How much does youth hockey cost in Iowa?

2026-2027 season estimates • Updated October 2026 • Built from published program fees and family reports

All-in season cost by level

This is the full season, not just registration. Ice, travel, tournaments, and equipment usually add up to more than the sign-up fee.

LevelEstimated 12U season cost
House
C
$2,300 – $5,000
B
$3,100 – $6,300
B1
$4,700 – $9,000
A
$5,300 – $10,200
AA
$7,200 – $14,700

AAA starts at 14U in Iowa.

How the levels work here

MWAHA's travel and select divisions run at 10U, 12U and 14U only. So the A and B rows here describe those ages. The girls division adds 16U and 19U. Teams at 18U and high school schedule outside the league. The AAA row describes one club, not a tier. Midwest Warriors in West Des Moines held all three of Iowa's rated AAA teams last season, at 13U, 14U and 18U. Iowa clubs also carry out-of-state league labels. One team can sit in an MHL division and a CSDHL, Minnesota or SDAHA division at the same time.

Where the money goes

A typical 12U A season in Iowa, about $7,700. Follows the age picked above.

Assumes 3 tournaments, each a 2 to 6 hour drive with 2 hotel nights, two parents and a sibling travelling.

  • Tournament travel$3,42044%
  • Registration$1,80023%
  • Equipment$7009%
  • Development$6008%
Estimated from published Iowa program fees and family reports

House in Iowa runs 22% below the national average.

How does your season compare?

Add your own costs from last season, any club, any level, to get a full breakdown to budget this season.

Get my breakdown

Costs added by real families

Hidden costs

  • Dubuque Youth Hockey bills a fundraising fee on top of the team fee, $150 at every House age and $250 for Mite Red/White/Black and all travel teams, so its 2026-27 squirt travel bill is $1,850 rather than $1,600.
  • Dubuque travel families also buy their own jerseys, socks and warm-ups, and can rent equipment from the club only if it has any spare.
  • Tryouts are billed separately in Des Moines: $300 for a Jr. Bucs Red tryout, $200 for Blue/White and $60 at 8U, 18U and Lady Wild, with $200 or $100 credited to the first month of dues if the player accepts a bid.
  • The Blue/White registration also carries a $100 deposit that is forfeited if a bid is rejected.
  • Iowa City Hockey charges $100 late registration for travel levels after August 17 and $50 for 6U, 8U and House after September 27, and adds a 3% plus $1 processing fee to online payments.
  • Registration is a fraction of the bill: the one Iowa family who has reported a 10U A winter season put it at $7,860, against travel registrations of $1,430 at Iowa City and $1,850 at Dubuque.

Savings tips

  • The Gabe Fleming Memorial Hockey Scholarship Fund awards up to $700 per child toward league fees at approved Iowa programs, and applications close at midnight central on Sunday, September 20, 2026.
  • Dubuque Youth Hockey charges its fundraising fee once per household: register the first player normally, then enter discount code SIBLINGHOUSE for $150 off or SIBLINGTRAVEL for $250 off each additional player.
  • Dubuque's early bird travel fee is $200 lower at every age, $1,400 instead of $1,600 at squirt, and paying by credit card there adds 2% on top of the 2% service fee.
  • Dubuque's Little Blackhawks Learn to Play gives first-time players aged 4 to 9 a full set of equipment plus 6 to 8 weeks of lessons at ImOn Arena.
  • The RoughRiders gear exchange in Cedar Rapids takes donated gear at ImOn Ice Arena and fits players needing a first or larger set.
  • Iowa City Hockey splits fees into two or five automatic installments after a $100 payment, and lists need-based scholarships on its forms page.
See financial assistance for Iowa families

Hockey in Iowa

Your child's team will have a letter: House, B, A, AA or AAA. Find it in the table above. What Iowa families pick is MWAHA's Midwest Hockey League. It runs three divisions. The MHL Travel A/B division plays at 10U, 12U and 14U, and that is the A and B rows. The MHL House Select division plays the same three ages. The MGHL girls division plays at 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 19U. The rows are our estimates of a full season.

More about Iowa hockey

Iowa has no state association of its own. Its clubs register through the Mid-West Amateur Hockey Association (MWAHA). That is the USA Hockey affiliate shared with Kansas and Nebraska. Des Moines Youth Hockey Association fields the Jr. Bucs. Their Red, Blue and White teams are the rungs at 10U through 14U, and Red is the A or AA side. Des Moines also fields the Lady Wild girls teams. Cedar Rapids has the Jr. Roughriders, Dubuque Youth Hockey the Jr. Saints and Waterloo the Jr. Hawks. Siouxland Youth Hockey has the Sioux City Jr. Musketeers and the Metros high school teams. Also on the site: Ames Flyers, Mason City Jr. Mohawks and Iowa City Jr. Heartlanders. Quad City Ice Eagles are in Davenport, Boji Mammoths in Spirit Lake, and Sioux Center Storm round out the list.

Several clubs schedule outside the MHL. Quad City's 10U, 12U and 14U boys teams also carry CSDHL divisions. Iowa City's 18U plays CSDHL 18U Prospects. Boji's B teams carry a Minnesota D4 label. Every rated Sioux Center team plays an SDAHA division. Midwest Warriors in West Des Moines is the only Iowa club with rated AAA teams, so that is the AAA row. Eight clubs carry a rated team in an Iowa high school division. Iowa City calls 2026 its first season in the Midwest High School Hockey League.

Hockey programs in Iowa

Season cost estimates and family-reported costs for 16 programs.

See the best value teams in Iowa

See costs for another area

Learn more

Youth hockey cost 2026: $3,000 to $23,100 a season, by state

State-by-state cost breakdown for 2026

Hockey cost by level: House $3,000 to AAA $23,100 (2026)

Detailed level-by-level cost comparison

20 hockey scholarships and grants most families don't know about

Financial assistance programs for hockey families