skip navigation

    What is Horse Pirates Hockey?

    Horse Pirate hockey is an aggressively competitive developmental youth travel hockey program that prides itself on fostering player growth and providing an inclusive, family-first culture that is unrivaled in the region.

    Originally founded more than four decades ago to cultivate talent for Nutley (The Raiders, Pirates) and Clifton (The Mustangs, Horses) high schools, the Horse Pirate hockey program has expanded to serve players and families from the entire Northern New Jersey and New York Metropolitan area.

    Created for the benefit of our athletes and families, our founding focus on development remains as prominent as ever. Horse Pirate hockey is all about player development – at all levels, at all ages and for every single player – regardless of skill level.

    We aren’t focused on recruiting super teams, we are focused on making our teams super.

    We believe youth players want to play, get better, be active and have fun with their friends.  We know winning is important to them, but NOT at the expense of any of the above. We care more about how our teams look at the end of the year compared to the beginning – not solely about rankings.

    In an era where youth hockey has become a pay-to-play machine and expensive travel leagues have shifted from a developmental model to a business one, Horse Pirate hockey not only preaches development, we back it up with action. From smaller roster sizes to allow for maximum practice and ice time for all, our developmental philosophy runs from top to bottom.  We put our players in a position to improve and grow, meeting players at their specific skill level and guiding them into competitive hockey players using USA Hockey's ADM model.

    Through the dedication of our deep bench of USA Hockey-certified volunteer coaches and involved parents who ensure the organization runs smoothly, we are able to make your kids better while maintaining a team environment that avoids the cultural and financial pitfalls of most other travel programs.

    Our ability to keep costs down while emphasizing development, fun, life skills and the love of the game has allowed us to attract, retain and grow our membership and create a better opportunity for young hockey players and their parents to remain involved in youth hockey and bolster their long-term athletic development.

    Ready to play Horse Pirates hockey?

    Our apparel and uniform stores are currently open! Be sure to get your orders in by next Monday, September 30th. This is the last time these stores will be open during the season. Perfect timing to purchase some NCHC gear for holiday gifts!

    Apparel store: https://xhockeyproducts.tuosystems.com/stores/nutleycliftonapparel

    Uniform store: https://xhockeyproducts.tuosystems.com/stores/nutleycliftonhockey (includes practice jerseys)


    Proud Member of the NJYHL

    Proud Member of the NJYHL

    EJEPL 21-22 Squirt Silver 2 Champions !

    EJEPL 21-22 Squirt Silver 2 Champions !

    Member of

    Member of