Sabres (N.Y.); North Jersey Avalanche, Rockets, and Woodbridge Wolfpack (N.J.); and the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (Pa.).

The selection committee has said more programs could be added in future seasons.

USA Hockey has said that in regions where high school and prep school hockey dominate, like New England, the path to college hockey was already clear, and the selections reflect that. Only four New England programs were invited, and the Boston Jr. Eagles are the only Massachusetts program. Well-known academies that applied, including Lovell Academy and Masters Academy, were not selected.

What families should expect:

• A small number of roster spots. Four New England programs means eight teams. That is a small number next to the roughly 1,200 boys who play varsity prep hockey at more than 60 New England schools.
• One season or the other. A DL season runs September through March, the same months as the high school and prep season, so for most players it is one or the other.
• Pressure on clubs that were left out. The DL label and open residency will help selected programs recruit. Clubs outside the DL may find it harder to keep top players, and familiar schedules may shift as DL teams play most of their games against each other.
• Scouting attention concentrates at the top. The DL will draw heavy scouting attention, which makes independent events where high school, prep, club, and junior-bound players compete together more valuable for everyone outside it.

Since August 2025, Canadian major junior (CHL) players have been eligible for NCAA Division I, and Division III programs began opening to them in fall 2026. CHL players made up roughly 38 percent of all D-I commitments in the first year and a half after the rule change (as of April 2026).

At the same time, D-I programs that opted into the House settlement now carry a hard 26-player roster limit, down from the 28 or 29 players many teams used to carry (some current players are grandfathered for a few more seasons). Fewer roster spots, plus older and more game-ready competition, means a tighter funnel for every American player. The 5-for-5 eligibility rule adds another wrinkle: players choosing between the CHL and USHL routes now have to weigh eligibility math that did not exist two years ago.

NIL stands for name, image, and likeness. Since 2021, college athletes have been allowed to earn money from endorsements, appearances, social media, and similar deals. Since July 2025, there have been two separate ways a college hockey player can be paid:

• Revenue sharing from the school. Under the House v. NCAA settlement, Division I schools that opt in can pay athletes directly, up to a cap of roughly $20.5 million per school in the first year, rising each year. That cap covers every sport at the school, and at most power-conference schools the large majority goes to football and basketball.
• Third-party NIL deals. Athletes can still sign endorsement deals with outside companies. Deals worth $600 or more must be reported through the NIL Go platform, where the College Sports Commission checks that each deal has a real business purpose and reflects fair market value.

Schools that opt in also trade the old 18-scholarship limit in hockey for a 26-player roster limit, and they may offer scholarship money to all 26 players. Programs across the Big Ten, Hockey East, and the NCHC have opted in. Schools that do not opt in stay at 18 scholarships. Division III programs do not offer athletic scholarships, and revenue sharing applies only to Division I.

The rules may still change. In late September 2026 the U.S. Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act, a federal NIL bill, and the House has not yet voted on it.

• Fewer total roster spots. Programs that opted in are capped at 26 players, so there is less room for walk-ons and depth players than there used to be.
• More scholarship money for those who make it. Opt-in schools can now offer scholarship aid to all 26 players instead of splitting 18 scholarships across the roster.
• More competition for each spot. CHL players and transfers now compete for the same roster spots as American high school, prep, and junior players.
• Money is uneven. Power-conference schools tend to spend most of their revenue-sharing cap on football and basketball. Schools without football may have more room to invest in hockey if they can find the funding, which could spread talent across more programs.
• Evaluation matters more. With every roster spot and scholarship dollar carrying more weight, coaches want to see players in real games against good competition before they commit.

High school: Yes, within limits. Massachusetts high school athletes have been allowed to sign NIL deals since 2022 under MIAA rules, and Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island also allow high school NIL with restrictions. In Massachusetts, deals cannot use the school’s name, nickname, or logo or the MIAA’s marks, cannot be promoted during team or tournament activities, cannot involve banned categories like alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or gambling, and must be shared with the school.

