Hockey ice time · Free tool
Ice time calculator
Count how many practices your association's weekly ice holds, then give them out: evenly, or a number you set for each team. Every practice is the whole team on the ice, and the result shows its working so you can publish it.
Ice time calculator
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Example values are filled in. Replace them with your own. Nothing you type leaves this page or is saved.
Practices that fit each week: 10
Practices per team
| Team | Level | Practices a week | Ice a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team A | Travel | 3 | 3 h |
| Team B | Travel | 3 | 3 h |
| Team C | House | 2 | 2 h |
| Team D | House | 2 | 2 h |
All 10 practices that fit are given out.
How this was calculated: 10 hours of ice hold 10 practices of 60 minutes a week. Split evenly: 10 practices between 4 teams is 2 each with 2 over, so the first 2 teams listed get one more. Each practice is one 60-minute block of ice for the whole team.
10 hours of ice: 10 practices a week split evenly between 4 teams.
How the calculation works
- Count the practices that fit. Divide the weekly practice ice by the practice length your rink books, from 45 to 90 minutes. Any ice that doesn't fill a whole practice is reported as unassigned.
- Split them evenly. Each team gets the same number of practices. When they don't divide evenly, the teams listed first get one more each, so list teams in your priority order.
- Or set each team's number. Type a number for any team, such as 3 for travel teams and 2 for house teams. The calculator shows how many practices you've given out against how many fit, and warns you if you've given out more. Split evenly puts the numbers back.
- Season totals (optional). If you enter the number of weeks, each team's weekly ice is multiplied by it.
A short worked example, with placeholder numbers: 10 hours of ice a week in 60-minute practices is 10 practices. Split evenly between four teams, that's 2 each with 2 over, so the first two teams listed get one more.
| Team | Level | Practices a week | Ice a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team A | Travel | 3 | 3 h |
| Team B | Travel | 3 | 3 h |
| Team C | House | 2 | 2 h |
| Team D | House | 2 | 2 h |
What the numbers do not decide
The calculator counts each team's practices. It does not decide which hours each team gets, and that is usually where the arguments are: a 5:30 pm weeknight sheet and a 6:00 am Saturday sheet both count as an hour here. Two common fixes are to run the calculation twice, once for prime ice and once for non-prime ice, or to let teams pick their blocks in a published order so everyone takes some good and some bad slots.
Our guide on how a hockey association can divide its ice time covers equal-ice and weighted policies, half and cross ice, goalie ice, early-morning slots and publishing the order.
Questions
Should travel teams get more practices than house teams?
That's a policy decision for your board. An even split is the easiest to explain. Setting each team's number lets you give travel or older teams more practices, as long as the numbers are published before the schedule is built. The calculator counts whole-team practices, so roster size doesn't change how many a team gets.
What happens to ice that doesn't fill a whole practice?
It's left unassigned and shown under the table. For example, 10 hours of 90-minute practices is 6 practices, with 1 hour left over. Use it for a skills session or goalie ice, or choose the practice length your rink actually books.
How do I count half-ice practices?
Count each half of the sheet as its own ice. An hour on a sheet split in half is two hours of practice ice, one for each team, so add it to the weekly total twice.
Is anything I enter saved or sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs in your browser. It makes no network requests with your numbers and stores nothing; reloading the page resets it.