Contact, kit and concussion in ice hockey

ICE HOCKEY TRAINING Reading time : 14 min Updated October 14, 2026
Contents
In ice hockey there is no checking age: the gate is a matrix of federation, category, class and sex. The same 12-year-old plays a championship “mit Körperkontakt” at the ÖEHV, while the SIHF, Hockey Canada, Hockey Québec and the FFHG do not allow body checking at that age. This page quotes the texts, says what the research supports (a rule, not a programme) and does not replace a doctor's advice. No drill in the library suggests body checking below a gate, and every contact drill names its own.

The contact gate: federation, category, class, sex

Always write all four: “checking at U15” without federation, category, class and edition is a defect. Here is what each text read writes.

FederationWhat the text writes
IIHF 2026/27Rule 48.1: “There is no clean check to the head or neck”; a minor, or a major and automatic game misconduct for reckless endangerment. Women's hockey (Rule 101.1): checking is allowed only with a clear intention of playing the puck; the illegal hit is a minor or a major with a game misconduct.
Hockey Canada 2026-28Rule 7.3: body-checking is penalised “in divisions of U13 and below, in female hockey, and any other divisions approved by a Member of Hockey Canada”; incidental body contact, two opposing players in pursuit of the puck in the same direction, is not penalised. The U15 start follows from it: “full body-checking is not permitted until U15 at most intermediate and competitive levels”, and house leagues offer a non-body-checking option in every division, U15 and U18 included. The classes belong to the 13 Members.
Hockey Québecregulation 7.3 (2025-26 edition read; the 2026-27 guide reproduces the table): M7, M9, M11 no contact or checking; M13 A-B-C no contact, M13 AA-BB physical contact (contact physique); M15 A-B-C physical contact, M15 AA-BB progressive checking (MEÉP); M18 A-B physical contact, AA-BB MEÉP; full checking appears only in M18 AAA provincial, the LHJMQ, senior AAA-AA and college D1 or university. Women's: no MEÉP or full-checking cell in the table. “Le contact à la tête n’est en aucun cas toléré au hockey mineur.”
USA Hockey 2025-29Rule 604(a): “Body checking is prohibited in the 12 & under youth age classifications and below, all Girls’/Women’s age classifications and all non-check Adult classifications”; 14U is the first class where it is permitted (boys). “Competitive Contact hockey does not mean ‘no contact’”: a Competitive Contact team that meets a Body Checking team plays without checking.
FFHG 2026/27RAS 7.2: “Les charges avec le corps sont interdites dans les catégories U9, U11 et U13, en hockey féminin élite, en Trophée fédéral, Challenge loisirs ainsi que pour le hockey 3x3. Le body contact est autorisé dans les catégories féminines.” For men's U15, U18, U20 and senior, no ban is published.
SIHF 2026/27Art. 87.3: body checks (“Körperchargen”) are not allowed in the animation classes U18-A, U16-A and U14-A or in U12 and U9; a shove in the fight for the puck is allowed, with no check on the boards or in open ice. From 2027/28: U14-A stays without checks, U16-A introduces it at its level, U18-A plays with full body play. Allowed in U21-A and in the promotion and relegation rounds of U18 and U16. Nothing written for U14-Elit, U14-Top, U16 and U18 Elit or Top: permitted by omission.
ÖEHV 2026/27U9 and U10: no body contact (“ohne Körperkontakt”); U11: body checks not permitted (“Bodychecks sind nicht erlaubt”); U12, U14, U16, U18i and U20i: with body contact (“mit Körperkontakt”). The U12 development document says body play is allowed there and that checking technique deserves attention; the text does not write “Bodycheck erlaubt”.
England Ice Hockey 2026-27U10: “Bodychecking is NOT allowed”; U12 non-checking; U14, U16 and U19 checking.
Ice Hockey Australiauntil 14, all boys and girls play no-body-checking hockey; from 14, an option after assessment by an accredited coach, with non-checking competitions remaining open.
DEBchecking age not found in the documents reachable (the playing regulation sits in a restricted-access area).

