Raiders House League Details - Registration for 2025-2026 Season Now Open

Reston Raiders House Program 2025 - 2026 Season

The Reston Raiders Hockey Club provides opportunities for children of all skill levels to play ice hockey, from the beginning player to the highly skilled player. The Raiders seek to instill in every child a love for the game of hockey, with a commitment to fair play and sportsmanship. The Club also is committed to helping each child with the development of personal and social skills. The Raiders want to exemplify the principles and philosophies of USA Hockey and, through coaching excellence, to develop the finest youth hockey players possible. The Club is committed to providing a fun environment for players of all ages and skills, with equal opportunity for all. Our key philosophy is Fun Hockey for Kids.

*Reston Raiders 2025-26 House Program Registration opens on 07/01/25*

To register, players will need a 2025-26 USAH Registration Number: (Register for a current USAH # HERE).

2025-26 House Season

The House program is offered to children born between 2007-2019 with the season running from early September to early March. The intention is to offer 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U & 16U/18U age group divisions should numbers allow. If the numbers are not sufficient, the age group divisions will be as follows, 8U, 10U/12U, 12U/14U & 16U/18U.

The 10U, 12U, 14U divisions will culminate in the House playoffs and Championship game (medals will be awarded to the finalists). 8U will not have playoffs; all 8U will receive medals at their last house game. The 16U/18U division will have two teams joining the CCHL to supplement to the current structure. The CCHL teams will have end of the season playoffs.

Mandatory Evaluation Skates

Mandatory evaluations will take place in late August and early September. The specific dates for each division are listed in the division descriptions. A House Draft will occur for each division following evaluations. Teams will be drafted for parity. Following the draft, coaches will contact team families and House practices will start mid-September. The Club reserves the right to make trades early in the season to ensure teams are well-balanced. Please note, that there will be no players moved based on parental request, all moves will be made by coaches in the interest of balancing teams. House games will start house games is scheduled to be in early October.

For questions regarding the house, contact Nick Durso, House Director at Housedirector@restonraiders.com or nickdurso.raiders@gmail.com.

For questions regarding registration contact the Club Registrar at rrhcregistrar@gmail.com.

2025-26 House Program Divisions and Fees

House Program Skill Level Details

Participants in the House program should have graduated from the Raiders Learn to Program LTP), but at a minimum should have prior hockey experience (camps or lessons) and should have skating skills as established in the Learn to Skate program at SkateQuest (or equivalent). Please refer to http://www.skatequest.com/group-lessons/# for the skills chart and conversion sheet. If a parent of a player who is of 8U or 10U age is uncertain of whether they have the requisite skills for the house program or it is unclear to the Raider Registrar whether a player has the requisite skill, an evaluation by the Learn to Play Head Coach or House Director will be made and the director will determine whether the player is ready for the house program or needs to be placed in the Initiation Program. Last season's LTP players must have been given notice of graduation to sign up for the House program. Please contact the Learn to Play Head Coach & House Director Nick Durso at nickdurso.raiders@gmail.com for questions regarding the requisite skills needed and evaluation requests. Players who, in the pre-season evaluation skate, are determined to not have the skill level to participate at the level at which they are trying out, will be provided the option to move to a lower level, to the Learn to Play Program or to withdraw completely from the program. Any monetary balance will be refunded. Please note that participation in the Learn to Play Program is not an option at the 12U, 14U and 16U/18U Levels.

8U House Details

The evaluations for 8U will be August 24th. Teams will be set immediately following the evaluations with games starting in mid-September.

The Raiders expect to field twelve 8U House teams in two different divisions during the 2024-25 season. Four teams will participate in the Campbell Division and eight teams in the Patrick Division. The Campbell Division generally will be composed of older, more experienced players, including 8U Blue and 8U Silver travel players, while the Patrick Division will be composed of younger and less experienced players, including players rising from the Club’s Learn to Play Program. The division in which a player will play during the season will be determined following 8U evaluation practices, which take place at the beginning of the season. During the first few weeks of the season, players may be assigned to different teams and different divisions as coaches attempt to create balanced teams and place players in the division that provides them with the best opportunity to improve their skills.

The coaches and evaluators will recommend a player play in either the Campbell or Patrick Division based on which division would provide that player with the best opportunity to develop his or her skills. The goals are to ensure that players receive the most appropriate age-level and skill-level instruction, to maximize the number of touches on the puck the player will experience in practice and in games and to provide the optimum game and practice environment for that player not only to develop his or her hockey skills, but also to have fun and enjoy the game of hockey.

Practices

Campbell Division teams and Patrick Division teams will share practice ice during the season. Practices generally will be station-based and follow USA Hockey’s American Development Model (ADM), as players will rotate through stations with players of similar skill and experience as well as players on their team. Coaches may structure some practices so that each team on the ice conducts drills, including cross ice games, only with their team.

