With Tryouts Starting today, here is a guide to our tryout process and related information. Good Luck to all the participants!
The FHFHA is committed to creating the best possible hockey experience. Tryouts perform an important role in helping to assure that teams represent the best balance between the needs of individual players, the teams, and the Association. Tryouts will incorporate a combination of skills assessments, evaluation in scrimmage situations, and effort/attitude. Players will be evaluated in a consistent, objective manner by the selection committee as described below.
Selection Process
All current Fundy Highland female players will be evaluated via the criteria outlined below. Each players’ total score from each criterion will be added together to generate their total score.
Skills at Tryouts
Players are expected to demonstrate specific skills in a practice type setting. This will include but not limited to skating (backwards and forwards), edge work, passing and shooting. They will be judged, wherever possible, by independent evaluators that aren’t familiar with the kids. This is to take out any preconceived bias. Please note that we potentially may be required to use evaluators who may be familiar with the players if we cannot obtain enough independent evaluators.
Scrimmage at Tryouts
Players will play an intersquad game against other age-appropriate players. They are judged on how they perform in a game situation. Players will play their respective positions that they enroll in tryouts for. This evaluation is judged by independent evaluators as described above.
Team Creation
Teams will be created based on selecting the appropriate number of players for each team based on a combination of players scores and Coach's discretion.
Other Tryout and Team Creation Considerations
FHFMA hockey makes every attempt to schedule non parent volunteers or professionals in hockey to act as skills & scrimmage evaluators. However, finding individuals that fit those criteria, and are available on the days and times needed is often a difficult task. In the event we are short evaluators we will rely on current FHFMA coaches to offer evaluation support if they are not evaluating players that will be selected within the age group they will be coaching.
Additional Comments:
· FHFHA recognizes that there is no perfect way to select teams and we believe this format appropriately recognizes the most common dilemma faced during the selection process.
· Following the selection announcement, parents shall wait a minimum of 24 hours to contact the FHFHA with concerns, questions or selection related issues. Any attempts to contact prior to the 24 period will not be acknowledged.
· Parents are NOT to contact the evaluators during or after the tryout to discuss specific players and/ or evaluations. If FHFHA is made aware of parents attempting to gather information from evaluators on their own any player placement may be rescinded with no refund.
· The FHFHA coaches & board members are volunteers. Any abusive or unprofessional contact will not be tolerated. If any families engage in abusive, threatening or inappropriate communications with volunteers or coaches their player placement may be rescinded with no refund.
· NO evaluation scores will not be shared publicly or individually. This is consistent with the overall practice of FHFHA – coaching and tryout evaluations are not shared or published. This protects our volunteers from social scorn as well as increases the programs ability to be unbiased during this process. If evaluators or coaches fear retribution when offering their honest opinions on a player’s ability they will be less inclined to volunteer or be honest in the process.
· Following tryouts, if you request feedback on why your child was not selected for a specific team you can request to meet with FHFHA. FHFHA board members will look over the scores reported from the tryout process and provide a general synopsis of those scores (if player was in the last 3-4 cuts). No specific scores will be shared or discussed. No other players will be discussed during this time.
· All relevant tryout information for the 2023 - 2024 season will be communicated through our website at www.fundyhighlandfemalehockey.ca
Objectives of Player Evaluations:
1. To provide a fair and impartial assessment of a player's total hockey skills during the skating and scrimmage sessions.
2. To ensure that players have a reasonable opportunity of being selected to a team appropriate to their skill levels as determined during the on-ice evaluations of the current year.
3. To provide uniformity and consistency in the evaluation process, such that player and parent expectations are consistent from year to year as players move through the various levels of the association.
4. To provide feedback in order to develop players. What is being evaluated? Refer to end of this document for more information on some of the types of skills, tactics and behaviors that will be evaluated.
Tryout Guidelines:
1. It is the player’s responsibility to be fully dressed 15 minutes before the tryout sessions. This assures adequate time for taking attendance, instruction and assigning identification numbers. Players must be registered with FHFHA before participating in tryouts.
2. Full equipment is mandatory. This includes: protective jock (or Jill), shin pads, hockey pants, shoulder pads, elbow pads, hockey skates, hockey gloves, hockey stick, helmet with cage (or full shield), and neck guard.
3. Players will be assigned a practice pinnies with a number upon their arrival at the rink. The evaluators will only know the players number. Each player will be issued an identification number. This number will assist the evaluators in associating individuals with performance data obtained during the tryout sessions.
4. Players are expected to attend all tryout sessions. If a player must miss a tryout session, or will be late for a tryout session, the player must notify the FHFHA so that attendance and evaluation records can be accurately maintained.
5. Players will be notified of all dates and times for tryout sessions, team evaluation procedures, and all other pertinent data via the FHFHA website.
