PURPOSE
The purpose of the SRYHA travel team tryout and selection process is to ensure that all players receive a fair opportunity to join a team of their age-group peers possessing similar hockey skills. This is done to place each player on a team that will provide the best environment to maximize player development, improve self-confidence, allow for enjoyment of the game of hockey, and for SRYHA to form competitive teams.
SRYHA has closed tryouts which means no spectators will be allowed to view the tryouts. Spectators can be a distraction to the players and judges. Parents may assist their player to the locker room prior to the scheduled tryout session but must exit the locker room and ice area 15 minutes prior to the start of the tryout. Parents/players may not approach any of the judges before or after the tryout sessions.
EVALUATIONS
Parents and players always have questions about this process and how players are placed. We feel it is important that there is full disclosure of this process in advance of tryouts. Our goal as an organization is to hold unbiased tryouts and give every player an equal chance of making the team. The SRYHA has developed a tryout process that intends to place players on teams matching their individual skills and competitive level. We recognize that players develop at different times and intervals. Some players will develop the most from being one of the top players and driving the team flow. Some players will develop the most from being one of the lower players and having to step up their level of play. The goal is to build teams that consist of players with similar abilities and drive, in a competitive atmosphere, while fostering skills development.
The SRYHA makes every effort to ensure a fair, impartial, and balanced evaluation of players for our various Travel Teams. This is a difficult task that our association and evaluators undertake in any given season. Each player will wear a jersey without a name but with a number that will identify the player for the evaluators.
Tryout dates and times can be found on the calendar pages. Players must attend all nights of tryouts. A missed night results in the scoring of zero and is used in figuring their final scoring. Should a player have an illness or injury, immediately contact the SRYHA President or the Tryout Coordinator to discuss the situation and what needs to be done. A doctor’s note will be required before the end of the tryout. An exceptions committee process may be used in determining placement in these instances, but that does not guarantee placement on the top-level team. If you would miss tryouts for any other reason, contact the SRYHA President as soon as you know you would not be able to attend. No exception reviews are guaranteed for missing for reasons other than illness or injury.
JUDGES
SRYHA will use judges from outside the association or level and non-level coach judges. The judges selected are knowledgeable and skilled in hockey. Parents should not attempt to find out who the judges are, nor should the parents or players approach a judge before or after the tryouts. The judges are not given any information about the player's past placements, skill level, etc. They are solely judging the players on their performance during the tryout sessions.
PROCESS
At least one tryout session will be dedicated to skills and drills and at least two others to scrimmages. During the skills session(s), a drill will be demonstrated, and the player needs to perform that drill. During scrimmages, skaters will play both forward and defense. It is important to compete at these scrimmages as they would in a real game.
Evaluators are asked to focus on various hockey skills, hockey sense, and work ethic. The various skills are skating, passing, shooting, catching passes, positioning, team play, hockey instincts, offensive play, defensive play, etc. (see below for a detailed description) There will be assistants (consisting of volunteers not related to the level) on the bench to help organize the positions the players will be during their shift and any other requests from the judging panel.
When there are three or more teams at a level, the number of players for the final scrimmage night may be limited in order to best evaluate the players. This is at the discretion of the tryout coordinator. A player will be notified if they will not need to attend the final tryout night. Goalies are judged during separate goalie only skills tryouts and during the scrimmage sessions of their level. There will also be volunteers not related to the level trying out helping run the time clock.
PLAYER PROCEDURES
1. Be completely dressed and ready in the locker room at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
2. Players must wear white Storm socks with the same color on both legs. Girls can wear white, green, or blue socks. Remove name tape from helmets.
3. Players must stay in the locker room until the tryout coordinator tells them they can go to the ice.
4. Locker room assignments will be posted on the locker room door and players must be in their assigned locker room.
5. Players will be given a jersey to wear and should return that jersey at the end of each night. Do not request any specific numbers from those handing out jerseys.
6. Get skates sharpened prior to tryouts, get a good night’s sleep, and maintain a healthy diet to compete.
POST TRYOUT PROCESS
Team placements will be posted on the SRYHA website following the final tryout. A time range will be given to the parents/players via email on the final day of tryouts. Final determinations could be delayed due to technical difficulties, exceptions committee reviews or verification of any scoring. Parents and/or players may contact the SRYHA President or Tryout Coordinator no sooner than 24 hours after the team announcements to discuss their placement, but any yelling or hostile/demeaning conversations will not be tolerated. Tryout scores will not be disclosed.
SUMMARY
Don’t put unnecessary pressure on your child. They may play at several different levels during their youth hockey years, as all kids develop at different rates. Click on this link for 8 tips for tryouts from Minnesota Hockey. https://www.minnesotahockey.org/news_article/show/1051571
We hope the disclosure of this process helps explain how things will work and gives you confidence that we will make the tryout process fair and independent. Parents’ support of both their child and the program are critical components in a child’s understanding of tryouts and ultimate motivation for enjoying hockey. It is important for parents and players to understand that the highest-level team is not always the best fit for a player. Parents should not assume that if their child was on an A team the previous year that they will automatically be placed on an A team the following year. The SRYHA will continue to work very hard to ensure that every player is set up for success and is in a position to have fun competing in the great sport of hockey.
By success, we define that not in terms of wins and losses, but rather in the following terms:
· Best chance to develop and improve their personal hockey skills
· Best chance to get the most puck touches and have an impact in gameplay
· Best chance to develop confidence on the ice with similarly skilled players
· Best chance to develop a love for the game
We strongly believe as an organization, if we can get most of these criteria for success correct, the player will have an enjoyable hockey experience, continue to love the game, and play and develop as a hockey player.
Players---remember to work hard and have fun!
Any further questions, please contact the SRYHA Board.
There are three tryout sessions. The first is a skills-based session where each skater is judged independently by three judges on the following skills:
1. Forward Skating
2. Backward Skating
3. Stops
4. Starts
5. Turns
6. Puck Control
7. Transitions
8. Shot
Each judge give each skater a score from 1-10, 10 being the best.
The last two tryout sessions consist of two days of scrimmaging where each skater is judged independently by three judges on the following skills:
1. Game Play
2. Backchecking
3. Offensive Play
4. Defensive Play
5. Aggressiveness/Body Contact
7. Puck Skills
Each judge give each skater a score from 1-10, 10 being the best. The three scores are combined into one final tryout score. The skaters score is used to determine which team they are placed on.