The lowest published gates, side by side: ÖEHV, play with contact from U12; USA Hockey, 14U; Hockey Canada, U15 by default; FFHG, men's U15, by omission; SIHF, U14-Elit and U14-Top by omission, no checking in U14-A, U16-A and U18-A until at least 2027/28; England Ice Hockey, U14; Australia, 14 on assessment. A Hockey Québec team in a physical-contact class may not play a team of a MEÉP class in a tournament or festival (art. 9.4.4).

The four steps of checking

Hockey Canada's manual is explicit: the skill has no age. “A common misconception is that the skill of checking begins at a certain age or age category of play. In fact, checking is a 4-step progression that begins the first time a young player steps on the ice.” And further: ask your local association at what category or level body checking (step 4) is permitted.

Hockey Canada · four steps

Checking is a progression, not an age

Steps 1 to 3 are taught long before game body checking. The fourth is never taught below the class’s gate.

A four-step staircase: positioning and angling, stick checks, contact confidence, body checking, with the class’s gate in front of the fourth step. Four steps, each higher than the last. Step 1: positioning and angling, no contact. Step 2: stick checks, no body contact. Step 3: contact confidence, controlled contact. Step 4: body checking, only where the class allows it. A gate, set by the federation, the category, the class and the sex, is drawn in front of the fourth step. Under the figure, the Hockey Québec progression: three stages and then progressive checking. 1 Positioningand angling no contact 2 Stick checks no body contact 3 Contactconfidence controlled contact 4 Body checking if the class allows it Gate:federation,category,class, sex Hockey Québec: three stages (position and approach,stick checks, physical contact received then given),then progressive checking, at M15 AA-BB.

Sources: Hockey Canada, Teaching Checking: A Progressive Approach (3rd ed., 2011); Hockey Québec, Programme d’éducation et d’enseignement au contact physique (2026 revision) and regulation 7.3.

  • Step 1, positioning and angling: read and react, shadow the puck carrier, keep the head on a swivel, steer to the outside; eight named drills, no contact.
  • Step 2, stick checks: lift and press the stick, sweep, poke; eight named drills, no body contact.
  • Step 3, contact confidence: falling and recovering, balance, bumping, contact on the move; controlled contact, not checking play.
  • Step 4, body checking: five named drills. Only where the class's game allows it, and never in practice below the gate.

Hockey Québec follows the same first three steps in its contact education and teaching programme (2026 revision) and adds progressive checking, introduced at M15: a deliberate defensive tactic, stick below the belt, that serves as the transition between physical contact and full checking.

Education prerequisites: at Hockey Canada, the “Compétences de Hockey Canada, Mise en échec” course (five modules, Learning Lab). At Hockey Québec, head coaches of the classes concerned must hold it before being added to the team book, and it expires after five seasons; the parents of every minor in a checking programme sign a dispense at registration; two compulsory on-ice practices of 80 minutes, then a weekly exercise bank until the end of December. No checking-specific prerequisite was found at USA Hockey, the FFHG, the SIHF, the ÖEHV or England Ice Hockey.

Girls and women

Women's hockey has its own rule wherever it was read: body checking is penalised at every age at Hockey Canada (Rule 7.3, “in female hockey”); every USA Hockey women's class is Competitive Contact with no checking; the FFHG bans charges in women's élite and allows “body contact” in the women's categories; the IIHF writes its Rule 101.1. A boys' checking drill is never filed under the girls' gate.

No checking is not no contact: in U15 AA, girls' games have 70% fewer body checks than boys', but the same rate of direct head contacts (rate ratio 1.04) (Williamson 2023).

