Welcome to the Northern Illinois Hockey League
NIHL and the Chicago Blackhawks; paving the road to excellence in youth hockey
Recent News
All News-
Tage Thompson: NIHL Alum Scores OT Winner to Give USA Gold
The Stanley Cup Playoffs occupied a lot of attention, but did you watch the U.S. Men’s National Team win its first gold in 92 years at the 2025 IIHF Men's World Championship? Team USA finished second in their preliminary round group and then won their quarterfinal, semifinal and gold-medal games! Even better, NIHL Alum, Tage Thompson, scored the OT winner to lift the USA past Switzerland in the gold-medal game (1-0, OT) to earn our nation its second gold medal ever in the men's worlds. Tage finished the Worlds with six goals and nine points. He earned his third medal at a World Championship, tying him as the most decorated player in U.S. history at the event. NIHL is proud of all the amazing kids who have played in our league. -
NIHL Girls Hockey Grows Stronger
The Northern Illinois Hockey League is excited to welcome all of the Girls clubs that have committed to play in the upcoming, 2025 – 2026 season. The new season will bring together teams from Illinois as well as highly talented players and teams from nearby Midwestern states. -Team counts are expected to increase by roughly 30% over last season -The season will incorporate a new and improved end-of-season, Girls’ tournament format -The league will continue to advance and roll out more innovations for Girls Hockey in our area of the country The league and all the clubs believe in the importance of offering competitively balanced divisions within each Age Level. We wish your clubs, players and families all the best this upcoming season and beyond.
Quick References
Below are links to commonly used resources that coaches and managers may use throughout the season. For a full list or documents, forms and rules, please visit the resources page.
