Tryouts and Registration Process
Dear Parents –
The 2016-17 season has come to an end and with that we are happy to announce our
tryout dates for the 2017-2018 season! There is a lot of important information, so
please read this entire message.
GENERAL COMMENTS:
We continue to strive to make NRLH one of the premier youth hockey organizations in
the area. Our commitment is to do the best we can to adhere to the objectives of the
association.
Our Tryout Committee is in place and tryouts will be held April 19th to April 30th at Rye
Playland. Specific tryout times are posted on the NRLH website and online registration
is up on our website. (NRLH.org)
We should all be extremely proud of the organization’s growth! However, similar to past
years, our goal is to continue to grow our organization and by doing so we will be better
able to provide appropriate level of play for all members. With this in mind, please
spread the word about our tryouts to other hockey families and encourage them to
attend.
TRYOUTS
The purpose of tryouts is to evaluate a player's skills, instinctive feel for the game,
commitment and teamwork. This is done to place him or her on a team that will provide
the best environment to maximize player development, improve self-confidence, allow
for enjoyment of the game of ice hockey and for NRLH to form competitive teams.
We have developed guidelines to help improve the evaluation process. There are
countless ways that teams can be picked and we understand that none are perfect. We
are always looking to make improvements where needed.
The Tryout Committee and evaluation team will be comprised of independent evaluators
and members of the NRLH certified non-parent coaching staff. Scott Miele, the New
Rochelle Modified Head Coach will run all of our on-ice drills. It is the goal of the Tryout
committee and Evaluation Team to place players where they will have an opportunity to
compete and succeed.
NRLH anticipates having two (2) Mite travel teams, two (2) Squirt travel teams, two (2)
Pee Wee travel teams, two (2) Bantam travel teams and two (2) Midget travel teams. A
third Mite team may be selected based upon the numbers of players trying out. These
are our goals. NRLH cannot guarantee multiple teams at each level. The number
of teams will be based on tryout numbers and roster acceptances.
The Head Coaches Are:
Mites -- TBD
Squirt Head Coaches – Andrew Capuano & Joe Merigliano
Pee Wee Head Coaches – Fred Bruck & Demetri Xistris
Bantam Head Coaches – Mike Vetere & Brent Robitaille
Midget Head Coaches – TBD
The Head Coaches for the other teams will be named by the Board, once those teams
are selected.
ELIGIBILITY
USA Hockey dictates the following birth years for the 2017-2018 season and
corresponding level:
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Midget
Bantam
Pee Wee
Squirt
Mite
•
USA Hockey Registration Requirement: Eligibility for tryouts is open to anyone
who has a current USA Hockey registration. This is for insurance purposes,
everyone stepping on the ice including coaches and volunteers, must have a
valid USA Hockey registration number.
•
Tryout Fee: the fee to try out for 2017-2018 NRLH Travel teams is $100 (Mites
is $40) and is non-refundable. The fee must be paid in full before stepping on
the ice for tryouts. Full equipment is required for all tryouts.
1999-2002
2003-2004
2005-2006
2007-2008
2009 and younger
TRYOUT PROCESS AND TEAM PLACEMENT
Please see Tryout Process and Team Placement details below to help you understand
how the final team rosters will be formed. If you feel your child is at risk of not making
one of our teams, please contact their current head coach for some advice. If you
decide you need to tryout for another organization and your dues are paid in full, we will
provide you with a release that will be required by other programs for your player to
attend its tryout. Please contact Ari Loren for these details.
EVALUATIONS
Parents and Players always have questions about this process and how players are
placed. We feel it is important that there is a 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.
NRLH 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. In evaluating players
and making team selections, we attempt to account for these factors. The goal is to
build teams that consist of players with similar abilities and drive, in a competitive
atmosphere, while fostering skills development.
NRLH makes every effort to ensure a fair, impartial and balanced evaluation of players
for our various Travel Team hockey programs. This is by far the most difficult task that
our Head Coaches and evaluators undertake in any given season. Each player will wear
a jersey without a name and be given a colored pinney with a number that will identify
the player for the evaluators.
Evaluations are conducted over two tryout sessions per level so it is important that
players attend both dates. If there are circumstances that don’t allow for attendance at
both sessions, please let us know in advance.
We will utilize the following step-by-step process to determine team placements for next
season:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Prior to tryouts, each head coach will rank each of their current players on a
number of factors including skill, hockey sense, work ethic, discipline,
sportsmanship and commitment to the team.
We will hold 2 days of tryouts per age group with (except Mites, 1 day)
independent, non-parent evaluators, evaluating each player anonymously.
Evaluators are asked to focus on various hockey skills, hockey sense and work
ethic.
During each tryout we have each evaluator grade the individual player based
upon a predetermined rubric.
After the tryouts, the evaluators will meet and discuss their assessments and try
to come to a consensus on team placements along with a top to bottom ranking
of every player evaluated at each age level. If there are discrepancies between
multiple evaluators’ assessments, we will discuss to try to come to an
agreement.
If there are still discrepancies, the coaches’ pre-tryout ranking will be reviewed
to help make placements.
Once suggested team placements have been made by the independent
evaluators, those results will be provided to our tryout and placement committee
8.
9.
who will consist of all of our non-parent head coaches to make sure glaring
mistakes have not been made.
Parents are notified of the placements and asked to accept or decline the roster
offer within a short period of time.
Rosters do not need to be finalized under HVHL rules until December 31, 2017.
Occasionally parents will make a decision to tryout elsewhere and accept
another program’s roster offer. Therefore, this can cause some movement
between teams and/or open up a roster slot for a player who previously was not
offered a full roster slot.
We hope the disclosure of this process helps explain how it 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. NRLH 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:
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Best chance to develop and improve their personal hockey skills
Best chance to get the most puck touches and have an impact in game play
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.
CUTS
NRLH follows the USA Hockey recommended guidelines for team roster sizes.
Our goal is to find a home for everyone within our organization but unfortunately that is
not always possible. Outside of our Intro and Mite programs, our organization has
grown to a level that could require cuts in order to stick with our roster limits.
If cuts are necessary because of numbers, they will be made according to the above
detailed placement process. We will continue to work on what we might be able to offer
players who are potentially cut. We will share more information about this as it becomes
available and will sit down with any family impacted by this, to try to help find an
appropriate home for that player if we are unable to offer one.
COMMITTING TO A ROSTER SPOT
You will be notified within 48 hours of the last day of tryouts. A non-refundable
commitment fee will be required within 48 hours of notification in order to secure a spot
on the team. If the commitment fee payment is not received, NRLH may assign your
position on the team to another player.
The following non-refundable deposits will be:
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$1300 – for Midget, Bantam, Pee Wee And Squirt Levels
$900 – for Mite level
As the total number of players within the program will dictate the overall cost per
participant, final tuition will be determined shortly after completion of the roster
selection. The balance of tuition is required to be paid in full by September 1, 2017.
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Scholarships: Please note that there will be a limited number of scholarships to
be awarded this year. As a result, anyone interested in obtaining a scholarship
will be required to submit an application no later than April 19th. Scholarships
will be awarded in conjunction with the issuance of roster spots. Further
information regarding scholarships, including the application process, will be
circulated in the upcoming week.
Parents with multiple children will receive a discount for each additional child they
have in the program:
o 2nd child
$100 off
o 3rd child
$250 off
o 4th child
$450 off
o 5th child
free
Any further questions, please contact the NRLH Board.