Prep school: NEPSAC schools follow similar principles. Players cannot be paid simply for being athletes, cannot use school branding, and must report payments to the school. Policies can vary by school, so check with your athletic director.

Junior hockey: NIL has reached the junior level. In January 2026, the USPHL launched a league-wide, performance-based NIL program capped at $250,000 per season, paid out for championships and weekly individual awards.

Real NIL opportunities for high school and junior players are still uncommon and usually small. Before signing anything, read your state association’s rules and your school’s policy, and ask the compliance office at any college recruiting your player.

NIL has changed how college players get paid, but it has not changed how they get recruited. Coaches still have to find players, see them play, and trust what they saw. That is what HNIB events are built for:

• Media coverage at every event: professional video, photography, and live social media give players real game film and content, the same material college coaches evaluate and any future NIL presence is built on.
• Scouting information that is easy to find: rosters, live scoring, and stats in the HNIB App, games available to stream on LiveBarn (with an active LiveBarn account), and ties to HNIBnews.org’s in-season coverage of New England high school and prep hockey (November to March).
• Free HNIB Player Profile: early registrants get beta access, and all registrants will have access before the 2027 events begin.
• Real games in one building: stop-time games with full officiating, played under one roof so scouts can see every team.
• Every pathway in one place: NCAA, ACHA, junior, and prep school evaluators all attend, so your player is seen regardless of which route they take.

More than ever. The ACHA now includes over 560 college teams across 48 states with roughly 16,000 players, and ACHA Men’s Division I will have 83 teams in 27 states for 2026-27, up from 77 a year earlier.

Schools like North Carolina, NC State, Louisville, and locally Sacred Heart (which will field an ACHA M1 team alongside its NCAA D-I program) are investing in club hockey. The ACHA also runs its own recruiting pipeline, including a national Prospect Showcase Series where ACHA coaches run practices, coach the benches, and recruit players directly from the events. ACHA and NCAA coaches alike attend HNIB events.

As the NCAA funnel tightens, ACHA M1 hockey lets strong players start college on time, keep competing at a high level, and skip the cost of extra junior seasons.

Honest answer: it is contracting, but it is not dying, and there is real momentum right now.

In Massachusetts, 78 cities and towns have dropped boys’ hockey since 2001-02 and co-op programs continue to grow, driven mostly by rink costs and competition from clubs, prep schools, and junior programs. Maine has seen a similar two-decade decline.

But the biggest high school hockey news in years landed this May: the MIAA approved the return of the Super 8 (Division 1A) tournament for the 2027-28 season, and for the first time ever there will be a girls’ Super 8 too. The top eight teams by power ranking, regardless of division, will battle through pool play to championships at TD Garden, and schools cannot opt out.

High school hockey remains a real development path, especially when paired with summer exposure events where school players skate against AAA and junior-bound competition.

Earlier than the last generation did. The DL narrows the elite youth funnel starting in 2027-28. The 5-for-5 rule caps how long a player can develop in juniors. CHL imports have raised the age and readiness bar for D-I rosters.

The pathway is compressing from both ends, which means the evaluation window has moved into the sophomore and junior years of high school. That is exactly the window HNIB events serve: our festivals and showcases put high school, prep, and AAA players on the same ice in front of college, junior, and prep evaluators, so your player knows where they actually stand while there is still time to act on it.

Hotel information for the 2027 events is to be announced. Once it is set, details about recommended hotels, rates and booking will be shared before the events, including in pre-event communications. If you need hotel info sooner, email info@playhnib.com.

Most families drive to the venue. For those flying in, Boston Logan Airport (BOS) is the closest major airport. Worcester and other venues are typically a 60 to 90 minute drive depending on traffic. Providence (PVD) and Manchester (MHT) airports are also options. Specific venue addresses and directions are included in pre-tournament materials.