Travel Teams – Wilmington Nighthawks Ice Hockey

Wilmington Nighthawks TRavel Program

Competitive Hockey in the DVHL.

We are proud members of the Delaware Valley Hockey League (DVHL), a premier Tier II youth ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. Since joining the DVHL in 2023, the Nighthawks have competed alongside a robust network of 17 member organizations and more than 180 teams spanning Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The league is dedicated to fostering elite skill development, sportsmanship, and a lifelong passion for the game, providing our athletes with the perfect platform to test their limits and fly higher every season.

Visit DVHL.org

Travel Program Details: 2026-27 Season

	8U	10U	12U	14U	16U	18U
Birth Years	2018 & 2019	2016 & 2017	2014 & 2015	2012 & 2013	2010 & 2011	2008 & 2009
Practices	2 hours/ week Sept – Feb Half ice	2 hours/ week (1/2 hr full ice) Sept – Feb 5 hours summer ice	2 hours/ week (1/2 hr full ice) Sept – Feb 10 hours summer ice	2 hours/ week (1 hr full ice) Sept – Feb 10 hours summer ice	2 hours/ week (1 hr full ice) Sept – Feb 10 hours summer ice	2 hours/ week (1 hr full ice) Sept – Feb 10 hours summer ice
Games*	~ 20 DVHL games 13 total home games half-ice games	~ 20 DVHL games 15 total home games	~ 20 DVHL games 15 total home games	~ 24 DVHL games 15 total home games	~ 24 DVHL games 15 total home games	~ 24 DVHL games 15 total home games
Tournament Stipend*	$2400 per team	$4400 per team	$4400 per team	$4400 per team	$4400 per team	$4400 per team
Season Tuition*	$1075	$2325	$2500	$2775	$3050	$3100
Evaluations & Tryouts	Evals were in March. Registration closed.	Evals were in March. Registration closed.	Evals were in March. Registration closed.	Tryouts were in April. Registration closed.	Tryouts were in April. Registration closed.	Tryouts were in April. Registration closed.

Standard registration is currently complete for the 2026-2027 travel season. If you’re looking for a team to join, please contact us at info@wilmingtonnighthawks.com.

Games: DVHL games are approximate and are set by the league based on how many teams are in the age level and division (AA, A, B). Non-league home game slots are provided for additional home games. Teams may schedule non-league away games as desired.

Tournament Stipend: The club covers tournament registration costs for each team in the amount stated. This is intended to cover the registration of two average tournaments. The funds are not available to cover additional tournament costs incurred, such as hotel rooms, meals, or travel.

Season Tuition: The listed tuition is the fee paid directly to the Nighthawks. USA Hockey registration is required and additional. Uniform costs are additional. Travel players are required to purchase home and away jerseys and socks at a minimum. Individual teams may specify additional uniform requirements.

Teams ages 10U and older may elect to play in the EJEPL, aka ‘EJs.’ Teams playing in the EJEPL pay the league fee and may elect to use half of the tournament stipend towards the cost of EJEPL registration in place of one tournament.

2026-2027 Team Pages

8U TBD

Our youngest players have the most fun on our 8U team!

10U A American

Led by 6 returning 10U players, the 10U team is looking to make a statement this season!

14U A National

A group of long-time Nighthawks welcome new faces and look to turn up the competition in A National!

18U AA

Big goals for our 18AA team as they look to expand on recent success at the USA Hockey Nationals tournament!

Frequently Asked Travel Questions

The Wilmington Nighthawks are fortunate to be in the geographic center of the Delaware Valley Hockey League. This minimizes are teams’ travel requirements. Half of our games are at the Skating Club of Wilmington, our home rink. Many of our away games are nearby, in Newark, Aston, West Chester, etc.

The clubs furthest away are in Wilkes-Barre, Hershey, and Lancaster. Those are all about 2 hours away. Because our teams only play other teams at the same age level and division, we often only play one or two of those teams in a season because they don’t field corresponding teams. Our teams will have one or two games a season that are that far away.

Teams select tournaments that may require travel. Recent examples of tournaments locations for our younger teams include Washington DC, Hershey, & Ocean City Md.

Evaluations and tryouts are scheduled in the spring to allow planning for the following season to take place during the summer. All teams in the Atlantic District hold evaluations & tryouts during the same timeframe. Travel teams 10U and older then participate in a tournament in late Spring to determine correct division placement (AA, A, B) for the following season. Over the summer all of the league games are scheduled. While it sounds intense, it has resulted in divisions that are well balanced. And clubs still have flexibility to move players between teams if required.

8U teams hold their placement tournament in September. Scheduling for 8U happens in the fall, and their games start in October.

At 12U and younger, hockey clubs hold evaluations rather than tryouts. The goal of the evaluation is to determine which level of team best suits each player. All players are placed on a team. If you are placed on a travel team at an evaluation, you commit to the club. That just means that you are not able to then change to a different club in the same district without being released. We’ve never had a problem with this but it is something to be aware of. This is an effect of the district rules, so all local clubs will be operating the same way. Please don’t attend a different club’s evaluation if you want to play with us next season.

If you are placed on a recreational team at an evaluation, you are not committed to the club. In this case you can go to a different club and be evaluated for their travel team.

Especially at 8U, we don’t automatically place the best players on travel or force anyone to play travel over rec. We work with families to decide what is right and understand what level of commitment they want to make and we collectively place the player on the right team. If we end up with a team and a half that want to play travel, we will ask the younger players to consider rec for a year or we’ll see if any players on rec are interested in joining a second travel team. And we continue to have flexibility to adjust the teams after evaluations if the need arises.

Teams 14U and older hold traditional tryouts. Players are offered spots on specific teams after tryouts. Unlike evaluations, attending a tryout does not commit a player to a specific club.

Hockey Alliances for Extra Competition.

The Mid Atlantic Hockey Alliance combines the DVHL and the New Jersey Hockey League (NJYHL) to allow our highest level AA teams greater competition.

Showcases for extra Games.

Our travel teams may optionally compete in the Easter Junior Elite Prospects League. The EJEPL offers a competitive 16 game schedule including 2 showcase events for 9U-14U and a 20 game schedule including 3 showcase events for 15U-18U teams. The EJEPL has teams from 9 different states, allowing our team the opportunity to compete against a great variety of new teams.