The Ontario Hockey Federation has posted a directive on its website advising minor league coaches to carry out conversations with players about gender diversity issues, including gender neutral pronouns.
A checklist is being supplied by an organization that advocates for the LGBTQ community.
The pre season chats rolled out last summer but have been moved up a month earlier this year.
The Federation began the program after a transgender hockey player named Jesse Thompson filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal complaining he was forced to use a change room that aligned with his gender at birth.
He contended this led to him being outed and harassed.