Officials League Information

Thank you for expressing an interest in learning about the craft of officiating and being part of the staff of The Chicago United Hockey League.

There are many new important changes to our officiating program that you must be aware of, so please read all of this information carefully. 

First and most importantly, the CUHL has partnered with Mid-Coast Hockey Officials (MCHO) for game assignments and shared training. All CUHL games will be assigned on the MCHO assigning website (known as Zebra Web) as will all other youth and adult hockey games in the Chicago area. There is no fee required to be part of MCHO.

Second, to officiate in the Chicago United Hockey League it is required that you attend one of our educational seminars. We will be offering educational seminars for both new and returning officials. After completing our educational seminars, you will be accepted to the program and you will be required to REGISTER with the American Athletic Union (AAU). If you also register with IHOA and USA Hockey as a new Level 1 official, your fee for AAU will be covered through your IHOA membership.

Class sizes are limited so that a proper educational environment is in place. For the past seven seasons the organizations in our league have donated classrooms and ice time to assist with recruitment and training of officials. Our officiating education instructors have also donated their time and resources to make this program a success. Due to the very kind dedication and volunteer efforts of our organizations and instructors we offer our education sessions free of charge to the attendees. 

Our league has a minimum age level of 12 years old for acceptance to attend one of our educational sessions. No matter what age an attendee is, they will be evaluated on their performance in the classroom and on the ice.

Our basic educational sessions are offered so that people are able to investigate what it takes to be an official, not everyone desires to continue on, and there are those that are not ready to become an official.

We want our officials to enjoy what we do and have the potential skills and maturity to successfully manage the duties and many responsibilities. Entry into our officiating organization does NOT guarantee any specific number of game assignments. Assignments are made based on the skill level of the official and are NOT guaranteed with association membership.

Please check out our assignors' website at: MCHOfficials.com.

Confirmed Seminar Locations:

• Saturday, August 9th at Canlan Romeoville 8:00am-12:00pm SESSION COMPLETED
• Wednesday, August 13th at Mount Prospect Ice Arena 5:30pm-9:30pm SESSION COMPLETED
• Saturday, August 16th at Southwest Ice Arena 3:30pm-7:30pm SESSION COMPLETED
• Saturday, August 16th at Robert Crown Evanston 8:30am-12:00pm SESSION COMPLETED
• Sunday, August 17th at Glenview Ice Center 11:00am-3:00pm SESSION FULL
• Saturday, August 23rd at Canlan West Dundee 8:00am-12:00pm SESSION FULL
• Sunday, August 24th at Pleasant Prairie RecPlex 8:00am-12:00pm
• Saturday, August 30th at Oakton Sports Complex Park Ridge 8:00am-12:00pm
• Sunday, Sept 7th at Arctic Orland Park 8:00am-12:00pm

Please contact Bob MacPherson to register or with any questions:

DO NOT PURCHASE AN AAU MEMBERSHIP UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE CUHL ASSIGNORS AND ADDED TO THE SCHEDULING WEBSITE. SIMPLY HAVING AN AAU NUMBER DOES NOT QUALIFY AN OFFICIAL TO WORK IN OUR LEAGUE. OUR ASSIGNORS HAVE FINAL SAY OVER WHO IS ACCEPTED AND OFFERED GAMES IN THE CUHL.

AAU Membership is required to officiate in the CUHL, but AAU membership should not be purchased before August 15 of the playing season when the AAU membership year opens up. A valid 2025/26 AAU membership will be required to work any games in the 2025/26 CUHL season.

Returning officials: you may purchase your membership beginning August 15 following the steps outlined below.

For NEW officials - AAU membership should not be purchased until after acceptance following our seminar attendance or approval by the assigning committee. Once approved, you may follow the instructions below beginning August 15.

AAU membership does not guarantee placement on CUHL games. Assignors select officials based on their qualifications and experience. Please reach out to our assignors with any questions.AAU Membership Requirement: Just as with other organizations (such as USAH), officials must be registered and insured within the appropriate organization, in order to officiate within those games. In this same manner, referees officiating AAU games must possess a current AAU membership, which in turn provides the individual with insurance while working AAU sanctioned events. Please note that USA Hockey membership as an official will not provide insurance benefits for AAU sanctioned events and vice versa.

