The puck drops in a few weeks, the roster is still changing, and three parents have already asked whether the jerseys will be ready for the first home game. If you’re the coach, manager or volunteer in charge, the hard part isn’t choosing a colour. It’s turning a moving roster into a correct, on-time order.
This guide explains how to order hockey jerseys for your team step by step, from the first inquiry to delivery and reorders. It includes a sample hockey jersey order form you can adapt. It applies to minor hockey team jerseys, school and college clubs, and rec league hockey jerseys alike. Most of the process is the same; the timelines and approval steps differ.
Before You Order Hockey Jerseys: Set the Scope
If you’re working out how to buy hockey jerseys for a team for the first time, start here. A supplier can only quote accurately when they know what the order includes.
Game Jerseys Only, or the Full Uniform?
Decide whether you need game jerseys alone or a broader package with matching socks, pant shells or practice jerseys. Ordering coordinated pieces together makes it easier to keep colours consistent. Separate orders placed months apart can vary slightly in shade.
Home and Away Hockey Jerseys
Most competitive leagues expect teams to have a light set and a dark set, or another way to avoid colour clashes. Check your league’s rule on which team changes when colours conflict. That tells you whether you need full home and away hockey jerseys, one set plus pinnies, or reversible jerseys. Adult rec leagues are often more flexible, but many still ask teams to have both a light and a dark option.
Budget and Who Is Paying
In minor hockey, jerseys may be paid for by the association, by sponsors or by families. Before design work begins, confirm the budget, who approves spending, and whether sponsor logos are part of the deal. Sponsor placement affects the layout, so it’s easier to plan early than to squeeze in after approval.
Step-by-Step: Ordering Custom Hockey Jerseys
Step 1: Send a Clear First Inquiry
A useful first message tells the supplier:
- Who the jerseys are for (minor, school, junior or adult rec)
- Which products you need and estimated quantities, marked as estimates if the roster isn’t final
- Whether you need home and away sets
- Your logo files and team colours
- Where the jerseys will be delivered
- The date you need them in hand
That’s enough for a meaningful first conversation. You can request a quote before your roster is final, as long as you say when final numbers will be ready.
Step 2: Choose Construction and Decoration
Custom team hockey jerseys are usually decorated with sublimation, tackle twill, screen printing or a combination.
- Sublimation dyes the design into polyester fabric. It adds no weight and suits detailed artwork.
- Tackle twill gives a traditional stitched look but adds weight and cost.
Our article on sublimation vs screen printing was written for football, but the same principles apply to hockey sweaters.
Also confirm the collar style, sleeve details, fabric weight, and whether goalies need goalie-cut jerseys. Goalie jerseys are cut larger to fit over a chest protector. Ordering them in regular sizes is one of the most common mistakes.
Step 3: Review the Digital Mockup
Most suppliers prepare a digital mockup showing the front, back and sleeves. Check it against your team colours, logo placement, number font and sponsor marks. Look at it from a distance as well as up close. Numbers that look stylish on screen can be hard to read from the stands or the timekeeper’s bench.
What a Mockup Doesn’t Confirm
A mockup shows appearance, not every construction detail. Confirm fabric, fit, collar construction and sizing separately, in writing.
Step 4: Collect Sizes Properly
Hockey jerseys are worn over shoulder pads and elbow pads, so ordering by a player’s everyday T-shirt size rarely works. Use the supplier’s size chart. If possible, have players try sample sizes over their equipment. Young players grow quickly, so many associations size up rather than down for minor hockey team jerseys.
Step 5: Build the Roster and Order Form
This is where most errors happen. Keep one spreadsheet as the master roster and send that file to the supplier, rather than a string of messages.
Sample Hockey Jersey Order Form
Player name (as printed) | Number | Size | Goalie cut? | C / A | Home | Away | Notes |
SMITH | 7 | Adult M | No | C | 1 | 1 | |
TREMBLAY | 22 | Adult L | No | A | 1 | 1 | Accent on name? Confirm |
NGUYEN | 31 | Goalie L | Yes | 1 | 1 | ||
Spare | Blank | Adult L | No | 1 | 0 | Mid-season addition |
Hockey Jersey Names and Numbers
Write each name exactly as it should appear on the jersey, including capitals, hyphens and accents. French names with accents such as é or è are common in Canada, so confirm the supplier’s font supports them.