Practice Times:

Mondays at 6:00 PM-7:20 PM OR Fridays at 4:35-6:00 PM

Games

Campbell Division (Upper): The Campbell Division teams will play 3vs3 or 4vs4 cross-ice games on Saturday or Sunday mornings. During games, coaches will attempt to match lines so that players of similar experience and skill play against each other. Coaches may swap players from their teams to help ensure a competitive environment that optimizes skill development. Coaches also may swap players to create even numbered teams in case one team is missing several of its players.

Patrick Division (Lower): The Patrick Division teams will play 3vs3 or 4vs4 cross-ice games on Saturday or Sunday mornings. During games, coaches will attempt to match lines so that players of similar experience and skill play against each other. Coaches may swap players from their teams to help ensure a competitive environment that optimizes skill development. Coaches also may swap players to create even numbered teams in case one team is missing several of its players.

10U & 12U House Details

Key Dates for 10U & 12U

The evaluations for 10U and 12U will be September 6th. Traditionally they are the weekend of the Raiders annual picnic, but exact dates will be released in June. Following the evaluations the Raiders will run scrimmages at the first practices and conduct a house draft. In late September there will be a 10U/12U jamboree to ensure teams are properly balanced.

The Raiders expect to field six teams in the 10U division and four teams 12U division should the numbers. The 10U & 12U division will consist of players in the 10U age bracket and first year 12U players.

While carpool requests will be considered they are not guaranteed. Requests to be with a particular coach or former teammate will not be considered. Siblings will always be put on the same team unless requested not to be. Teams with girls and boys will always have multiple girls on the same team. We will not create a team with only one girl.

Practice times for 10U and/or 12U

Wednesdays 5:40-7:00 PM OR 7:10-8:30 PM

Games for the 10U/12U

10U/12U House games are scheduled Saturday mornings anytime between 6:00 AM-12:40 PM depending on the weekend.

12U & 14U House Details

Key Dates for 12U & 14U

The evaluations for 12U & 14U will be on September 6th. Following the evaluations and initial practices the Raiders will conduct scrimmages to further evaluate the players and then conduct a house draft in late September.

The Raiders expect to field four teams in the 12U & 14U divisions should numbers allow. The alternative would be a 12U/14U division that would consist of players in the 14U age bracket and second year 12U players. 12U players with a lower skill level will be considered to play down in the 10U & 12U division.

While carpool requests will be considered they are not guaranteed. Requests to be with a particular coach or former teammate will not be considered. Siblings will always be put on the same team unless requested not to be. Teams with girls and boys will always be multiple girls on the team. We will not create a team with only one girl.

Practice times for 12U & 14U

Mondays 6:10-7:50 PM OR 7:10-9:00 PM (there may be a combined portion of the practice with all four teams from 7:10-7:50 PM)

Games for the 12U & 14U

12U/14U House games are scheduled Sunday evenings at Skatequest.

16U/18U House Details

The 16U/18U division will have 2 teams of 16 players and 2 goalie each and will play up 3 v 3 twice a month at the Loudoun Ice Center on Sunday evenings. The other two Sundays each month the players will play full ice games at Skatequest on Sunday evenings. The two teams will also compete in the Capital Corridor Hockey League (CCHL). He season with consist of 6 home and 6 away games and an end of season tournament. For more info about the CCHL, please visit https://www.capitalcorridorhl.org/. More details to follow.

Special Note to Inline Skaters

We have found that experienced inline skaters make a smooth transition to ice hockey. If your child does well in inline hockey, they will likely do well in ice hockey. The House evaluation process in September places each skater in the appropriate program based on age, size, and skill level, and may include the recommendation that the skater play up/down from their age category or participate in the Initiation Program. Players must register for the House level appropriate to their birth year. For more information, contact the Raiders by email at info@restonraiders.com or housedirector@restonraiders.com

Select / Tournament Teams

In 2025-26 the Raiders intend to field select teams at the 10U, 12U, and 14U age groups. The teams will be selected based on the evaluation skates and the first practices and games. The select teams will each play tournaments at the B travel level. Practices will be on Saturday or Sunday mornings at 6AM. Additionally, each team will have three practices at Loudoun Ice Centre. These Loudoun Ice sessions will be during the week and spread out throughout the season. There is an additional cost for the Select teams.

Discount Information

Sibling Discount: 1st sibling $100 discount, 2nd sibling $150 discount, 3rd sibling $200 discount. Sibling discounts will automatically be applied if a sibling is participating in any other Raider program during the same season. Due to the discounted fee of the Learn to Play Program, the discount will not apply for siblings in Learn to Play. The sibling discount will automatically apply to families provided they use the same email address/account to register all players.

Goalie Discount & Goalie Program

RRHC is offering a $500 goalie discount (credited at the end of the season) to players that play in goal for at least half the season. Additionally, all

House Teams at the 10U, 12U & 14U level will have a Professional Goalie Coach from the Goalie Academy on the ice for all team practices. The Raiders are the ONLY Program in the area that provides this type of instruction for our House Goalies. The coaches will be there to work with the Goalies on Goalie specific drills and instruction. The club will also be offering monthly House Goalie Clinics at Loudoun Ice Centre to give our goalies an additional opportunity to work on their goalie skills.