Step 1 / MinorBlues Pre-Hockey

Is your child interested in playing hockey, but you don't know where to start? You've come to the right place! The Chicago Blues Hockey Club is proud to offer our Pre-Hockey Program. Click the "Register" button to the right to get signed up, or keep reading to learn more about the program.

Program Overview:

The MinorBlues Pre-Hockey Program's mission is to get kids on the ice and make sure they have fun while learning to play. The program follows the USA Hockey American Development Model (ADM) and stresses skating fundamentals with instruction from USA Hockey-certified instructors.

Program Pre-Requisites:

• Participants should be between 4-8 years of age
• Participants should be able to stand and skate on their own
• Participants are required to have full equipment (No equipment? No problem! Read more about our equipment rental program below)
• All participants must have a USA Hockey registration number. You can register your child here.

We look forward to helping your child take their first steps toward travel hockey!

Welcome to the Chicago Blues! Our mission is to help kids build strong skating and hockey fundamentals in a fun, supportive environment, guided by USA Hockey–certified directors and instructors.

Players will have both Wednesday and Sat/Sun opportunities. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Wednesday MinorBlues (5:10–5:55 pm)
2. Saturday/Sunday sessions. (8am - 9am).
3. Format: Each session starts with 10–15 minutes of free skate, then players will break into groups by ability. This USA Hockey–endorsed model gives kids a chance to be creative, interact with coaches, and ensures proper placement. Kids may move groups often as they progress. Group levels will be identified with colored stars:

• Green = Beginner
• Blue
• Silver
• Gold
• Red

1. Helmet Labels: Please put a label with your player’s first and last name on the front of their helmet (white hockey tape works great).

If you know any families interested in hockey, please forward this email along—we’d love to welcome them.

We look forward to helping your child take their first steps toward travel hockey!

MinorBlues is just the first step on your hockey journey. The Blues have designed our programs to take you all the way through to your child's first team tryout:

STEP 1: MinorBlues Pre-Hockey (typically 8 and under) - you are here!

STEP 2: FutureBlues U8 House League: (8 and under): This program takes your player to the next level by offering Mini-Games and Full-Ice Practices. Players can continue participating in MinorBlues for more ice time. Find out more here! Note: MinorBlues and FutureBlues are combined for Winter 2025. More info above.

STEP 3: Chicago Blues Mites (8U Travel Program). Our staff and coaches will work with you and your player to determine when your player is ready to make the jump to their first hockey tryout for a Chicago Blues 8U team. More information will become available ahead of tryouts, which are in the fall.

We understand players develop at different rates and typically move players from one program to another. We will let you know which step we feel is the best fit for your child.