Hockey FAQs

We offer programs for male and female players, from the littles of wee wobblers (4 years old) through seniors in high school! Levels are determined by player's age by December 31st of the registration year.

Wee Wobblers: 4-6 years old

Learn to Play: 4-10 years old (no travel)

Travel Mites : 8 & under

Squirts: 10 & under

PeeWee: 12 & under

Girls 14u: Girls 14 & under

Bantam: 14 & under

Boys JV & Varsity: 15 years old & up

Girls JV & Varsity: 15 years old & up

You will need to register with USA Hockey to get a registration number first - this is required for all league play and is an independent charge. Click here for USA Hockey Registration. After register, your USA Hockey Number will be e-mailed to you and you can register for your Laker team!

The Lakers Hockey registration fee varies based on the level you are registering for.

2025-2026 Registration Fees:

Boys Varsity/JV: $660

Girls Varsity/JV: $660

14U (Bantam): $535

14U Girls: $535

12U (Peewee): $475

10U (Squirt): $365

8U Travel (Mite): $150

Additional Fees:

Development Fee (per player): $200

Season Pass (per family): $30-60

Jersey Fee (per player): $50

Are there scholarships?

Yes! We want hockey to be affordable and available to everyone! Visit www.watertownlakerfoundation.com for more information on scholarship opportunities.

Fundraising:

Each player is required to participate in the winter raffle ticket sales.

Practices:

Teams practice 3-4 days per week depending on the age level. Games are on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with some tournaments starting on Thursday or lasting until Monday. Players are not allowed to drive themselves to away games.

Season:

Practices begin in early October and the first games of the season are usually in mid-November. Most teams play through early to mid-February, with the Varsity state tournament being held in mid-March.

Volunteer Hours:

WHA is a volunteer run program that relies on each family to be able to operate. Opportunities range from helping at events to cleaning the rink. During games, we rely on families to run positions such as: admissions, clock/scoreboard, score keeper, penalty boxes, video production, and more!

League level teams (10U - 18U) play in Watertown, Aberdeen, Brookings, Brandon Valley, Huron, Sioux Falls, Sioux Center, IA, Yankton, Mitchell, Pierre, Spearfish, and Rapid City.

Tournaments are typically played in neighboring states, with occasional travel to Wisconsin or Kansas for the Varsity levels.

Mites (8U) typically play teams within a 2-3 hour radius with at least one tournament at home.

Our Learn to Play program provides all the gear needed for new players (ages 5-10). Required equipment includes:

Hockey bag, skates, black helmet (cannot be expired), shoulder pads, elbow pads, black gloves, black breezers, shin pads, practice socks, stick, jock (for boys), jill (girls), & water bottle. All players are also required to have a mouth guard and neck guard.

Can I rent hockey equipment?

Equipment is available to rent on a limited basis. (Mouthguards, neck guards, jocks, and jills are not provided or rentable)

Players may rent for the hockey season, and then separately for the summer if playing in a summer league:

$30 for skates

$70 for gear

$150 for goalie gear