Travel Hockey Program
KAHA Travel Hockey Program provides players with an opportunity to develop in a competitive environment by providing a challenging, fun, athletic team atmosphere that provides lasting benefits to each player. Our goals are to develop its players’ work ethic and character, teach fundamental hockey skills, and promote good sportsmanship.
2025 Travel Tryout Schedule
16U/18U - Tuesday, May 6th, 2025 @ 7:10 pm & Thursday, May 8th, 2025 @ 7:10 pm
10U - Friday May 9th, 2025 @ 5:40 pm & Saturday May 10th, 2025 @ 10:00 am
12U - Friday May 9th, 2025 @ 6:50 pm & Saturday May 10th, 2025 @ 11:10 am
14U - Friday May 9th, 2025 @ 8:00 pm & Saturday May 10th, 2025 @ 12:20 pm
Ages
It is the intention of KAHA Travel Hockey Program to ice a travel team at each age group (10U-18U).
Final determination on number of teams will be made based on the volume and talent of players at tryouts.
When
The travel season typically starts August and goes until mid-March. National bound teams could go until April.
Note: 10U teams have a MANDATORY leveling tournament August 16th-17th in Huntsville, AL.
Where
Travel teams offer our players the opportunity to compete against other teams in our geographic area (AL, GA, IN, KY, OH, MS, NC, SC, TN).
Practices
Most all practices are held at Cool Sports located off of Watt Road in Knoxville, TN.
Practices are typically twice a week.
Teams will have a High-Powered Weekend over Labor Day Weekend.
Games / Tournaments
KAHA travel hockey teams schedule league games, non-league games and tournaments over the course of the season. The number of competitive games and amount of travel is up to the coach and the parents. As a general rule, a parent can expect 40 to 50 games of league play, tournaments and non-league games over a six-month season. Teams typically schedule three to six tournaments a season.
Jerseys
Players in this program must purchase organizations home and away jerseys and socks from the KAHA vendor. These costs are not included in the team fees and must be paid by each family upon ordering. Ordering is done immediately after tryouts in addition to other items such as warmups upon acceptance of roster spot.
LEAGUE PLAY
Our travel teams play in the Southern Youth Travel Hockey League (SYTHL) and/or Southeastern Showcase League (SESCL).
REQUIRED TEAM HOCKEY EQUIPMENT
Helmets: Must be Dark/Forest Green. If used, helmet stickers should be consistent for the entire team and match the scheme of the Smoky Mountain Wild.
Hockey Shell: Must be Smoky Mountain custom pant shell.
Hockey Gloves: Must be Smoky Mountain custom branded gloves.
Hockey Bags: Must be Smoky Mountain custom team bags.
PLAY - UP
Players wishing to try-out or play at a level higher than age dedicated will need to complete a play-up form and return to KAHA Travel Director prior to taking the ice.
PROGRAMMING HANDBOOK
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re not sure if our player is good enough to play travel, should we bother?
YES! You can’t be selected if you don’t tryout. The tryout fee also applies to the Prep tryout so if your skater isn’t selected to the travel team, they are automatically moved to the Prep tryout roster at no additional cost. Tryouts are also a growth experience for players and we encourage everyone to give it a try.
What are the determining factors on how many travel teams we will have next season and what division they’ll play in?
The determination will be made based on the volume and talent of the players who attend tryouts. Our goal is to have enough players at each age level to field two travel teams, but if tryouts determine we don’t, only a single team will be formed. For example, in 2021 we knew our U16 and U18 age groups will likely only have 1 team, but tryouts still ultimately determine our final decision. The division that team(s) play in will also be based on talent (AA, A, B)
What do the B, A, and AA, levels mean?
B, A, and AA, are distinctions between skill levels with B being the lowest. USAH defines these as Tier 1: The highest level of competition, also called "AAA". Tier 2: Called "AA" or "A". Tier 3: Called "Select" or "B"
My kid has been cut 3 years in a row, what’s the point in trying out again?
Anytime a family makes a decision to enter into a “tryout” situation, we must all recognize that being disappointed or not selected is a potential outcome. If this scenario isn’t something your family is comfortable subjecting your child to, KAHA offers a wonderful Rec League program that does not involve “cuts.”
The evaluation process for each player includes a 5-person committee formed by KAHA who rate each player over the two-day tryout and confer with the head coach before making final decisions. Wayne Gretzky said, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” and while no one can guarantee your player will make a travel team based simply on showing up, you can be assured they will have the same fair opportunity as everyone else.
Is all this money due up front?
Nope. A $500 deposit is required through the Crossbar platform that is cashed when you accept a roster spot. After that, each team has monthly payment dates throughout the season that spread out the total amount due.
I really want my player to play travel and we think they’re good enough, but it’s so expensive. What can we do?
KAHA offer excellent fundraising options that we call FRC’s. Any registered family can work a number of different options to earn credits toward hockey expenses. Contact KAHA President (kahapresident@gmail.com) for more details.
2025-2026
Register now for the 2025-26 Smoky Mountain Wild tryouts!
Tryout Fees:
$60 until April 15th, 2025
$80 after April 15th, 2025
*There will be no registration at the door.
Register