Hey everyone, check it out – the Washington Capitals just launched the Capitals Inline Hockey League (CIHL)! It’s a super cool youth inline travel league run by the Capitals, and they’re inviting all current inline hockey players aged 8-18 to join in. The CIHL is going to have one team per club, per division, so it’s going to be a blast!
For the first season, the Capitals are asking families to sign up their kids so they can figure out how many teams they’ll need for each division. If you’re interested, you can register at https://www.capsyouthhockey.com/cihl.
The Fauquier Dragons of Fauquier, Va., the Fredericksburg Phantoms of Fredericksburg, Va., the Madison Wildfire of Madison, Va., and the Richmond Renegades of Hanover, Va. are the first clubs to join in. The Fredericksburg and Richmond teams will be playing at the Capitals outdoor ball/inline hockey rinks in their cities.
The divisions are going to be split into elementary, middle, and high school, and each team will play 3 games per tournament, with 5 tournaments in total. That’s 15 games per team – talk about action-packed!
The CIHL schedule is going to be full of weekend showcase tournaments, and here are the dates from December through March:
– Dec. 16 – Richmond Renegades host
– Jan. 6 – Madison Wildfire host
– Jan. 20 – Fredericksburg Phantoms host
– Feb. 10 – Fauquier Dragons host
– Feb. 24 – Richmond Renegades host
– March – Playoff tournament dates to be announced
Andrew Nash, the Capitals manager of youth hockey development, said, “We are thrilled to launch the Capitals Inline Hockey League as inline hockey – often referred to as roller hockey – continues to grow across the U.S. Through this league, the Capitals and local clubs can provide the community with a legitimate, properly funded, unified league similar to what is offered for on-ice hockey, and we’re excited to further grow the game through the CIHL.”
The Capitals have been doing a lot to promote inline hockey in the area, with 14 outdoor ball/inline hockey rinks across Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. They’re really trying to get more people involved in hockey, both on and off the ice.
If you want to get in on the action and register for the CIHL, head over to https://www.capsyouthhockey.com/cihl.