Have a question about JAHA and how it works? It might be answered below. If it's not, feel free to send us an e-mail at info@juneauhockey.org or use the Contact Us link above!

1. How does adult hockey work in Juneau?

Organized adult hockey in Juneau is managed by the Juneau Adult Hockey Association (JAHA), a fully volunteer-run, non-profit corporation.

Unlike many other sports (and hockey associations outside of Juneau), you do not need to form or find a team to play. Instead, if you are interested in playing adult hockey, you simply sign up during a designated registration period. At the conclusion of the registration period, you will be placed on a team and the season will start.

Over the years, we have found that Juneau has a very transient hockey community, making it difficult to sustain set teams year after year. This system was developed to address that issue and has the side benefit of making hockey in Juneau more accessible to new players as well as a great way to meet new people for those just moving here.

2. How do I sign up to play hockey?

Before each season (typically Fall, Holiday, and Winter), there is a registration period. If you have played before, you will receive a notice via e-mail when the registration period opens. If you are new, you should keep an eye on juneauhockey.org and JAHA’s Facebook page in August for the Fall season, November for the Holiday season, and December for the Winter season.

During this registration period, you will simply complete an online form and pay. (You will need a current USA Hockey number to register.) Once the registration period ends, teams and schedules will be created and you’ll be notified when everything has been set!

3. How are JAHA’s seasons structured?

JAHA typically has three seasons per year: the fall season (September – November), holiday (December), and winter season (January – April). The fall and winter seasons consist of a number of regular-season games followed by a tournament.

4. Why aren’t the fall and winter seasons combined into one long season with a single tournament like other cities?

JAHA has tried this in the past and the feedback wasn’t good.

This doesn’t mean that we will never try it again, but due to the seasonal nature of many Juneau jobs and activities, the number of players who are available to play hockey in the fall and those who are available in the winter can vary wildly. This means that a team created in the fall will likely look very different in the winter as players drop out and more join, which also means that entirely new teams would need to be created.

To give everyone as full of a hockey experience as possible, separating the fall and winter seasons and crowning champions for each has been found to work the best.

5. Can I be on the JAHA board?

YES! Elections for JAHA board positions are held each spring at the JAHA banquet. Information on positions, duties, terms, etc. can be found in JAHA’s bylaws.

6. Why isn’t beer allowed in the locker rooms?

No alcohol is allowed inside Treadwell Arena per City & Borough of Juneau (CBJ) ordinances. This is not a decision or rule made by JAHA, but we do appreciate your help in complying with it. Violations can result not only in penalties levied by the CBJ against individuals (up to a year-long ban from the rink), but to the association as a whole. Continued violations can impact JAHA’s ability to rent ice and so if a JAHA player is found to violate this rule, the player may face penalties from JAHA in addition to those levied by the CBJ.

7. Can you make it so that all of my games are on the same days at the same time each week?

Treadwell Arena is used by organizations other than JAHA – youth hockey, high school hockey, figure skating, and the public all use the rink. Available rink times are distributed as evenly as possible among all of these user groups. JAHA makes every attempt to schedule games as consistently as possible, but it is unfortunately not possible to accommodate a fixed schedule for all teams in all tiers of play.

8. Why can’t JAHA publish the schedule before the registration period ends?

JAHA definitely understands that knowing the schedule would be beneficial when making the decision to register, especially if you travel often or have other obligations that would prevent you from playing a number of games.

However, in order to create a schedule, JAHA needs to know how many teams there are in each tier, and in order to know how many teams there are, we need to know how many people are playing. This can only be determined with any certainty after the registration period ends.

We are constantly looking for ways to improve this process, so if you have an idea, please let us know!

9. Why are my games so LATE?

For the same reasons that JAHA can’t schedule games on fixed times/days, we need to share the available time slots during a given day with all other user groups (some who are at the rink as early as 6:00am!), which means that sometimes, we end up with a 10:15 or 10:30pm game time. Given this, we try as much as possible to spread out the late games so that no one tier or team sees more than one or two after-10 o’clock games during a season.

10. My team is horrible compared to other teams in my tier. What can I do?

Individual skill levels aren’t always easy to discern based on the information entered at registration and while we do our best to create competitively equal teams, sometimes it just doesn't work. To help resolve competitive discrepancies, there is a two-week period at the beginning of each season during which tier committees (the tier representative and all team representatives) can agree to move players to help ensure competitive parity. After this time, any changes must be agreed to by not only the tier committee, but by the JAHA president.

That said, JAHA is about having fun. If you’re on a fun team, that counts a lot more than your team’s record. (And you would be surprised at how many teams have lost all or nearly all regular-season games only to hit their stride in the tournament and take the championship!) However, if your team is clearly under- or OVER-skilled compared to other teams in your tier, you can let your team representative know, who may bring it up with the tier representative.

11. Why aren’t there more teams in my tier?

The number of teams is based entirely on the number of people who register.

Juneau is a very transient community and heavily based around seasonal industries. This means that over time, hockey players come and go, affecting the number of people who register and thus, affecting the number of teams we can create.

Additionally, we have found that because of fall activities such as commercial fishing and hunting, the fall season typically has fewer players and teams than the winter season.

We always aim to get as many registrations as possible and are always looking for new sources of players and posting flyers all around town, but our best marketing method is word of mouth. If you enjoy playing hockey and have a friend who you think would enjoy it as well, let them know about JAHA’s Intro to Hockey clinic, gear swap, and possible loaner gear!

12. I have a question, want to provide feedback, have a suggestion, or just want to share a thought. Who do I contact?

We are always happy to get input from our members! JAHA wouldn’t exist without you and you should definitely feel free to share ideas on how we can improve.

E-mail is the best way to share your thoughts with us and we can be reached at info@juneauhockey.org or by following the Contact Us link above.