Welcome Back 2026 - 2027
The Sabre Hockey Association is very excited to welcome everyone back to the 2026-2027 fall hockey season, our 55th year as a Tier 2 travel hockey program in Illinois. Our very committed Board of Directors, Hockey Committee and Coaching Staff all eagerly look forward to providing the community with a fun, competitive environment for athletes of all ages to foster their love of the game.
We will continue building on the incredible Sabre culture that pushes individual athletic development, while emphasizing the importance of learning how to be a part of a team. Once again last season we saw some amazingly successful teams, highlighted by another 2 State Championships at 16U AA, and Girls 12U.
During the upcoming season we will continue fielding teams across all levels of hockey so that every Sabre player and family can find the right fit for their developmental needs; Tier 2 and Tier 3 travel leagues, in-house hockey, coed and girl’s programming. The Sabres offer something for everyone.
- The Central States Developmental Hockey League (CSDHL) showcases some of the highest levels of Tier 2 hockey in the country. We are very honored to have the following 8 teams selected to compete in their birthyear divisions: *18U Midget Major, *16U Midget Minor, *15O Midget Minor, *14U Bantam Major, 13U Bantam Minor, 12U Peewee Major, 10U Squirt Major and 9U Squirt Minor.
*USA Hockey Nationally Eligible
- Building off last season, the CSDHL will also be hosting all our Tier 2 coed teams in their expanded Prospects Divisions. We will be fielding the following teams in the CSDHL’s Prospect divisions; 14U Prospects Red, 14U Prospects White, 12U Prospects Red, 12U Prospects White, 12U Prospects Blue, 10U Prospects Red, 10U Prospects White, and a Midget Prospect team that we will place in the 18U Prospects Red division.
- This the first year we will field an 18U Prospects team, which will be a combination 18U/16U team for any 2008-2011 coed players that are still striving to develop their games in a competitive Midget / High School aged league.
- Last season also introduced a Girls Tier 2 league, the Midwest Superior Girls Hockey (MSGH) that hosted all our Sabre Girls teams. Our incredibly successful Girls program continues to thrive, and we plan to field the following 6 teams in the MSGH again this year: *19U, *14U, 12U Gold, 12U Navy, 10U Gold, and 10U Navy (based on registration). *USA Hockey Nationally Eligible
- Understanding the importance of having a bridge program for athletes who are new to the game, as well families who may need a lesser time and financial commitment to youth hockey, the Sabres will additionally continue to place teams in Illinois’ Tier 3 travel hockey league, the Northwest Hockey League (NWHL) at the following ages: 14U, 12U and 10U.
- In regular tradition, our Jr Sabre Mite travel teams will participate in the highly reputable local 8U travel league, the Chicago United Hockey League (CUHL). We will again be entering (4) Mite travel teams for the upcoming season who will play their way through a seeding round to determine which division will be of the proper level for them.
- And of course, our own Junior Sabres House League (JSHL) will continue to provide a place for all players 10 and under to get the chance to be a part of a hockey team, no matter how new they are to the game. Each year JSHL formatting is subject to registration, but we plan to field 2 divisions this season, a Major (players aged 8-10) and a Minor (players aged 7 and under).
As crazy as it feels, August is right around the corner. While we certainly hope everyone makes the most of their final few weeks of summer, we also want to encourage everyone to register as early as possible as this helps us plan for the upcoming season in the most efficient manner.
We look forward to seeing everyone around the rink soon. Let’s Go, Sabres!
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Brandon Lewandowski | Hockey Director