Research Report | Canadian Minor Hockey
The Oversight Gap
Minor Hockey Safety When Systems Don't Support You
A survey of 17 minor hockey leaders across Canada shows what happens when injury protocols meet a volunteer-run world.
17
Minor Hockey Leaders Surveyed
Free
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12 min
Read Time
2026
Primary Research
WHAT'S INSIDE
Four sections. One clear picture.
The State of Play
How self-assessment ratings compare to what leaders describe on the ground.
The Visibility Gap
Why "good" systems produce incomplete records. Data from the survey, in plain language.
Three Pillars
The patterns that separate associations with reliable safety from those that struggle.
The Infrastructure Fix
What high-performing associations do differently and how to start where you are.
"We find out later on many occasions injuries are not reported."
Minor Hockey Survey Respondent
KEY FINDINGS
What the data shows.
88%
Rate overall safety as "good"
But their own open-ended answers reveal protocols that break down when volunteers are the only line of enforcement.
65%
Believe volunteers are sufficiently trained
Their descriptions of real game-day situations tell a different story especially at the grassroots level.
59%
Rate compliance tracking as "good"
Yet most cannot run a report confirming which teams reported on injuries or followed return-to-play protocol.
70%
Rate protocol adherence as "good"
But without a centralized tracking system, adherence is an assumption not a verifiable outcome.
FRAMEWORK
Three pillars separate the best associations from the rest.
01
Solve the Volunteer Burden Problem
Reduce reliance on memory by guiding volunteers through injury reporting step-by-step. When the system does the thinking, execution becomes consistent regardless of who is on the bench.
02
Scale Expertise Across Every Team
Your safety lead cannot be at every rink. A centralized platform gives them visibility across all teams so they can act on real-time information rather than end-of-week summaries.
03
Close the "Find Out Later" Gap
Shift from informal reporting email chains, paper forms, word of mouth to a system that creates a timestamped record for every incident across every team.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP