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SYHA TRY-OUT PHILOSOPHY
The tryout process begins with the pre-season skating sessions. Designed to help the players "get the rust off their skates" it also gives parents an opportunity to observe their child's abilities compared to his/her peers.
SYHA's objective is to provide each player with a safe and rewarding hockey experience. Our tryouts are designed to ensure that each player is placed on the team that will enable them to fully develop their hockey skills at an appropriate pace and that they will have a positive playing experience.
To that end, we have designed a try-out process that is objective and fair (see Tryout Procedures below). SYHA believes that our coaches - Mites to Midgets, Boys and Girls, travel and house - are the best in the state and possess the finest qualities of sportsmanship and player development. The Director of Coaches, the Vice President of On-Ice Operations and the applicable Division Director make up the Committee that makes all coaching assignments.
NOTE: You must be registered and your first assessment paid in order to try-out for a travel team.
Evaluation Criteria and Team Selection
The players are evaluated on the following criteria:
Mites - Players are judged on their skating (forward & backward), stick handling, and shooting skills and abilities. Typically, 16 players are selected for both the Mite A and Mite B teams. For the Mites, SYHA does not believe in selecting goalies during tryouts, preferring to allow all players to try their hand at the position.
Squirts - Players are judged on their skating (forward & backward), stick handling, shooting skills and abilities and how they perform during the tryout scrimmages. Typically, 16 or 17 players are selected for the Squirt teams - 15 skaters and one or two goalies.
Pee Wees, Bantams and Midgets - Players are judged on their skating, stick handling, shooting and how they perform during the tryout scrimmages. The head coach has discretion on the size of the team - typically it is 14 or 15 skaters and one or two goalies. In addition, at the Pee Wee, Bantam and Midget levels, coaches typically are looking for players who excel at a particular position - forward or defense. Therefore, a coach may to decide to independently select 5-6 Defensemen and 8-9 Forwards.
Note: Coaches typically take into consideration the ages of players with comparable skills, and may give preference to players in their last year of eligibility in a particular division.
SIMSBURY YOUTH HOCKEY TRYOUT PROCEDURES
Starting in October of 2007, SYHA will select teams for each of the boys divisions (excluding Midgets) after a weeklong evaluation process during which each player will be evaluated at least twice and in the vast majority of cases three times.
Evaluation Team
The evaluations and team assignments for each division will be the responsibility of an Evaluation Team made up of the A Team Coach and 2-4 evaluators. Evaluators will be chosen from within and outside SYHA by the Division Director and the A Team Coach and approved by the Director of Coaching. Outside evaluators will be used to the extent possible. Inside evaluators will not have any children in the division being evaluated. The Division Director will organize the off-ice components of the tryout, provide additional information requested by the Evaluation Team and make sure that all SYHA tryout policies and procedures are followed. The Director of Coaching may participate as a member of the Evaluation Team to the extent that individual's schedule permits. Evaluators will attend all division sessions to the extent possible. The A Team Coach will run the on-ice sessions and can enlist whatever on-ice assistance the coach desires. If coaches for the B and/or C team are named during the tryout process, those coaches will join the Evaluation Team and may participate in subsequent on-ice sessions. The Evaluation Team may also add an additional evaluator(s) to the Evaluation Team at any point in the process to focus on goalies.
Format
Squirts, Pee Wees and Bantams - Those wishing to tryout for a travel team will skate from the beginning of the process. Those not wanting to play travel will be assigned to a house team. A post-tryout evaluation session for those players may be scheduled by the Division Director.
*Session 1 and 2 – Players will skate by birth year as listed on the Tryout Schedule.
*After Sessions 1 and 2, the Evaluation Team will determine the groups for Sessions 3 and 4. Those assignments will be posted on the SYHA website.
*After reviewing the performance of all the players at the first four sessions and additional information deemed relevant by the Evaluation Team, the Evaluation Team will determine the groups for Sessions 5, 6, and 7. Those assignments will be posted on the SYHA website. Those players assigned to Session 5 will make up the A team and a portion of the B team. Those players assigned to Session 6 will make up the remainder of the B team and a portion of the C team. Those players assigned to Session 7 will make up the remainder of the C team or will participate in the house program.
*After the conclusion of Session 7, the Evaluation Team will review the performances at all seven sessions and additional information deemed relevant by the Evaluation Team and assign players to the appropriate level within the division. Each player will receive a phone call from the coach of the team to which they have been assigned as soon as practical after assignments are complete.
The exact number, order and nature of the sessions after Session 3 and 4 may be subject to minor revisions if a Division Director determines, pursuant to SYHA policy, to use a format other than A, B, C and house format.
Goalies may be asked to attend sessions in a different pattern than that outlined above for players at the discretion of the Evaluation Team.
Mites - Session 1 - All players eligible for and desiring to play on a travel team will skate and will be evaluated by the Evaluation Team. The Evaluation will then determine the groups for Sessions 2 and 3.
Those players determined to have the highest potential to play Mite A hockey will be assigned to Session 2. Those skaters not included in that group will be assigned to Session 3.
After reviewing the performance of all the players at the first three sessions and additional information deemed relevant by the Evaluation Team, the Evaluation Team may assign players who have demonstrated the highest qualifications to play A level hockey to the A team. Those players may be excuse from Session 4 at the discretion of the A coach. In addition, the Evaluation Team may assign players who are deemed not ready for travel hockey to the house program after Sessions 2 and 3. All players not excused or assigned to the house program will skate in Session 4.
After the conclusion of Session 4, the Evaluation team will review the performances at all four sessions and additional information deemed relevant by the Evaluation Team and assign players to the appropriate level within the division. Each player will receive a phone call from the coach of the team to which they have been assigned as soon as practical after assignments are complete.
Other Topics
Absentees - A player must attend the sessions they are assigned to; there will be no exceptions. If a player is unable to attend one assigned session from among sessions 1-4 (mites 1-3) due to illness, injury or other good cause, the excused player will be assigned to a subsequent session as determined by the A Team Coach and Division Director. If a player is unable to attend their assigned session from among sessions 5-7 (mites 4) the player will be placed on a team determined by the Evaluation Team and approved by the Vice-President of On-Ice Operations. If a player misses two or more assigned sessions, the player will be placed on a team determined by the Vice President of On-Ice Development, the Division Director and the Director of Coaching after consultation with that team’s coach.
2009/10 Tryout Schedule
2008/09 Fee Structure
NOTE: The following minor adjustments will be made to the boys tryout system for the 2008-09 season.
1. To allow coaches for B and/or C team coaches who are not named until after the tryout sessions are complete to have input as to the final composition of the team they will be coaching, final decisions on those rosters will be made in the day or two following the final session so that those coaches can be included in the discussions. All players will then receive a phone call from the coach of the team to which he or she has been assigned. After allowing time for those calls, team assignments will be posted on the website. The present plan is to have Bantam coaches make calls during the evening on Sunday, October 5th, and the Squirt and Mite coaches to make calls during the evening of Sunday, October 19th. The Pee Wee tryouts had to be shifted to account for the school schedule going into Columbus day weekend and the date of the calls in that division will be announced at the beginning of tryouts.
2. The stronger group of skaters will skate second on night two of the Bantam, Pee Wee and Squirt tryouts (i.e. session 4). The strongest group of skaters will skate in session 6 in Pee Wees and session 7 in Squirts (i.e. the later sessions on those nights). Overall, it was felt that the late sessions were more appropriate for those being considered for a spot on the A team at that point in the process.
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