Mandatory kit

FederationNeck protectorFaceMouthguard
IIHFall categories of IIHF competition (Rule 9.12), a minor after a warningvisor at least for players born after 1974; U18: full face; women: full facerecommended (9.13); U20 if there is no full face
Hockey CanadaBNQ-certified throat protector in minor and female hockey (Rule 3.6(c))CSA full facial protector in every division; visor possible in Senior and Major Junior; visor only at 18 and oldernot required by the rules unless the Member makes it so; required where a half visor is allowed
Hockey QuébecBNQ neck guard for all players, goalkeepers included, “en tout temps durant les activités de hockey”CSA full facial protector“facultatif pour toutes les divisions et classes”
USA HockeyHECC for every classification except Adults (BNQ accepted to 2026-27); strongly recommended for adultsHECC facemask below Adultsrequired from 12U to 18U and Girls 19U
FFHG“Obligatoire” in every category, seniors includedcage mandatory for U18 and younger and all women; visor for seniors born after 1974, U20 and U19mandatory in U20 and U19 only
SIHFall NAFS leagues, games and training (Art. 127)full face for all skaters U18 and younger, by JahrgangU20 without a full face; recommended at U18; not needed with a full face (2025/26 leaflet)
DEBmandatory for all youth since 2024/25full face for U18 (Jahrgang 2009 and younger) and all girlsU20 aged 18 and over without a full face: a mouthguard
  • “Mouthguard mandatory” is true at USA Hockey and false at the FFHG for U18 and younger and at the SIHF: the sentence means nothing without the federation.
  • The FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB count by birth year, not date.
  • Certifications are not interchangeable: CSA, BNQ, HECC, CE marking. At USA Hockey a helmet past its expiry date is no longer certified; at Hockey Canada any alteration destroys the certification.
  • The staff's helmet: required by the FFHG for coaches, assistants and on-ice helpers, and by the BASPO / J+S leaflet on accident prevention.

What the evidence allows saying: neck lacerations are rare, and in the largest catastrophic series read (26 cases, 1982 to 2025) 92% were caused by a skate blade; no controlled study has measured laceration incidence with a neck protector, the evidence is a laboratory cut test and case series. The mouthguard has observational evidence pointing the same way (adjusted odds ratio 0.36 in a case-control study of 315 concussions) and no randomised trial. Kit is not a prevention programme: it is mandatory by regulation.

Concussion: what the texts require

Every text read agrees on one point: the player is removed from play at once. The delay and the authority that clears the return differ.

TextWhat it writes
Ontario, Rowan's Law (2018)immediate removal from training or competition of an athlete who has sustained or is suspected of having sustained a concussion; only physicians and nurse practitioners may confirm medical clearance to return; removal and return protocols mandatory since 1 January 2022 (summary of the Ontario government's own pages; the sections of the statute could not be read)
Québec, Protocole de gestion des commotions cérébrales (3rd ed., 2025)immediate removal after an impact, even with no symptom, and no return the same day; return in six stages, at least 24 hours between stages; clearance by a qualified health professional recommended before stage 4. The cover writes that the protocol is strongly recommended and is not a legal obligation.
Hockey Canadaconcussion policy of 6 May 2025: the hockey-specific return-to-sport strategy is a minimum, with a medical clearance letter before step 4; the letter is issued by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner
USA Hockeythe return-to-play form requires written clearance from a qualified medical provider, signed also by the parent and acknowledged by the coach
FFHG, medical regulation 2026/27 (Art. 24)immediate removal and no return before a doctor's examination; each club has a concussion referent; reporting applies even at training; return in stages; a stoppage of at least 7 days; licence blocked until the medical authorisation to resume full-contact training
SIHFno article on concussion in the 2026/27 regulation read; a 2010 brochure (“Respect my head”) exists, its current status is not verified
DEB, ÖEHV, IIHFno concussion document located for the DEB and the ÖEHV; the IIHF rulebook has no concussion-management section

A 7-day minimum exists in France and has no numeric equivalent in the Canadian and American documents read. Treat it as an FFHG rule, not as a rule of hockey.

What the research supports

  • The rule that bans body checking is the best-established lever. At 11 to 12, leagues that allowed checking had 3.26 times the game injuries (95% confidence interval 2.31 to 4.60) and 3.88 times the concussions (1.91 to 7.89) of the league that banned it (Emery 2010, 2,154 players). When the national rule changed in 2013, game concussions of Pee Wee players followed in Calgary fell by 64% (rate ratio 0.36, 0.22 to 0.58; Black 2017). A meta-analysis pools a rate ratio of 0.42 (0.33 to 0.53) for concussions (Eliason 2023).
  • At 13 and 14, outside elite: fewer injuries without checking (0.45, 0.27 to 0.76); for concussions the difference is not significant (0.59, 0.30 to 1.17). Figures from the online-corrected versions (Emery 2020).
  • Paediatric bodies: the American Academy of Pediatrics (2014) recommends not introducing body checking before 15; the Canadian Paediatric Society (2023) goes the same way (read through a summary page). Federations decide, and their gates are above.
  • “Having learned to check earlier protects later” is not supported for overall injury; the concussion results are mixed by age.
  • The 2011 zero-tolerance rule for head contact did not lower concussions in the 11 to 14 year olds followed (rate ratios of 1.85 and 2.48 after the change), and the filmed head-contact rate stayed the same; 12 to 13.6% of direct head contacts were penalised. A written rule is not an enforced rule.