Please find AAU registration instructions below. If an official does not already possess a current AAU membership, then registration can be found HERE by clicking on the JOIN AAU button on the top right corner of the homepage. Officials should register as Non-Athletes with the EXTENDED BENEFITS option selected.

Officials over 1If you currently have an AAU membership, please email membership@aausports.org and ask to be affiliated with Chicago United Hockey League (W34YT3).

AAU Ice Hockey Officials Registration Process:

Officials under 18 years of age will be registered as part of your seminar acceptance.

Officials 18 and over:

• Go HERE and select the JOIN button (top right)
• Click NON-ATHLETE button
• Select sport – HOCKEY-ICE and select EXTENDED BENEFITS option
• When prompted, select CHICAGO UNITED HOCKEY LEAGUE as their club W34YT3

League-Specific Rules:

• Neck guards are required for all players
• Icing the puck is allowed during a penalty kill
• Slap shots are permitted
• Immediate offsides is called (no tag-up)
• Black 6oz puck is to be used for games

Game Timing:

D1 and D2 - 12:00 periods, 1:30 minor penalties

D3 and D3 Minor - 11:00 periods, 1:30 minor penalties

All divisions 4min Majors / 8min Misconducts

Tie after regulation (seeding round/regular season):

3 round shootout. If no winner, then game ends in a tie.

Tie after regulation (playoff games):

3 round shootout. If no winner, then sudden death shootout until a winner is decided.

Tie after regulation (playoff finals):

10 minute sudden-death OT (teams do not switch ends), then 3 round shootout. If no winner, then sudden death shootout until a winner is decided.

Game Officials

To file a Game Incident Report, please send the appropriate write-up to:

The CUHL is thrilled to partner with our official assignors in the creation of the CUHL Officials Education and Oversight Committee. This committee's objectives include recruiting, educating, developing, and retaining officials. By growing the pool at 8U, the committee hopes to eventually increase both the quality and quantity of officials at all levels, and develop passionate professionals who will give back to the game.

Thank you to:

Bob MacPherson

Steve Deinzer

Mike Wagner

To contact the committee, please reach out to:

Independent Contractor Status: Please note that hockey officials are independent contractors. They are not employed by or are agents of either AAU, the Chicago United Hockey League (CUHL) or any member Clubs’ or their respective Referee Schedulers (including CUHL Assignors). Officials may work games across all organizations and for USA Hockey affiliates too, if they so choose. CUHL’s member Clubs, acting through Referee Schedulers (including CUHL Assignors), make referee assignments as an accommodation to CUHL and its member Clubs. Referee Schedulers receive a fee for doing so. CUHL provides a website that lists games available to referee. Once an official is approved to work games in the CUHL, they will be given instructions on how to join the association and gain access to the assigning website.

Requirements: The CUHL recruits, trains, and mentors their own officials. Membership or certification as a Level 1 or higher official with USA Hockey does not automatically qualify someone to work CUHL games. All new prospective CUHL officials MUST ATTEND a CUHL sponsored seminar unless previously approved by Officials Education and Oversight Committee. Seminar attendance does not guarantee membership, as the candidate must pass both a written and skating exam. After attending a CUHL seminar, officials will be notified within 72 hours of acceptance/denial into the league.

Legal Issues: USA Hockey and its affiliates may not attempt to coerce, interfere with or take reprisals against any officials choosing to work AAU sanctioned events. On the contrary, USA Hockey is obligated under its National Governing Body status (NGB), granted by the US Olympic Committee to provide education, training, certification and support to officials throughout youth hockey, regardless of what organizations they may choose to work for. Further, any attempt to coerce officials to not work AAU sanctioned events, for the purpose of maintaining a competitive advantage to USA Hockey and its affiliates over other organizations, would be an unlawful restraint of trade (which is a felony under the Sherman Antitrust Act). Any referee and/or referee scheduler who believes that they have been, or are being coerced by officials from USA Hockey and/or its affiliates should report any such unlawful activities to the US Olympic Committee and also to the appropriate law enforcement authorities (such as the US-DOJ).