Welcome to the 2017-18 Bantam AA Tryouts
I would like welcome all players and parents to this year's Bantam AA tryouts. My name is Mike Dunbar and I feel extremely privileged, honored and excited to have been given the opportunity coach our Tigers this upcoming season.
I have either coached or been an on ice helper with our 2003 Tigers the last 6 seasons. I’ve been fortunate to learn from some special coaches in my hockey and football “careers” and I'll be doing my best to implement some of their best practices into our 2017-18 season.
Our tryouts will consist of 3 sessions:
April 24: 8:00pm – 9:30pm ACC1
April 25: 8:00pm – 9:30pm ACC1
April 29: 1:30pm – 3:00pm ACC2
Given the number of players expected at our first AA tryout, all AA players from last season will be excused from the on-ice session on April 24th. These players are expected to attend and participate in an off ice training session at ACC1. All AA players from last season are to attend our second tryout on April 25th.
The first two tryouts will consist of a variety of drills and scrimmage time. Our last session will be an exhibition game against the Newmarket Redmen Bantam AA team. The AMHA dress code is in effect for that exhibition game. Body contact will be included in our tryout sessions.
Please arrive 45 minutes before the tryout begins. The registration table will be located in the lobby of ACC2 and this is where your Tiger will register and receive their assigned tryout jersey. The jerseys are to be returned at the conclusion of each session. Please also ensure your athlete arrives with all protective hockey gear including neck guards and mouth guards. Anyone with missing equipment will not be permitted on the ice.
Important Dates:
May 3: 7:15pm Mandatory Tigerware / Jersey fitting – Lion Share Marketing, 16610 Bayview Avenue, Unit 8. Located one light south of Mulock on the west side of Bayview.
I will be arranging our first team meeting once we’ve had our AMHA coaches & managers meeting which is scheduled for May 23rd. At that meeting we will be discussing a variety of topics - volunteer help, fundraising, tournament options, etc... At this time, we can expect our budget to be between approximately $2000 and $2500 per family. My aim is to participate in 3 or 4 tournaments - an early bird, a second local tournament, the AMHA Bantam tournament, and one where we take the team on the road.
It’s no secret that selecting a rep hockey team can be a very stressful time for all involved. To ensure fairness and impartiality, I have asked a team of independent evaluators with many years of rep hockey experience to help me select 15 players and 2 goalies. The AMHA will provide additional evaluators for players and goalies. I will be using all feedback provided to me as a part of this process. I will be looking for player ability in various hockey skills but will also take into account traits such as competitiveness and effort.
I will be updating the list of players that I would like to have back to our second tryout on the team website not later than 11:30pm on April 24th. The list of players that I would like to invite back to our third and final tryout will be updated no earlier than 4pm on April 26th. Our final roster will be listed between 5pm and 9pm on April 29th.
Best of luck to all players.
Sincerely,
Mike Dunbar
Head Coach –Bantam AA