FYI Whalers:

Hockey Nova Scotia has announced that for the 2025-26 season, teams from the Western and Nova regions at the following levels will merge with teams from the Halifax and Dartmouth regions and participate in the Central Minor Hockey League:

• U11 AA
• U13 AA
• U15 AA
• U18 AA
• U18 A 

This pilot initiative is being introduced to create a more competitive environment for players throughout the province, while also providing a more sustainable league structure across the regions impacted.

For DWMHA, this means that players on the teams listed above will have league games in areas of the province which could include Yarmouth, Liverpool, Kentville, etc. 

Please see the memo from HNS: HNS MEMO

Pro Hockey Life has opened an online store for gear bags and backpacks. It will be open from today until August 17. Please use this link to access the store:

https://dartmouthwhalersapparel.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Are you looking to become involved with the Dartmouth Whalers? We are currently seeking a passionate individual to fill a new volunteer role for the 2025-2026 season:

Diversity & Inclusion Officer

This new position will play a key role in promoting and supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout the Whalers organization. The Diversity & Inclusion Officer will work closely with the board to help ensure our programs are welcoming and accessible to all participants. Responsibilities may include providing guidance on inclusive practices, supporting education and outreach efforts, and fostering an environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and included.

If you are committed to helping create a more inclusive hockey community, we would love to hear from you.

To express interest or learn more about the role, please email Lacey Cyr at secretary@whalers.org. 

As we make preparations for the coming season we are pleased to announce that moving forward we will be using GrayJay for all our Whalers administrative needs. This will mean streamlined registration, one team app for the entire organization (great for multi-player families!), communications, and more.

Registration will be open on August 1 and to get ready, we would like our hockey families to get their accounts activated now. Please use this link and follow these three steps to create your account:

Step 1: Create an account using your name and contact information with GrayJayPay

Step 2: Add your player(s) as a family member to your account - NOTE - DO NOT create the account under your player's name, you are the account holder. 

Step 3: Add Dartmouth Whalers Minor Hockey Association to the ‘My Organizations’ tab

You will notice that there are no programs available for registration now, as those will be visible starting on August 1. If your player has a pre-existing HCR number, it should automatically populate when you input their name and date of birth. Credits (50/50, goalie, etc) will be applied once accounts are created.

This year, for the first time since 2019, there will be a slight increase in fees, mainly to compensate for the increased cost of ice rental.

We would also like to share the Hockey Nova Scotia page which outlines relevant dates per age group. Hockey Nova Scotia - Seasonal Structure

More registration information will be shared within the coming days.

Are you looking to become involved with the Dartmouth Whalers? We are currently looking for people to fill the following roles for the 2025-2026 season:

• Equipment Manager (No previous experience is required - we are looking to fill this ASAP)

• Divisional Coordinators - U11 - U18, both rep and rec are available. If you have coordinated before and are interested in continuing in your role, please reach out to confirm. We would like to have these roles filled by August 1. (This is a great opportunity to try volunteering - it's a low time commitment role after tryouts/balancing is complete)

If you are interested in the above mentioned roles, you can email Lacey Cyr at secretary@whalers.org. If you would like more information about the roles or have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!