I would like to take the opportunity to welcome, and thank, all the parents, guardians, and players for taking part in our 2019-2020 Aurora Tigers Minor Atom AA team tryout process.
At this time I would like to announce Bryan Kennedy as an Assistant Coach. He comes with a strong hockey background, playing and coaching. We look forward to having him.
Tryout # 1: Tuesday, April 23rd 6:30-8:00 PM; ACC Ford
Tryout # 2: Thursday, April 25th 5:30-7:00 PM; ACC Ford
Tryout # 3: Saturday, April 27th 12:00 PM VS Newmarket; ACC Lincoln
TRYOUT PROCESS
1. You must pre-register your child online (AMHA Website) for the upcoming season and purchase a tryout passport.
2. Please arrive 45 minutes before the tryout begins.
3. When you arrive at the lobby of ACC, please go to the AMHA table to sign-in and receive your child's tryout jersey. THIS JERSEY MUST BE RETURNED AT THE END OF EACH TRYOUT.
4. Full protective gear is mandatory, including neck and mouth guards - players without, or missing such equipment will NOT be aloud on the ice.
5. You must attend the first tryout in order to be invited back to the second and third tryout.
6. There will be a team of independent evaluators who will be assisting me with accessing the players. The AMHA will also assign a team of independent evaluators.
7. During and after the tryout, please DO NOT approach the evaluators. Communication of my decisions after each tryout will occur via the website and NOT in person at the arena. Your son/daughter's passport submission ID number is your code that identifies you on the website ( look at the Minor Atom AA for the team and the tryout page). After the 1st and 2nd tryout, results will be posted no later than midnight the same day. After the 3rd tryout results will be posted after 4 pm the same day.
I am aware that some players (and/or parents) may experience anxiety during this process. PLEASE kindly reinforce with your child that they perform at their best when feeling confident and relaxed. It is also important for parents to help manage their child's expectations during this process. AA roster positions on this team should never be assumed.
TEAM EXPECTATIONS
There will be a financial commitment from each family. The estimated financial commitment will be approximately $2,000 to $2,500. We will be looking for sponsorships and fundraising to help reduce the cost per family. There will also be a time commitment required from each family. We will be on the ice 3 to 5 times per week with practices and games. It is expected that all players attend all practices and games. We will be attending 4 to 5 tournaments ( 2 being away). I will be looking for the following parent positions. 2 assistant coaches, 1 practice coach, team manager, team trainer as well as other smaller roles (fundraising, on-ice helpers, music coordinator, etc.
IMPORTANT - MUST READ
**TO BE CLEAR, IF YOUR CHILD IS SELECTED TO THE TEAM, IT WILL BE THE HEAD COACH'S FINAL DECISION AS TO THE POSITION THEY WILL BE PLAYING**
** MANDATORY EVENT**
Tigerware fitting - Monday April 29th from 6-7:15 PM.
If you have a question for me, then please email me. If you have a concern, then please respect the OMHA protocol of waiting 24 hours to contact me. Once the 24 hour waiting period has elapsed, please contact me via email. If I receive an email within the 24 hour wait period, I will respond once the 24 hours have expired. Due to the recent rule change by Hockey Canada, no underage players will be allowed to tryout unless approved by the AMHA. Sorry for the inconvenience.
At the coaches meeting for the 2019-2020 season, the AMHA and coaches had a lengthy discussion on the topic of "bubble calls." For those of you new to Aurora Minor Hockey, in previous years, coaches would place a courtesy call to parents of kids who were "on the bubble", meaning they were at risk of being cut even though they played on the team the previous year. Upon discussion, the AMHA has decided that there will be NO bubble calls to past players for the 2019-2020 season. The rational for this decision is that the AMHA continues to expect us coaches to select the best skaters and goaltenders to comprise the team. The AMHA will continue to have independent evaluators at each tryout to provide consistent feedback on each player to be used in combination with the evaluations completed by my independent evaluators. As always, we encourage that you share this information with your child to make sure he/she understands that they must always give 100% at all tryouts, and all season!
Sincerely,
Mark Di Palma
Aurora Tigers Minor Atom AA Coach
[email protected]