B, C, LL - What does it all mean???
B
The Dorchester Minor Hockey Association (DMHA) is classified as "B" within the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). Each centre is classified based on its size within a certain boundary. The classifications are AAA, AA, A, B, C, D.
The DMHA top Representative (Rep) or competitive team is our B team. For any DMHA B team, the most competitive players (as determined by the appointed Head Coach and supporting individuals) are selected to its roster. All DMHA B teams play within the Shamrock Hockey League (https://shamrockhockeyleague.ca/). For league play DMHA B teams will play against teams that may not share the same letter classification (i.e. B), but for OMHA playdowns, we only play against B (and possibly A) centres. B teams exist only at U11 and above.
**For the 2022-2023 Season - For the 2022-23 season, OMHA will continue to implement the U9 and below pathways. The 2022-2023 season will be the last year for U9 to exist in a competitive league. The U9 MD team(s) will play within the Shamrock (Rep) league.
C
DMHA is a larger centre with registration numbers to support an additional Rep team, giving more kids a development opportunity to play at the rep level. Second entry Rep teams from DMHA are deemed "C" by OMHA and play within the Shamrock Hockey League. DMHA has a C team at all divisions, U11 and above. The C team is the DMHA second tier Rep team.
After players are selected for the B team, players are then selected for the C team. This is considered to be the next group of most competitive players for the given age division within the association. All divisions U11-U15 are two year age groups, with U18 being a three year age group. The C team also plays within the Shamrock Hockey League, but against other C teams.
LL
After both the B and C teams are selected, all remaining players will play on a Local League (LL) team. There are typically 2 or 3 LL teams in each age division. All LL teams (U9-U18) play in the Lambton-Middlesex Local League (
https://lmll.ca/). All LL teams (U9-U18) created to be "balanced" with an aim to have similar skill levels on each team.
TRAVEL
All our teams (U7-U18) will travel to compete against other centres. This includes B, C and LL.
TRYOUTS
In most circumstances, interested players will try out for both B and C. At U9 MD, U11 B and U13 B, players are entitled to 3 skates before any cuts are made, as per OMHA requirements. At U15 B and U18 B, players are entitled to 2 skates before any cuts are made, as per DMHA policy. Players are only entitled to 1 skate during C tryouts.