August Newsletter
Hello my esteemed CAHA families!
Sadly enough we're in our last month of true summer! As we're all gearing up for our kids to return to school, I hope everyone is enjoying some last minute action in the sun and on the water!
With some school shopping comes the reminder that recent growth spurts might mean an update for hockey gear. CAHA is fortunate enough to have limited quantities of used and new equipment for families to borrow/lease from the association. If you're interested in checking out our equipment options, please reach out to the head of Coach and Player Development, Tony Huberty at Hubertytony@gmail.com.
If you're looking at purchasing equipment, keep in mind, our youth players wear black helmets, black gloves, and black breezers. The custom Lumberjack themed options at Play-it-again sports, Pure Hockey, and/or Stewart's are great options, as well! If you have any equipment questions, please reach out to Tony Huberty.
Apparel
Please watch for CAWHA to release their annual CEC Hockey Apparel order! They will have a lot of high quality choices such as UNRL and Hockey Yak brands. That being said, apparel can be a touchy subject, we cannot police what individuals design and purchase. But, it is my opinion and the opinion of the board and CAWHA, that we strongly encourage individuals and teams to take advantage of the association order and avoid individual team orders once teams have formed. This creates a financial burden for families along with creating a sense of “the haves and have nots.” If your team has a special event, i.e. you go to your respective State tourney, great, order a shirt which commemorates that accomplishment. But, we are trying to avoid families ordering from the association order then having to order a few hundred dollars worth of apparel a month later.
Registration
Please visit Cloquethockey.com, scroll down on the homepage to the “CAHA registration” box to start your registration process. You will need a new USA Hockey number. Once you obtain this number, return to our site. Click on the “Programs” tab, select your level of play and follow the steps to complete registration.
Peewee level designations
Coach and Player Development has had numerous in-depth conversations, consultations, held surveys, etc regarding what levels to sponsor this year at ALL levels. We reevaluate our level of play every year to ensure each group is competing at the appropriate level. That being said, the Peewee Level has been of particular focus due to having one peewee A team, two peewee B1 teams, and two peewee B2 teams last season. The general consensus was that the overall success of teams, namely the B1 and B2 teams was hampered which caused the overall level of enjoyment to be less than optimal. So, this year, we are going with one A team, one B1 team, and three B2 teams. We feel this strengthens all teams, will create a higher level of success, and will properly place players for maximum puck touches and player development. We understand that opinions vary on this topic. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to any one of the CPD members.
Cpd members:
Tony Huberty
Shea Walters
Jeff Leno
Rich McKenna
Mat Snesrud
Jordan Baird
Nate Knutson
Adam Pavlatos
Donny Gentilini
2025/26 levels hosted:
Bantam A, B1, B2
Peewee A, B1, B2, B2, B2
12u A, B
10u A, B, B
Squirt A, B1, B2, B2, B2
Mite 2
8u
Mite 1
6u
Mini-Mites
Lumberjack logo on the Barn
The Lumberjack logo on the barn is in need of repainting! If someone has a qualifying artist's touch and would be willing to volunteer re-painting and preserving our historic sign, please reach out and we'd love to chat further! It would also be great if an electrician in our association would be willing to work with us to install exterior lights to illuminate the logo and Pine Valley sign.
Ice in Northwoods
The ice is currently being put back in Northwoods Arena! After a successful summer of hosting camps and other various ice rentals, we briefly take the ice out in August so we can place fresh lines and logos for the upcoming season. Justin, John, and the rest of the CAHA staff have been working long hours to get ice back in Northwoods. It takes approximately 120 layers/coats of water to get the ice to a functional level of play. Thanks to our staff, we should be back to usable ice in the very near future!
Dates to keep in mind:
Early registration closes - August 15th
Flow camp -registration opening soon, we will run Flow Camp during the month of September.
Goalie Evaluations- September 28th
CAHA camp- Sept 29th-Oct 2nd
Bantam tryouts- Oct 4th - Oct 8th
Peewee tryouts - Oct 8th - Oct 12th
12u tryouts - Oct 9th - Oct 12th
Squirt tryouts - Oct 19th - Oct 24th
10 u tryouts - Oct 19th - Oct 23rd
All coaches mandatory meeting- Oct 27th
*Dates are subject to change, please follow us on FB and check all emails for potential changes.
CAHA board member spotlight-
Tony Huberty
Board Member / CPD Chair
Tony Huberty grew up in Hermantown, MN, where he developed a passion for playing hockey in youth and high school programs. After graduating, he continued his hockey career at the junior level in Arizona and Wisconsin, eventually going on to play Division III college hockey.
Over the past six years, Tony has been actively involved in coaching, working with youth programs in Esko and Cloquet. He currently serves as a coach at the squirt level, is a current CAHA board member, and CPD Chair, and MN scout for the Watertown Shamrocks in the NAHL. Tony also helps as an assistant coach on the Cloquet boys high school team.
Tony lives in the Cloquet/Esko/Carlton area with his wife, Kim, and their two children, Vinny and Annetta. He comes from a proud hockey family with deep roots in the Duluth, MN area and could not be happier to be a part of Lumberjack Hockey, bringing his experience and passion to help the program continue to grow.
Have a great rest of your summer!
Jeff Leno