Four articles of the Alberta cohort (three in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, one in the CMAJ) were corrected online for an exposure-coding error: the 13 to 14 figures above are those of the corrected versions, which PubMed abstracts do not show.

The drills of this guide

The seven contact drills of the library. The first four (angling, stick checks) involve no body contact. The other three carry the contact and the gate on their card, and name in their coaching points the federation, the category and the class that allow them; contact confidence is limited to the part with no partner where the class's game forbids contact. One body-checking drill exists: it is offered only in the U20 · Adults band, and only for a class that allows it.

Angling: read, react and shadowTop-down view of an end zone. A carrier with the puck (gold disc) skates toward the end of the zone (step 1). The defender (navy disc) mirrors the carrier (step 2) and angles him or her toward the boards, to one side only. No contact.PD12the carrier skateswith the puckthe defender mirrors andangles the carrier to one side
skateropponentpuck carryskating

Angling: read, react and shadow

Step 1 of Hockey Canada's checking progression, positioning and angling, with no contact: a defender reads the speed and the route of the puck carrier, shadows him or her like a mirror and angles the carrier toward one side.

u9u13u17 One zone medium 15 min
Drill detail
Set out
A zone or half of the ice · a carrier with a puck and a defender per pair · lanes or markers
What it trains
Angling, step 1 of Hockey Canada’s checking progression, with no contact: the defender reads the speed and the route, mirrors the carrier and angles him or her toward one side with the skates and the position of the stick.
Published frame
No body contact. The defender keeps the head on a swivel to see the carrier and the supporting teammates (Hockey Canada; Hockey Québec, stage 1).
How it runs
Step 1 of Hockey Canada's checking progression, positioning and angling, with no contact: a defender reads the speed and the route of the puck carrier, shadows him or her like a mirror and angles the carrier toward one side. Hockey Québec's stage 1 has the same exercises: the mirror and shadowing (« suivre le meneur »). A zone or half of the ice; a carrier with a puck and a defender per pair; lanes or markers. The carrier skates with the puck. The defender mirrors the carrier, reads and reacts to the speed and the route, keeps the head on a swivel to see the carrier and the supporting teammates, and angles the carrier toward one side with the skates and the position of the stick. No contact.
Players
2 or more
Coaching points
No body contact in this drill. Positioning and angling are step 1 of Hockey Canada's checking progression: checking « begins the first time a young player steps on the ice ». Hockey Québec names six positions: offensive side, defensive side, passing lanes, shooting lanes, directing and forcing, reducing the gap. In girls' and women's hockey Hockey Canada penalises body checking at every age (Rule 7.3): angling and stick checks are the checking skills there. Contact in the game follows your class: body checking is banned up to U13 at Hockey Canada, up to 12U at USA Hockey, from U9 to U13 at the FFHG, in the SIHF U9, U12 and all Animation (A) classes, and in girls' and women's hockey at Hockey Canada and USA Hockey. Where your class allows checking, this drill stays free of it. Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Open-ice angling and the angling gate (see the open-ice angling drill), then a second attacker.
Easier
Walk the mirror at a slow pace with a partner, without a puck.
British Bulldog: angling in a gameTop-down view of an end zone. Gold skaters, each with a ringette, stand in a row along one boards and try to cross to the other side, past the navy defenders placed in the middle. No contact.the skaters try tocross, each witha ringettedefenders in the middle:they angle andstick-check
skateropponentskating

British Bulldog: angling in a game

A tag game that puts angling and positioning in a game scenario.

