The 44th annual Kilrich Yukon Native Hockey Tournament. Photo Courtesy of Tom Patrick, Star Flower Photography.
Whitehorse, YT – The Yukon First Nations Hockey Association has made some major rule changes for the Yukon Native Hockey Tournament after a year-long review.
The A Division is now open to unlimited professional and former professional players. Karee Vallevand, coordinator of the Yukon Native Hockey Tournament, says the changes come after struggling to fill up the division in past years.
“We just want to open it up so that we can get more from across Canada to come to our tournament,” said Vallevand. “We already get many players from across Canada but we just need to fill up that A Division.”
Other changes include combining youth divisions and aligning the age groups with Hockey Canada. The Women’s Division has updated roster requirements and added a focus on gender inclusion as it continues to grow.
“In the past, certain rules were put in place to protect competitive balance, and they served an important purpose at the time, but the game has evolved and so have our goals,” said YFNHA President Rick McLean in a statement. “These updates reflect where we are today and where we want to go.”



