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What a hockey scrimmage is
A hockey scrimmage is a practice game against another team, outside league standings. Coaches use it to test line combinations, give a new goalie real shots, or keep players sharp during a break in the schedule. Many are played as running-clock periods inside a single ice slot, and some are booked as a full exhibition game with stop time.
How to find a hockey scrimmage in 4 steps
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Set up your team's search
Pick your team in Next Play. The app matches ice hockey teams by birth year, gender (boys, girls or co-ed) and level (recreational, development, competitive or premier), within the travel radius your club sets. If your team will play up or down, say so, for example "will play up to 2 years older," and the app shows where your range overlaps with another team's.
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Send a friendly invite, or post your open ice
Found a team that fits? Send a friendly invite with your team, the date, the start time and who hosts: your rink or theirs. Holding a slot with no opponent yet? Post it as an open game with the date, the time window and the rink, and matching teams can claim it.
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Invite a club that isn't on the app yet
Already know the coach across town? Invite any club by name, even if it isn't on Play 2 Earn Sports. Next Play emails that club an invite and sends one reminder.
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Agree the details and play
The other club accepts, suggests another time or declines with a reason. Once it's booked, confirmed games go on your team's schedule. Use the staff chat to settle the format, and request a referee if you want one.
How long is a hockey scrimmage?
Most hockey scrimmages are shaped by the ice slot, not by a rulebook. A 60-minute slot often leaves room for a short warm-up and about 45 minutes of game time; a 75- or 90-minute slot gives you more. These are general patterns. Agree your own times with the other coach.
- Younger age groups: many clubs play cross-ice or half-ice games with short shifts on a buzzer or whistle, often with the clock running the whole time.
- Middle age groups: three running-clock periods are common, sometimes with stop time in the last few minutes of the third so the end feels like a real game.
- Older and competitive teams: some clubs book a longer slot and play stop-time periods, close to a regular game, especially in preseason.
Remember the zamboni slot. If the rink resurfaces between bookings, your game has to end on time, so many coaches skip the intermission flood and use a short bench break instead.
What to agree before the game
- Ice and cost: who books the ice, how long the slot is, and how the ice time is split. Many clubs split the cost evenly; others trade home slots.
- Format: number of periods, running clock or stop time, and whether you flood between periods.
- Officials: one referee, a full crew, or a coach on the ice for younger players.
- Penalties: serve time in the box, award a penalty shot, or play on with a quick word on the bench.
- Checking and contact: follow the body-checking rules your association sets for that age group, and confirm them in writing.
- Goalies and shifts: whether goalies switch halfway, and whether shifts run on a buzzer.
- Score and jerseys: keep score or not, and who wears dark and who wears light.
- Safety: full equipment, a first aid contact, and who calls an ambulance if needed.
Why clubs use Next Play for hockey scrimmages
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Matches that fit your team
Teams are matched by sport, birth year, gender and level within your travel radius. A hockey club sees hockey teams, and play-up or play-down ranges show where two teams overlap.
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A record you can check before you book
Every number on a team's record comes from friendlies both clubs confirmed: games, wins-losses-draws, late cancels (less than 24 hours' notice) and no-shows. A "Reliable" badge appears after at least 5 confirmed games with no no-shows and no more than 1 late cancel in the last 12 months.
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Staff chat and referee requests
The two clubs' staff message in one thread per game. Players and parents can't read it, and report and block are built in. You can request one referee or a full crew; the host club and the referee agree the fee, and Next Play doesn't charge for it.
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Results kept apart from the league
One club enters the score after the game and the other confirms or disputes it within 48 hours. Friendlies are kept separate from league standings, so a preseason blowout doesn't touch your table.
Questions
Open Next Play, pick your team and look at ice hockey teams that match your birth year, gender and level within your travel radius. Send a friendly invite with the date, start time and rink, or post your open ice slot so a matching team can claim it. If you already know the club, invite it by name and Next Play emails the invite.
Close. Both are games outside league standings. An exhibition game is usually played like a regular game, with stop time and full officials, while a scrimmage is often shorter and more relaxed, with a running clock and changed rules. Next Play handles both. You and the other coach decide the format in the invite and the staff chat.
There's no single rule. Many clubs split the cost of the slot evenly, some take turns hosting so each pays for one game, and some hosts cover the ice in exchange for a return game later. Settle it in the staff chat before the day, and note who books the slot so nobody shows up to a rink with no ice reserved.
Not every time. Younger groups often play with a coach on the ice, while older teams usually want at least one referee to keep the game safe and keep penalties fair. In Next Play you can request one referee or a full crew. The host club and the referee agree the fee directly, and Next Play doesn't charge for the request.
No. Friendlies booked through Next Play are kept separate from league standings. They do build your team's friendly record, which shows confirmed games, wins-losses-draws, late cancels and no-shows. Only games both clubs confirmed count, and one club can dispute a score within 48 hours if it doesn't match what happened on the ice.
Next Play is free for clubs to use. It is for adult club staff: owners, club managers, team managers and coaches the club allows. Players and parents don't use the app. Get the Next Play app from the Next Play page to start finding hockey teams to play.