u9u13 One zone medium 20 min
Drill detail
Set out
A zone or half of the ice · a few defenders in the middle · the other players at one side, each with a ringette, as in the USA Hockey 8U plan · sticks
What it trains
Angling in a game: the skaters try to cross from one side to the other, the defenders in the middle angle and stick-check, with no body contact. Those who lose the ringette become defenders.
Published frame
No body contact: angling and stick checks only. The objective Hockey Canada prints is angling and positioning in a game scenario.
How it runs
A tag game that puts angling and positioning in a game scenario. Hockey Canada's checking manual uses British Bulldog in its steps 1 and 2, and the USA Hockey 8U practice plans play it on skates with ringettes. The defenders angle and use their sticks, with no body contact. A zone or half of the ice; a few defenders in the middle; the other players at one side, each with a ringette, as in the USA Hockey 8U plan; sticks. The skaters try to cross from one side to the other past the defenders in the middle. The defenders angle and stick-check, with no body contact. Those who lose the ringette or are stopped become defenders for the next round.
Players
6 or more
Coaching points
Angling and positioning in a game scenario is the objective Hockey Canada's manual prints for British Bulldog (steps 1 and 2). No body contact: angling and stick checks only. Body checking is not part of the game at this age: Hockey Canada penalises it up to U13, Hockey Québec does not permit checking or contact physique in M9 and M11, USA Hockey prohibits it up to 12U, the FFHG bans body charges in U9 to U13 and the SIHF bans them in U9 and U12. Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Narrow the crossing zone, and play with a puck instead of the ringette.
Easier
Walk the first round, with fewer defenders.
Decorative strip: a fine outline of an ice hockey rink seen from above (the centre line, the two blue lines, the face-off circles); this drill has no diagram.

Stick checks: lift, press and poke

Step 2 of Hockey Canada's checking progression, stick checks, with no body contact: stationary stick checks, partner poke and sweep, and one-on-one games in a confined space.

u9u13u17 One zone medium 15 min
Drill detail
How it runs
Step 2 of Hockey Canada's checking progression, stick checks, with no body contact: stationary stick checks, partner poke and sweep, and one-on-one games in a confined space. Hockey Québec's stage 2 names the same skills: the poke (harponnage), lifting the stick and checking by pressure on the stick. Pairs in a zone or a confined space; one puck per pair for the game forms; sticks. Stationary stick checks with a partner (lift and press), partner poke and sweep, stick-check leap frog and head to head 1 on 1 in a confined space; then game-like checking in front of the net, using lift and press.
Players
2 or more
Coaching points
No body contact: stick checks only (Hockey Canada step 2; Hockey Québec stage 2). The objectives printed in the manual: gap control, the sweep and the poke check in 1 on 1, and game-like checking with lift and press in front of the net. Contact in the game follows your class: body checking is banned up to U13 at Hockey Canada, up to 12U at USA Hockey, from U9 to U13 at the FFHG, in the SIHF U9, U12 and all Animation (A) classes, and in girls' and women's hockey at Hockey Canada and USA Hockey. Where your class allows checking, this drill stays free of it. Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Add a second attacker or a net, and poke check from a gap you control.
Easier
A stationary partner, slow repetitions, and the stick on the ice.
Open-ice angling: gates and stampedeTop-down view of an end zone. A carrier with the puck (gold disc) carries toward a gate made of two markers (step 1). The defender (navy disc) closes in from the side (step 2) and limits the carrier to going through the gate. No contact.PD12a gate of two markersthe defender saves ice and limitsthe carrier to one option
skateropponentpuck carryskatingmarker

Open-ice angling: gates and stampede

The harder drills of Hockey Canada's step 1: open-ice angling without help from the boards, the angling gate drill that limits the carrier to one option, and the stampede that closes the gap quickly and angles the carrier to the outside.

