Chelsea Hockey Association welcomes you to join a supportive community valuing teamwork, skill development, and fun.  While the sport may seem complex at first, rest assured that our coaches and staff are here to guide you every step of the way. We look forward to seeing your child grow as a player and watching your family create wonderful memories in the seasons to come.

This page is here so that you may learn about the programs we offer, the costs involved, the ice times offered, what equipment is needed, and ultimately choose what path is best for your player and family. 

The Arctic Coliseum offers several instructional programs for kids to experience and learn the fundamentals of skating and playing hockey prior to joining Chelsea Hockey Association.  

No skating experience is required.  Snow Cubs is an introductory skating program for beginning skaters ages 3-5 in a hockey setting through age appropriate activities on the ice.  This program is designed to get your skater excited to come to the rink and skate with the Arctic Coliseum.  

Full gear and a stick is required and can be borrowed through the Arctic Coliseum's loaner program, if needed. Not only is skating in full gear safer for new skaters, it gets them used to movement and weight of the equipment. Puck touches will be secondary to entry level skating techniques.  Once a player has successfully completed Snow Cubs, the natural transition is to Learn-to-Play or the 6U mini-mite program offered by Chelsea Hockey Association.

Learn to Play Hockey is for skaters ages 6-12, and aims to teach new players fundamental skills such as skating, stick handling, puck control, passing, and shooting in a fun and supportive environment. No skating experience is required.

The 3 month long session is modeled after the USA Hockey American Development Model (ADM). The ADM puts kids in an environment that teaches fundamentals through high rep, low down time games and drills with like skilled players, enhancing engagement and fun.  When ice time is fun, players will want to return to the ice week after week.

This is a perfect choice for beginner hockey players to learn hockey fundamentals without making a full season commitment or pay for full gear, thanks to help of the Arctic Coliseum's equipment loaner program.  After completing LTP, players are encouraged to join their respective age group in the CHA house program and further develop as a hockey player.

Travel hockey begins at 9U-Squirt level. There is no 8U Mite travel hockey. 

House and Travel hockey share are very similar in rules, leagues, tournaments, and coaching methods. Where they differ the most is the time commitment and skill level. 

The table below shows the differences between the two programs; however, it is not exact. Cost is greatly impacted by what days a team skates, roster size, fundraising, and coaching philosophy. Time is greatly impacted by age, skill level, and coaching philosophy.

The Chelsea Bulldogs house program offers players the opportunity to play organized hockey with an emphasis on development and fun. All house teams consist of 2 birth years of players. No players are cut. The season runs from August to March.

To keep time and cost to a minimum, 6U and 8U primarily play at the Arctic Coliseum in a true house league against other CHA players. Occasionally the team will travel to optional jamborees. 

Teams at 10U and older play in the Little Caesars Amateur Hockey League but will have opportunities to play in tournaments and non-league games.  In this respect, 10U & 12U function very similarly to travel programs but with less time commitment and cost. For those reasons, many parents find House League Hockey to be an attractive alternative to travel hockey.

Travel hockey is for players ages 9 to 18 seeking a higher level of competition and a more intensive practice schedule.  Travel teams play in the Little Caesars Amateur Hockey League. Standard season tryouts are held in late May to early June and the season typically runs from August through March.

All players must try out to participate in travel teams and must make a commitment to attend games and practices. Teams consist primarily of players within a single birth year. Roster exceptions and limits exist for out-of-district and younger players playing-up. Travel teams compete regularly against hockey teams from the state of Michigan.  Teams can also elect to participate in competitive tournaments across the Midwest based upon the interest level of its families and possibly further based on the success of the team.

Travel hockey requires a stronger commitment from players and their families than does house hockey as a player works to take his or her hockey experience to the highest level.

Parents of players should be aware of important dates leading up to the season and during the season to make sure that they don't miss out on an opportunity.

• May/June – Fall Tryouts for travel teams.
• July - Registration opens
• Early August – Travel teams begin skating
• Mid August – House teams begin skating
• September – Preseason scrimmages begin
• October – LCAHL league begins
• Nov 1 – Team Pictures
• Early January – Play in games for D6 tournament
• February – MAHA & LCAHL playoffs begin
• March - MAHA &  LCAHL championships