OBJECTIVE

To examine if chronological age within Canadian youth ice hockey's 2-year age bands influences the proportion of injury.

DESIGN

Retrospective secondary data analyses.

PARTICIPANTS

Information on 4736 injured youth ice hockey players (10-15 years old) reported by the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting Prevention Program (CHIRPP) and 4959 (12-15 years old) injured players reported by the Hockey Canada Insurance Database (HCID).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Proportions of injuries according to constituent year (first vs second year of participation within 2-year youth ice hockey age bands).

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES

The influence of age band (Atom, 10/11; Peewee, 12/13; Bantam, 14/15) and level of competitive play on constituent year injury proportions were examined.

RESULTS

Injured Atom and Peewee players (CHIRPP) were more likely to be in constituent year 2 (Atom: odds ratio [OR], 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46-2.03; Peewee: OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.10-1.42). Injured players (HCID) at the highest tiers of competitive play were more likely to be in constituent year 2 (eg, Peewee: OR, 2.91; 95% CI, 1.92-4.41; Bantam: 1.89; 95% CI, 1.46-2.46).

CONCLUSION

Constituent year may be a factor in determining injury risk and may be relevant to those managing the risk of injury for youth ice hockey players.