u13u17sen One zone medium 15 min
Drill detail
Set out
A zone or half of the ice · gates made of two markers · one carrier and one defender per pair
What it trains
The harder drills of Hockey Canada’s step 1: open-ice angling without help from the boards, the angling gate drill that limits the carrier to one option, and the stampede.
Published frame
No contact: it is the checking work of girls’ and women’s hockey and of non-checking classes, and the first step before a body check. Read and react (Hockey Canada).
How it runs
The harder drills of Hockey Canada's step 1: open-ice angling without help from the boards, the angling gate drill that limits the carrier to one option, and the stampede that closes the gap quickly and angles the carrier to the outside. A zone or half of the ice; gates made of two markers; one carrier and one defender per pair. Open Ice Angling: the defender controls the carrier without help from the boards. Angling Gate Drill: the defender saves ice and limits the carrier to one option through a gate. Stampede Angling: the defender closes quickly and angles the carrier to the outside. No contact.
Players
2 or more
Coaching points
No contact in the drill. It is the checking work of girls' and women's hockey, of non-checking classes and of adult non-check leagues, and the first step before a body check in checking classes. « Smart skate » angle: read and react (Hockey Canada, Angling: Open Ice). Contact in the game follows your class: body checking is banned up to U13 at Hockey Canada, up to 12U at USA Hockey, from U9 to U13 at the FFHG, in the SIHF U9, U12 and all Animation (A) classes, and in girls' and women's hockey at Hockey Canada and USA Hockey. Where your class allows checking, this drill stays free of it. Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec.
Harder
Add a second attacker, then a pass option.
Easier
Angle along the boards first, then move to open ice.
Decorative strip: a fine outline of an ice hockey rink seen from above (the centre line, the two blue lines, the face-off circles); this drill has no diagram.

Contact confidence (Hockey Canada step 3, Hockey Québec contact physique)

Controlled exercises that build comfort with falling, balance and being touched: Hockey Canada's step 3 (diving and sliding with recovery, jumping sticks, stick wrestling, tug of war, partner bumping, own the dot) and the Hockey Québec contact physique stage (the tripod starting position, the impact zone, shoulder taps with linked arms).

u13u17sen One zone Body contact: see the gate medium 15 min
Drill detail
How it runs
Controlled exercises that build comfort with falling, balance and being touched: Hockey Canada's step 3 (diving and sliding with recovery, jumping sticks, stick wrestling, tug of war, partner bumping, own the dot) and the Hockey Québec contact physique stage (the tripod starting position, the impact zone, shoulder taps with linked arms). Open ice; pairs of the same size, weight and strength; sticks stay on the ice; the Hockey Québec programme lists the mouthguard in the kit for these exercises. Part 1, no partner contact: diving and sliding with recovery, jumping sticks. Part 2, controlled partner contact: stick wrestling, tug of war, partner bumping, own the dot; in the Hockey Québec programme the tripod position, the impact zone (shoulder, latissimus, hip) and shoulder taps with linked arms, first stationary with one stick for two, then moving.
Players
2 or more
Coaching points
Pairs of the same size, weight and strength; no front-on contact; sticks always on the ice (Hockey Québec contact programme). Gate. Hockey Canada teaches steps 1 to 3 below U15 (the Rule 7.3 penalty applies up to U13 and in female hockey): this is contact practice, never a check. Hockey Québec: contact physique is the class level of M13 AA and BB, M15 A, B and C and M18 A and B, with the parental dispense, a coach who has taken the contact course and the two compulsory on-ice practices. Where the game of your class forbids contact (FFHG U9 to U13, SIHF U9, U12 and the Animation classes, USA Hockey 12U and below, Hockey Québec M9, M11 and M13 A, B and C), do part 1 only and leave the partner contact out. Suspected concussion: remove the player at once and do not let him or her back on the ice the same day. The return follows a medical pathway: the FFHG requires at least 7 days and a doctor's authorisation before full-contact training; Hockey Canada asks for a stepped return with a medical clearance before contact; in Ontario this is law (Rowan's Law). Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec; wear it for the partner contact.
Harder
Moving contact: bull in the ring, and angle up, angle down with puck separation (Hockey Canada step 3).
Easier
Part 1 only: falling, sliding and recovering, with no partner contact.
Controlled contact situations (Hockey Québec exercises 9 to 12)Top-down view of a whole rink. Four groups, numbered 1 to 4, are spread one in each of the four corners of the ice for exercises 9 to 11. Sticks always stay on the ice.1234one group in each of thefour corners of the icesticks always on the ice
skater

Controlled contact situations (Hockey Québec exercises 9 to 12)

Game situations with controlled contact from Hockey Québec's contact programme (Révision 2026): carrying the puck against a forechecker, the defenceman's pinch against the winger, positioning in the corner on a dump-in, and the competitive exercise « pursuit and physical contact », where « after the contact, it is only a race ».

