The Chicago Horned Frogs

The Chicago Horned Frogs feature teams that compete in the Northwest Hockey League. Games are played throughout the Chicagoland area with clubs participating from Kankakee to Crystal Lake. The season runs from September through March with a tiering round, regular season, and playoffs. The NWHL is a Tier III (House) league and requires balanced teams and ice times.

General Information & FAQ

Chicago Horned Frogs Hockey Club 

The Chicago Horned Frogs program is designed to develop each player’s core skill through a structured and organized hockey environment.  Our overarching goal is to improve, enjoy the game, be competive within our tiered league and participate fully in our cooperative, South Side hockey community.

We are an inclusive club and welcome all players to our program.  From there, our talented and throughful coaches work to ensure success and enjoyment of the team experience.  In cases where players are new and not yet ready for team play, our support programs (ADM and Learn to Play) will challenge and develop the player until they are ready for team entry at the beginning of a season.

Our teams play their regular season in the Northwest Hockey League (NWHL).  We additionally compete in local and out-of-state tournaments when team coaches and player family designs align to make it possible to reach for these seasonal high point, competitve and fun events.

Northwest Hockey League (NWHL) 

The Northwest Hockey League is often referred to as a “House” program, which is fairly inaccurate since a NWHL player, will travel to other rinks in the Chicagoland area to compete against other clubs. The league stresses a philosophy of balanced ice time (BIT) to ensure all players are able to contribute to the team’s success while gaining valuable experience at the youth level.  

Highlights to the NWHL program: 

• Time Commitment: Players will skate 2-3 hours each week. Ice sessions consist of practices, skills sessions, and either inner-squad or league games.
• Financial Commitment: The Chicago Horned Frogs are 100% guranteed, the most affordable organized program in the area.
• Player Evaluations: The coaching staff will work together to ensure teams are picked based on parity. The evaluation process will ensure player safety in order to participate in the league. Players must be able to stop on both feet.  
• Team Size: Team roster size is limited based on registration and skill evaluation. All players with adequate skill will be placed on a team based on “first come, first served” registration.
• League Play: Teams are balanced to ensure fair competition. NWHL enforced the Balanced Ice Time (BIT), which ensures all players and goalies will receive equal ice time. NWHL prohibits teams from running up the scores with the Blowout Rule.
• Tournament & Jamborees: Tournaments are optional and not included, but teams typically participate in 1-2 to compete against different opponents or travel out of state.
• Playing Season: Teams will play 20 league games, including 6 tiering round games (Oct – Nov) with league play beginning December until March.
• Spring season (Mar - June) will include 8 games, no tiering, and opportunity to play more in playoffs.
• NWHL Championship Tournament: Teams are able to compete for the league championship after the regular season. Teams will go through another tiering round to ensure the NWHL tournament brackets are fair and balanced.

Morgan Park Sports Center has been working with Rink Rat Rentals and is proud to announce a partnership for the upcoming season! Rink Rat Rentals offers high-quality rental equipment for youth hockey players of all ages, providing an affordable alternative to buying new gear. This partnership ensures that families have access to all the gear they need, whether your child is a first-year skater or already a few seasons in.

The process is simple: just visit www.rinkratrentals.com, select the gear you need, choose your rental period, and have it delivered right to your door.  There is typically a 1-week lead time on all orders so plan accordingly for the upcoming hockey season.  If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out via email at contact@rinkratrentals.com.

Notable Horned Frog Alumni