New Jersey high school hockey Ice Hockey is a popular and growing sport in New Jersey . One - hundred sixty one high schools currently field varsity teams , with new teams being formed almost every year . Teams are divided into the following leagues : New Jersey Ice Hockey League , Union County Ice Hockey League , Skyland Conference , Morris County Secondary School Ice Hockey League , Colonial Valley Conference , Shore Conference , and Independents . Most of these leagues are divided into divisions . A State Championship Tournament is held at the end of the season by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association . http : / / www . njsiaa . org / SPORTS / Icehockey . aspx Divisions . Hockey is one of the few sports in the state with " rolling divisions " . The divisions can change every year depending on the performance of the teams and new teams formed . The divisions are arranged by geography and skill level . Typically , the last place team in a higher division will be moved into the lower division , with the first place team of the lower division moving into the higher division . The current divisions of the various leagues follow . State Tournament . The NJSIAA crowns state champions in three categories ; Private , Public A , and Public B . Through 1994 , public and private schools played in one state tournament ; however , private schools dominated the tournament due to their ability to recruit the best players in the state without geographical limitation . Beginning in 1995 , the NJSIAA held separate private and public tournaments , crowning a private and public champion , with these champions playing each other for the overall state championship . In 2005 , the NJSIAA eliminated the overall state championship game because a public school had won only once , in 1997 . Similarly , in 2008 , the Public Tournament was divided into A and B categories based on school enrollment as the smaller schools generally were unable to compete with the larger schools . http : / / www . njhockey . org / To qualify for the State Tournament , teams must have played a minimum of 10 games and compiled a record of . 500 or better record by a date set by the NJSIAA , usually around February 15 . Teams within four games of . 500 may petition for an at - large selection to the Tournament . The NJSIAA may select a maximum of 3 public and 2 private teams for an at - large birth . All members of the Gordon Conference earn automatic entry to the Private Tournament . http : / / www . njsiaa . org / SPORTS / Icehockey . aspx In recent years , Delbarton and Randolph have been the dominant private and public hockey programs in the state . Delbarton has appeared in 10 of the last 16 Private School Championships , winning 5 of the last 9 ; while Randolph has appeared in 8 of the last 12 Public A Championships , winning 4 of the last 8 . Coincidentally , these two schools are located just seven miles apart in Morris County . http : / / www . njhockey . org / State Championship History . State Championship Finals Public Finals . Public A Public B Private Finals . 1995 - CBA 5 , Delbarton 0 Individual Honors . New Jersey Devils Player of the Year Career Scoring Leaders Scoring Champions Notable alumni . < / pre > john carlson