u17sen One zone Body contact: see the gate high 15 min
Drill detail
Set out
Four groups, one in each of the four corners of the ice, for exercises 9 to 11 · sticks always on the ice
What it trains
Game situations with controlled contact from Hockey Québec’s contact programme: carrying the puck against a forechecker, the defenceman’s pinch on the winger, positioning in the corner on a dump-in, and pursuit with physical contact.
Published frame
Contact physique means contact in pursuit of the puck, with no propulsion and no front-on contact; sticks stay on the ice (Hockey Québec).
How it runs
Game situations with controlled contact from Hockey Québec's contact programme (Révision 2026): carrying the puck against a forechecker, the defenceman's pinch against the winger, positioning in the corner on a dump-in, and the competitive exercise « pursuit and physical contact », where « after the contact, it is only a race ». Four groups, one in each of the four corners of the ice, for exercises 9 to 11; sticks always on the ice. 9: carry the puck against a forechecker. 10: the defenceman's pinch in on the winger. 11: play the position in the corner on a dump in. 12: pursuit and physical contact, a race after the contact.
Players
2 or more
Coaching points
Contact physique means contact in pursuit of the puck, with no propulsion and no front-on contact; sticks stay on the ice (Hockey Québec). Gate. Hockey Québec: the contact physique classes (M13 AA and BB, M15 A, B and C, M18 A and B) and, as preparation, the progressive checking classes (M15 and M18 AA and BB), with the parental dispense, the coach's contact course and the two compulsory on-ice practices of 80 minutes; in women's hockey contact physique exists only in AAA classes. Hockey Canada: step 3, taught below U15. Not for classes whose game forbids contact: FFHG U9 to U13, SIHF U9, U12 and the Animation classes (a shove in the fight for the puck only), USA Hockey 12U and below, Hockey Québec M9, M11 and M13 A, B and C. Suspected concussion: remove the player at once and do not let him or her back on the ice the same day. The return follows a medical pathway: the FFHG requires at least 7 days and a doctor's authorisation before full-contact training; Hockey Canada asks for a stepped return with a medical clearance before contact; in Ontario this is law (Rowan's Law). Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec; wear it for the contact.
Harder
In a progressive checking class (MEÉP), with the coach who holds the course, add the progressive checking content of Hockey Québec's programme.
Easier
Exercise 12 only, at a slower pace, with a partner of the same size, or go back to the contact confidence drill.
Decorative strip: a fine outline of an ice hockey rink seen from above (the centre line, the two blue lines, the face-off circles); this drill has no diagram.

Body checking (Hockey Canada step 4), only where the class allows it

Step 4 of Hockey Canada's checking progression, for classes where body checking is part of the game: partner bump and roll flow and the open-ice body check, both without sticks, then 1 on 1 body checking, the neutral zone forecheck and one on one.

sen One zone Body checking: see the gate high 15 min
Drill detail
How it runs
Step 4 of Hockey Canada's checking progression, for classes where body checking is part of the game: partner bump and roll flow and the open-ice body check, both without sticks, then 1 on 1 body checking, the neutral zone forecheck and one on one. The objectives printed are angling and positioning, the shoulder or block check, and checking along the boards and in open ice. Open ice and boards; no sticks for the first two exercises; a coach who holds the checking course; pairs of similar size. In the order printed: Partner Bump and Roll Flow (no sticks); Open Ice Body Check (no sticks); 1 on 1 Body Checking; Neutral Zone Forecheck; One on One.
Players
2 or more
Coaching points
Gate, class by class. Where body checking is part of the game: Hockey Canada male U15, U18 and U21 divisions where the Member has not extended the Rule 7.3 ban (some house leagues keep a non-checking option); Hockey Québec M18 AAA provincial leagues, the LHJMQ, Senior AAA and AA and the college D1 and university levels, which are the full-checking levels; USA Hockey 14U, 15 Only, 16U and 18U boys and High School; FFHG U15, U18, U20 and Senior men, where no ban is published; SIHF U14, U16 and U18 Elit and Top, and U21-A, where checks are expressly allowed. Never in girls' and women's hockey (Hockey Canada Rule 7.3 at every age; USA Hockey all Girls and Women classes; FFHG women's élite; Hockey Québec women's classes; the IIHF's Rule 101.1 is its own rule). Never in the SIHF Animation classes U14-A, U16-A and U18-A (no checks until at least 2027/28). Never in Hockey Québec M15 A, B and C and M18 A and B (contact physique only) nor in the progressive checking classes M15 and M18 AA and BB (MEÉP is not full checking). Never in a Hockey Canada division a Member has made non-checking, nor in an adult non-check league (USA Hockey Rule 604(a)); a Competitive Contact team playing a Body Checking team plays without checks (USA Hockey Rule 604(b)). Prerequisites: the Hockey Canada checking course, recorded in the coach's HCR record; in Québec the coach course, the parental dispense for every minor and the two compulsory on-ice practices of 80 minutes. Suspected concussion: remove the player at once and do not let him or her back on the ice the same day. The return follows a medical pathway: the FFHG requires at least 7 days and a doctor's authorisation before full-contact training; Hockey Canada asks for a stepped return with a medical clearance before contact; in Ontario this is law (Rowan's Law). Hockey Canada: there is no legal contact to the head, face or neck. Kit: a certified helmet with full face protection for juniors (U18 and younger by birth year at the FFHG, the SIHF and the DEB; every division at Hockey Canada except Senior and Major Junior, and all players at Hockey Québec; below Adults at USA Hockey) and a neck laceration protector (all FFHG categories; all SIHF leagues, training included; BNQ-certified in Hockey Canada minor and female hockey and for all players at Hockey Québec; every USA Hockey classification except Adults). Mouthguard: required by USA Hockey from 12U to 18U and by the FFHG in U19 and U20, optional at Hockey Québec; wear it for the checking.
Harder
Run the sequence in the printed order, from the no-sticks exercises to the neutral zone forecheck and one on one.
Easier
Go back to step 3: the contact confidence drill.

