Polar Caps Travel Hockey

Travel Program

District Residency for Travel

Players in the Polar Caps Travel program should reside in the Vel Phillips Memorial or West High School districts in Madison. Please contact our Registrar if you have questions about district residency or transfer qualifications.

Co-Ed and Girls Teams (SEPTEMBER - March)

As your player progresses, they will move up to the travel hockey teams at each age classification.

• 10U: Squirt/Youth or all girls. (9-10 year old's)
• 12U: Peewee/Youth or all girls (11-12 year old's)
• 14U: Bantam/Youth/ or all girls (13-14 year old's)

Placement on these competitive teams is designed specifically to group together players with similar skill levels and experience and in the best interest of each players' development. Evaluations are held at the conclusion of preseason practices to determine team placements. Depending on the total number of players at an age group, the Polar Caps roster teams at the following levels of competition: A, B, C1, and C2, within WAHA (Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association).

Girls 10U and 12U

In 2024-25, the Polar Caps will host at least one all-girls team each at the 10U and 12U age levels for the season. If registration numbers can support it, the Polar Caps will form A and B girls teams at each level. The Polar Caps will accept qualified transfers to support formation of two all-girls teams at each level. This is supported by the WAHA rule allowing girls to play for a neighboring association's all-girls team if their home association doesn't offer an all-girls team. 

Girls and Boys 14U

In 2025-26 the Polar Caps are planning to field an all-girls teams at the 14U age level. Note that girls in 9th grade who have one year of 14U eligibility left (birth year 2011) may have options to continue to play with the Polar Caps 14U team or with the Metro Lynx, the girls co-op high school team for the Madison area.

Note that Boys in 9th grade who still have a year of Bantam 14U eligibility left typically play their 2nd year of Bantam with the Polar Caps. First, the Bantam-eligible 9th graders go through the Polar Caps evaluation process and are placed on a Bantam team. Second, they go through the tryout process with their high school team along with the rest of the high school age players. Then the high school coaches have the option to select a Bantam-eligible 9th grader for their high school team depending on the required skills, experience, and/or team needs.

Travel schedule

The Polar Caps 10U, 12U Youth/Girls and 14U Youth/Girls teams typically have 3 practices per week, off-ice training, and weekend games at home and/or away throughout WI and sometimes in neighboring states. Typically, teams may participate in a regional area weekend tournament and may also have 2 or more out of town weekend tournaments per season. The level of travel for games and tournaments is adjusted for each team each season based on what is needed to create a balanced schedule while maintaining a competitive environment for the team as a whole.

Travel teams also play for an opportunity to compete in the Wisconsin State Tournament at the end of the season (usually first weekend in March). The Polar Caps travel teams are part of Region 4 and play in Division 1 of WAHA.

• Season: Preseason starts in September and season ends in early to mid-March
• Typical Schedule: Practices on weeknights Monday to Friday, off-ice training on Monday, games on weekends Saturday and/or Sunday
• ADM: Stage 3 Learn to Train (10U and 12U) and Stage 4 Training to Train (14U)
• Next Steps: At the conclusion of each Travel team age level, players progress on to the next one. Typically, players will spend 2 years at 10U, 2 years at 12U, and 2 years at 14U

Travel Squirt 10U Youth and Girls- $1415 or $1365 if paid in full

Travel Pee Wee 12U Youth and Girls- $1465 or $1415 if paid in full

Travel Bantam 14U Youth and Girls- $1615 or $1565 if paid in full

Please contact our Treasurer prior to registration if you have any questions about program ice fees for skaters or making alternative payment plan arrangements.

Ice fees for Travel hockey level of play (Squirt, Pee Wee, Bantam) includes preseason, evaluations/tryouts, and two tournaments.

For Travel level of play (Squirt, Pee Wee, Bantam), there is an additional Polar Caps uniform fee for game jerseys and socks that players will keep and reuse for the next season(s). Skaters playing Travel hockey for the first time will purchase game jerseys and socks during registration. Existing Travel hockey players may choose to purchase replacement jerseys and socks during registration.