U9-U11 Competitive Tryouts 2023-24

U9-U11 Competitive Tryouts

Registration for U9 and U11 competitive teams tryouts is now open. As per the Hockey Canada Pathways for U9 & U11, conditioning sessions and tryouts will begin early September. The schedule will be available shortly.

To register for tryouts:

• Tryout registration and fees must be completed and paid in full by end of day Saturday, August 12th. Please note that purchasing a tryout package does not register your player for the season. You must register for the season separately - players who are not also registered for the 2023-24 season will not be permitted to participate in pathway skates or tryouts.
• There will be two entry points for U11 tryouts: AA/A and B/C. Fees for U11 tryouts are $225 for players trying out for AA/A, and $175 for B/C. Fees for U9 tryouts are $125. The tryout fee is a flat fee and covers all tryouts sessions, so if a player is released from the AA/A tryouts, they will continue on to the B/C group without additional fees. Tryout fees are non-refundable.
• Players registered last season with another OWHA affiliated association must have a signed PTS form (found here) or a formal release from their previous association.  Before their first tryout session, documentation must be emailed to the competitive directors.  
• Players require NGHA-issued tryout jerseys. Jerseys must be purchased in Ramp at the time of tryout registration and cannot be purchased at the rink.
• No player will be allowed on the ice unless all documentation and fees are in order.
  
  

How to Register:

There are two steps that must be completed in order to register for tryouts:

• Step one: Complete the U9/U11 Tryout Pre-Registration Form
• Step two: Register in RAMP here
• Note: Players must complete their tryout registration and their season registration at the same time. Players who are not registered for the 2023-24 season will not be permitted to participate in pathway skates or tryouts.

U11 Tryout Format **New this season**

This year will have two entry points for the U11 NGHA Competitive Stream, U11 AA/A level or U11B/C level. Each player will be guaranteed at least three skates at one level before being released to the next level. If a player is released from the AA/A tryouts, they will continue on to the B/C group without additional fees.

• U11AA and U11A Tryout Fees = $225
• U11B and U11C Tryout Fees = $175

U11AA & U11A

PLEASE NOTE, YOUR PLAYER WILL BE EVALUATED AT ALL SESSIONS THEY ATTEND

Guaranteed 1 Skill Session and 2 Scrimmages - After the first scrimmage, players will be tiered into two groups. 

Group 1 will be players that have demonstrated that they have the skill set to compete for a spot on the U11AA team. Players will continue to scrimmage with this group but can be placed in Group 2 if the Competitive committee deems it a better fit. Players that continue to demonstrate a higher skill level at the Group 1 scrimmages will be placed on the U11AA Team. 

Group 2 are players the Competitive Committee believe may have a more successful year at U11A, B or C.These players however still have the opportunity to play their way back into Group 1 or the U11AA Team selection based on their performance during the Group 2 Scrimmages. If a Group 2 player demonstrates a very high level of compete and skill during the Group 2 Scrimmage they can be placed back into the Group 1 (U11AA) tryout process. 

As releases continue to evolve at the Group 1 (U11AA) skates, the Group 2 (U11A) pool will also evolve. Players released from Group 1 (U11AA) will be placed in Group 2 (U11A). Players that have had multiple skates with Group 2 (U11A) scrimmages but do not have the skill set to remain at this level, will be released and asked to continue their tryout at the U11B Tryout. Players that continue to demonstrate a higher skill level at the Group 2 scrimmages will be placed on the U11A Team. 

U11B & U11C

PLEASE NOTE, YOUR PLAYER WILL BE EVALUATED AT ALL SESSIONS THEY ATTEND

Guaranteed 1 Skill Session and 2 Scrimmages - After the first scrimmage, players will be tiered into two groups. 

Group 1 will be players that have demonstrated that they have the skill set to compete for a spot on the U11B team. Players will continue to scrimmage with this group but can be placed in Group 2 if the Competitive committee deems it a better fit. Players that continue to demonstrate a higher skill level at the Group 1 scrimmages will be placed on the U11B Team. 

Group 2 are players the Competitive Committee believe may have a more successful year at U11C.These players however still have the opportunity to play their way back into Group 1 or the U11B Team selection based on their performance during the Group 2 Scrimmages. If a Group 2 player demonstrates a very high level of compete and skill during the Group 2 Scrimmage they can be placed back into the Group 1 (U11B) tryout process. 

As releases continue to evolve at the Group 1 (U11B) skates, the Group 2 (U11C) pool will also evolve. Players released from Group 1 (U11B) will be placed in Group 2 (U11C). Players that have had multiple skates with Group 2 (U11C) scrimmages but do not have the skill set to remain at this level, will be released and asked to report to House League sort outs. Players that continue to demonstrate a higher skill level at the Group 2 scrimmages will be placed on the U11C Team. 

This approach will give players an additional skate and the NGHA Competitive Committee believes will give Coaches and Evaluators more opportunities to evaluate and watch each individual player.

U9 Tryout Format 

There is one entry point for the U9 NGHA Competitive Stream, and one U9 team will be made. Players are only guaranteed one skate, and may be released following the first tryout skate. There will be three tryout sessions before the final team is determined.

• U9 Tryout Fees = $125
  
  

Player Selection (U9/U11):

Player selection will be based on the tryout sessions and possibly the previous year's in-season player evaluation (and statistics), with more weight placed on the actual tryouts. The player season evaluations are important and will also assist in the “bubble” picks or when discrepancies exist between evaluators. 

Each division will have a “Selection Committee”:

• Head Coach of the team.  The Head Coach may bring their own evaluator (cannot be a parent or related to anyone trying out at that age level) but the coach still only gets one vote. 
• Up to 4 paid/non-paid non-parent evaluators with hockey backgrounds.
• A board member as an observer.

 
Other Information:

• All releases will be posted on the NGHA website.  Every effort will be made to post the numbers the same evening as the tryout, but there may be times when they can only be posted in the morning.
• The Head Coach will contact the final roster for each team.
• Parents must observe the 24-hour rule on the day after these announcements.
  
  

Attendance: Injuries or missed tryouts:

• If a player misses a tryout session, an email must be sent to the competitive directors 48 hours in advance.  They will provide you with more info regarding any impacts.
• Medical limitations or absence will impact tryouts and placement. The NGHA Competitive Committee will use past performance, coaching evaluations, previous season statistics and other pertinent information to place the injured or absent player at the right level.
• An injury or absenteeism may not mean automatic placement on a competitive team. Any placement by the Competitive Committee is not appealable.
• The injured or absentee player is still required to register and pay for tryouts to be considered.
• If a player is unable to participate due to injury, a medical note must be provided stating she is unable to participate and when she is expected to return to play.
  
  

Continuations:

Players who have been selected to continue in the tryout process will be posted to the U9 and U11 continuation pages.

Schedule:

The U9/U11 tryout schedule is available here.

Questions on the tryout process and schedule can be directed to the Competitive Directors at NGHACompDirector1@gmail.com (Eric Pickering) and NGHACompDirector2@gmail.com (Rob Mahoney).