Frequently asked questions

At what age is body checking allowed?
There is no age, there is a matrix. It is banned in U9, U11 and U13 at the FFHG, in U13 and below and in female hockey at Hockey Canada, in 12U and below at USA Hockey and in the animation classes at the SIHF; it is open by default from U15 at Hockey Canada and from 14U at USA Hockey. The table above gives the texts.
Can my girls' team practise body checking?
Not in the texts read: Hockey Canada penalises body checking at every age in female hockey, every USA Hockey women's class is Competitive Contact, the FFHG bans charges in women's élite. Check the rulebook of your team's federation and league.
A concussion is suspected: what does the rule say?
Every text read asks for the player's immediate removal. The return depends on the federation: in France, at least 7 days and a medical authorisation, the licence being blocked until it; in Québec, six stages of at least 24 hours each; in Ontario, the law reserves clearance to physicians and nurse practitioners. This page quotes the texts; it does not replace a doctor's advice.

Sources

Rulebooks: IIHF Official Rulebook 2026/27 (Rules 9.12, 9.13, 48, 101, 102, 202); Hockey Canada, Playing Rules 2026-2028 (Rules 3.6, 6.18, 7.3, 7.6) and checking pages; Hockey Québec, règlements administratifs 2025-2026 (art. 7.3 and 7.2.5; previous edition, the 2026-27 could not be read), guide Mise à jour du programme de formation de Mise en échec 2026-2027, Programme d’éducation et d’enseignement au contact physique (2026 revision); USA Hockey, 2025-29 rules (Rules 304, 604); FFHG, RAS 2026/27 (Art. 5.1, 7.2), medical regulation 2026/27 (Art. 7, 24), ALM 2026/27; SIHF, Reglement Spielbetrieb NAFS 2026/27 (Art. 87, 108, 127), 2025/26 equipment leaflet; DEB, Durchführungsbestimmungen Nachwuchs 2026/27; ÖEHV, DÖNAM 2026/27; England Ice Hockey, 2026-27 rules; Ice Hockey Australia, “For Parents” page. Concussion: Ontario, Rowan's Law pages (14.8.2026); Québec Ministry of Education, 2025 protocol; Hockey Canada, 6.5.2025 policy and communication tool; USA Hockey, return-to-play form; FFHG, medical regulation. Research: Emery et al. 2010, 2011, 2020; Black et al. 2016, 2017; Eliason et al. 2022, 2023; Krolikowski et al. 2017; Williamson et al. 2021, 2023; Chisholm et al. 2020; DeLong et al. 2026; AAP 2014; Amsterdam consensus 2022. Content checked on 14 October 2026.

Last updated: October 14, 2026
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