Officiating high school hockey
- State associations, not the NFHS, license high school ice hockey officials. The NFHS writes the playing rules; each state sets registration, fees, exams and meetings. Sources: NFHS 2024-25 High School Athletics Participation Survey (PDF); OHSAA Officials Handbook (current web copy) (checked Oct 5, 2026)
- In the NFHS 2024-25 participation survey, ice hockey was reported in 19 states for boys and 17 for girls: 1,682 boys' schools with 32,253 players and 904 girls' schools with 9,589 players. Source: NFHS 2024-25 High School Athletics Participation Survey (PDF) (checked Oct 5, 2026)
State associations that run high school hockey
The table lists the 15 state associations our research found running high school ice hockey. The NFHS survey's count of 19 states is a participation count and is higher; we have not confirmed which other states it includes, so if your state is not listed, check with your state association. Each row links to the association's own officials page. Where we could not confirm the registration steps on the association's page, we say so instead of guessing.
| State | Association | How to start |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) | Details not yet confirmed on the association's page. Follow the link. |
| Colorado | Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) | Details not yet confirmed on the association's page. Follow the link. |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) | Details not yet confirmed on the association's page. Follow the link. |
| Maine | Maine Principals' Association (MPA) | The MPA ice hockey bulletin confirms that Maine high school hockey plays NFHS rules. No officials registration page was found; contact the MPA. Source: MPA 2025-26 Ice Hockey Bulletin (updated 02-05-26) (checked Oct 5, 2026) |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) | Details not yet confirmed on the association's page. Follow the link. |
| Michigan | Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) | The MHSAA new-officials page explains registration, fees and the steps for first-year officials. Source: MHSAA New Officials Information (checked Oct 5, 2026) |
| Minnesota | Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) | Details not yet confirmed on the association's page. Follow the link. |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) | Details not yet confirmed on the association's page. Follow the link. |
| New Jersey | New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) | Details not yet confirmed on the association's page. Follow the link. |
| New York | New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) | Details not yet confirmed on the association's page. Follow the link. |
| North Dakota | North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) | The NDHSAA boys' ice hockey officials page lists the season's requirements and dates and posts NFHS interpretations. Source: NDHSAA Boys' Ice Hockey officials page (checked Oct 5, 2026) |
| Ohio | Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) | Our Ohio guide |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) | Details not yet confirmed on the association's page. Follow the link. |
| Vermont | Vermont Principals' Association (VPA) |
The VPA officials page points hockey officials to the state's officials association. Source: VPA - VT Sports Officials Associations (ice hockey -> VSAHA) (checked Oct 5, 2026) Which rule set Vermont high school hockey uses was not confirmed, so the NFHS rules links on this site may not apply there. |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) | The WIAA 2026-27 officials registration page covers how to register, fees and requirements. Source: WIAA Officials Registration 2026-27 (checked Oct 5, 2026) |
Other states
In states where the state association does not run hockey (for example Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, California and Utah), high school-age hockey is usually club hockey sanctioned by USA Hockey, and officials register through USA Hockey and its local affiliates. Source: Illinois Hockey Officials Association - Registration (2026-27) (checked Oct 5, 2026)
In the states listed, except where noted, high school games use NFHS playing rules. See the NFHS Rule of the Week and the NFHS simulator.