Tryouts
2010/11 Season

NWCYH board has decided to move to spring tryouts for several reasons.  First, it will allow families to focus on enjoying summer vacations and getting their kids back to school without the added complexity of hockey tryouts.  It will also make it easier and more efficient for the Board to manage the extensive administrative needs of the program.  Having an understanding as to the number of teams will aid in purchasing of ice time, selection of coaches, scheduling of practices, declaration of tier designation, etc.  Lastly, this is more consistent with the direction of Connecticut Hockey Conference and other programs as the games often begin in mid-October.

Tryout Process (does not apply to Girls Tier II team)

As in the past, NWCYH’s tryouts are designed to ensure that each player is placed on the team that will give him/her the greatest opportunity to compete at the appropriate level of play and to best develop their hockey skills while simultaneously providing them with a positive learning experience.  We clearly understand that there is no perfect process but believe that you can have confidence knowing that we spend a lot of time & energy evaluating and enhancing our process to ensure that it is fair and objective so that each player is given an opportunity to exhibit their hockey skills through numerous skill drills and simulated game situations.  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.  NWCYH 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.

The steps and factors involved in the tryout process are outlined below:

1) Coaching Director collects player evaluations from the respective coaches at every level for returning players.  This is one of several pieces of data that is factored in when determining placements.

2) See NWCYH’s web site for specific tryout dates and times. 

Tryout design:

• Two 1 hour, 15 minute tryouts will be held for all Mite through Bantam level travel teams
  
• Girls Tier II tryouts will consist of three 1 hour tryouts
  
• Tryouts are developed to measure core skating and hockey skills along with player effectiveness in game situations
  
• Tryouts will involve an on-ice coaching instructor, a minimum of 4 evaluators with a target of at least 2 of them not having a player trying out at the respective level, and whenever possible will include expert independent evaluators from outside of NWCYH

3) A small subcommittee of the NWCYH’s Board will analyze several pieces of data to make initial determinations on player placement.  Data factored into the calculations for the placements include evaluators’ ratings from tryouts, feedback from independent evaluators, and the end of season coach’s evaluations.

4) NWCYH will then post the preliminary placements on the website within 5 days of the last tryout session for each level.

In the initial placements, we will aim to list “A”, “B”, and in cases where the numbers work out, a third team.  A maximum of 12 skaters and 1 goalie will be listed on the “A” team in the spring.  The intent is to allow for a few additional players to move to the “A” team during the first few weeks of practice of the new season.  This may also result in some players moving up from a third team to a “B” team.  Initial placements are done this way to allow the organization to adjust for new skaters or others who could not try-out in the spring (i.e. due to injury, moving into the area, etc.) and it can also allow for skaters who further develop both physically and with their hockey skills over the summer to be appropriately placed for the season.

NWCYH’s goal is to have a place for each child to play in an appropriately competitive situation.  In the event that the numbers or other extenuating circumstances don’t allow for a player to be placed in the spring, they will have an opportunity go on a “wait list” knowing there will be an attempt to place them on a team in the fall if an opportunity exists at that time. 

5) Coaches – NWCYH intends to list all head coaches with the spring placements.  Assistant coaches will be assigned and rostered in the fall based on the head coach’s input combined with the Tryout subcommittee’s review of all coach volunteers. 

6) Rosters will be finalized as the season starts.  All levels will hold combined practices for the first 1 to 2 weeks of pre-season practice in September.  During this time all team rosters will be finalized by the coaches with oversight from the Board’s tryout subcommittee.  Last season’s player evaluations, spring tryout evaluations, and performance during the fall practice will be used to determine final placements of any players moving up a team level.  The evaluation of new players who do not have earlier evaluations will be based on their performance during fall practices.  

Attendance Requirements at Tryouts

All players intending to play with NWCYH for the 2010/2011 season are expected to attend all tryouts.  At minimum, a player must attend at least one tryout to be placed on a team.  If a returning player or new player absolutely cannot make spring tryouts and still intends to play with NWCYH for the 2010/2011 season, they must communicate this to the Registrar and Coaching Director prior to tryouts.

In general, players that were unable to participate in tryouts for Board approved reasons (i.e. injury, player moving into the area, etc.), but are looking to secure a roster spot, will be placed depending on availability.   The roster spot that would be assigned would initially be at the B or third team level.  New players would be closely evaluated during fall practices to determine their final placement.  The season end coach’s evaluation combined with performance during fall practices would determine final placement for returning player.  Situations resulting in missed tryouts that fall outside of the normal circumstances will be handled by the Board on a case by case basis.