Check for duplicate numbers too. Most leagues don’t allow two players on the same game roster to wear the same number. Goalies traditionally wear numbers such as 1, 30, 31 or 35, but in most leagues that’s custom rather than a rule.
Captain C and A Patches
Decide who wears the captain C and A patches before production, or order letters that can be added later. Hockey rulebooks typically allow one captain and up to two alternate captains to wear a letter on the front of the jersey in a contrasting colour. Many rulebooks set the letter height at about 7.5 cm (3 in.). Check your league’s current rules, and tell the supplier where the letter should go, usually on the upper left chest.
Built-In Letters vs Removable Letters
If your captains change during the season or rotate from game to game, removable or separately applied letters are more practical than letters built into the jersey design. Ask what options the supplier offers before you approve the proof.
Step 6: Approve the Final Proof and Order
Before approving, compare three things side by side: the final artwork, the roster and the quantity totals. Name one person to give final approval, so the supplier doesn’t receive conflicting instructions from several parents or coaches.
Keep in mind that sending a design or requesting a quote doesn’t place the order. Production starts only after the supplier’s confirmation process.
Step 7: Plan Delivery Around the Season
Work back from your first game, not your first practice. Allow time for design rounds, production and shipping, plus a buffer for size exchanges. Until a delivery date is agreed in writing, treat it as a target to discuss with the supplier, not a promise.
Minor hockey tryouts often finish only weeks before the regular season. That’s why many associations order core sizes early and add names and numbers once rosters are final.
Bulk Hockey Jersey Orders for Associations and Leagues
A bulk hockey jersey order for a whole association brings extra coordination: several age groups, several team managers and different delivery points. Agree on one master design, one colour standard and one approval contact for the association. Then have each team submit its roster on the same order form. Keep the approved artwork files and specifications on record so next season’s reorders match.
Can You Order Hockey Jerseys Online?
Many suppliers let you start online, through a quote form, live chat or an online design tool. If you want to customize hockey jerseys online, treat the tool as a starting point. Fit, decoration method, delivery date and roster details still need to be confirmed with the supplier before production.
At Athletic Goods, team orders start with a conversation. You share your logos and design goals, our team prepares digital mockups for you to review, and production begins once you approve the design. You can explore our custom ice hockey jerseys or the wider range of custom ice hockey uniforms for Canadian teams.
Common Mistakes When You Order Team Hockey Jerseys
Approving Artwork Before Checking Names and Numbers
Spelling errors and duplicate numbers caught after production mean reprints and delays.
Treating Estimates as Final Quantities
If your first quantities were estimates, confirm the final totals in writing before production starts.
Forgetting Spares and Goalie Cuts
Order a few spare jerseys in common sizes. Make sure each goalie has a goalie-cut jersey in both home and away colours.
Ignoring Care Instructions
Hockey jerseys go through a lot of laundry. Follow the care label, and see our guide on how to wash sublimated jerseys without fading them to keep colours bright all season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we order hockey jerseys before our roster is final?
Yes. Share estimated quantities and say when the final roster will be ready. Many teams order core sizes first and add names and numbers later.
How many spare jerseys should a team order?
It depends on how stable your roster is. A few spares in the most common sizes cover late registrations, size swaps and damaged jerseys.
Do goalies need different jerseys?
Usually, yes. Goalie-cut jerseys are larger so they fit over a chest protector. List goalies separately on your order form.
What is the difference between hockey sweaters and hockey jerseys?
In practice, none. “Sweater” is the traditional Canadian term, from the days when players wore knitted wool. Both words describe the same garment.
What information should we keep for reorders?
Keep the approved artwork, colour references, size chart, decoration method and final roster. These make it much easier to order matching jerseys mid-season or next year.
Final Thoughts
Ordering hockey jerseys goes smoothly when the hard decisions are made before the proof, not after.
Start by settling the scope: home and away sets, goalies, sponsors and budget. Then build one master order form with names, numbers, sizes and C and A letters, and give one person final approval. Plan delivery back from your first game rather than your first practice, and order a few spares for the changes every season brings.
Teams that follow these steps spend less time chasing corrections and more time getting ready to play. When you’re ready to start, Athletic Goods can work with your logos, colours and roster to prepare a mockup for review.