6. A joint Coaching and Evaluators meeting will be held prior to the tryouts to orient participants to the process and to assure clear communication of responsibilities and expectations. All coaches will be invited to attend this meeting.
Player Selection Criteria for Players and Evaluators
The following is a reference that will be provided to evaluators prior to the player selection process.
Skating
Acceleration, speed, mobility, agility, balance, stride, crossovers, pivots, acceleration out of turns, quick feet, controlled skating, change of pace.
· Can the players perform the basic forward and backward stride?
· Are the players knees well bent with the back slightly forward and the head up, or is the player hunched over, bending at the waist with little knee bend?
· Are the leg strides long with a complete recovery of the stride leg before striding with the other leg. Do the strides look smooth and appear not to require much effort to move around the ice?
· Does the player look smooth when they skate or do they appear off balance?
· Can the player turn in both directions with little trouble or do they struggle to turn in one or both directions?
· Can the player stop in both directions? Younger players will often have trouble stopping in one direction
· Can the player keep up with the play or do they struggle to stay with the other players on the ice?
Passing
· Passing, receiving, passing choices, on backhand, unselfish with the puck, presents a good target, receives and retains with control, touch passing.
· Can the player pass the puck to its intended target with minimal effort?
· Can the player make an accurate pass to a moving target?
· Can the player receive a pass on their backhand or do they tend to shift their body to receive the pass on the forehand?
· Can the player pass the puck off of the backhand with some speed and accuracy?
· Does the player call for the puck vs. banging their stick on the ice or saying nothing at all?
· Does the player passing the puck make eye contact with the intended receiver or do they just pass the puck blindly?
· Can the player execute a saucer pass over sticks and other obstacles?
· Can the player pass the puck off of the boards to another player?
Puck Control
· Head up, smooth and quiet, good hands, protection, in small spaces, in traffic.
· Does the player have the basic skills to execute a forehand pass?
· When the player passes the puck do they slap at it or is the motion smooth with the player following through to the intended target?
· Does the player appear to be comfortable handling the puck while skating or do they appear to fight the puck and have trouble skating with some speed while handling it?
? Can the player keep his/her head up while carrying the puck?
· Can they execute dekes and fakes with the puck?
· Can't they stop quickly or change directions while handling the puck?
· Can the player continue to handle the puck while in traffic and under pressure?
· Does the player get pushed or checked off the puck easily?
Shooting
Power, accuracy, quick release, can shoot in motion, goal scorer, rebound control, variety of shots.
· Can the player execute the technique of a wrist shot and backhand?
· Does the player follow through to the target on all shots? ? Can the player raise the puck?
· Is the puck shot with some velocity?
· Does the puck sit flat in the air or does it wobble?
· Is the player accurate when shooting?
Positional Play
Ability to see the play developing both offensively and defensively and moves to support, judgment, anticipation, understands systems, disciplined.
· Does the player seem to understand where he/she are to play on the ice?
? Do they support the puck in defensive and offensive situations?
· Does the player show patience or do they tend to panic when pressured?
· Do they protect the mid lane and force opposing players inside out?
· Can the player angle another player off of the puck?
· Does the player force the play or do they wait too long?
On-ice Coaches
The responsibilities of the on-ice staff include:
· Keep up the pace and flow of the drills to finish within the allotted period. In order to accomplish this it is imperative the lead is aware of the time for each drill and the order that the drills occur.
· Drills should be kept in the same order for each session
· The warm-up should be controlled by the coaches to ensure a brisk and adequate stretch
· If possible pre-ice the players prior to the session so that they are aware of the drills and the order which they will go through them.
· Ensure the players understand the drill - it is the lead coaches responsibility to put the players in a situation where they can show their skill and not struggle with understanding the drill
· If a player has their performance affected by items out of their control it is the coaches discretion to allow the player to perform the skill a 2nd time
· Check that all players have the proper protective equipment
· Encourage the players to perform to the best of their ability
· Do not share any of your personal insight with parents/players/other observers that may appear to bias or alter the process
· Verify with evaluators that they have had ample time and opportunity to review players in the given drill.
Evaluator Guidelines
As much as possible there should be a consistency of evaluators for a given age group or division. This continuity ensures that the players are being observed by a group of evaluators who have a benchmark for performance and knowledge of the overall ability of the group that they are observing. Generally the evaluators should:
· Review all of the drills and skills to be observed so that you are clear on the on-ice process
· Review the evaluation criteria prior to the process to ensure that all evaluators are evaluating the same skill with the same intent
· Stay separate from the other evaluators and the spectators during the entire on-ice process
· Make sure that all evaluators have the same evaluation page with the same pinny numbers and colours
· Review your marks at the end of the session to ensure you have not made any entry errors
· Evaluation documents should be gathered by the Division coordinator at the completion of each ice session
· Do not share your comments or opinions with any players/ parents or other interested observers
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