Welcome to the 2019/2020 Peewee AA Team Tryouts!, News, PeeWee AA, U13/U12, 2019-2020 (Aurora Minor Hockey)

Thank you to all the parents, guardians, and players for taking part in our 2019/2020 “Peewee AA” team tryout.

My name is Steve Bates, and I will be your head coach for the upcoming season. I would also like to announce that Dave Pinder will be one of the assistant coaches. We are very fortunate to be leading a great group of 2007 athletes to another fantastic year of hockey. Please see the below information on details for the upcoming season.

Based on the number of current registrations, I ask that incumbent players will not participate on ice for the first tryout.

Although not on the ice, all incumbent players will be required to attend the first tryout and participate in an off ice training session.  The second session (April 25^th) will have all incumbent candidates together with those candidates asked to return from the first session.  The final session (April 26^th) will be an exhibition game against the Newmarket Redmen. 

Tryout Schedule 
           

Tryout Process:

1.     You must pre-register your child on-line (AMHA Website) for the upcoming season & purchase a tryout passport.

2.     Please arrive at least 45 minutes before tryout 1 and 2 and 60 minutes before the third tryout begins.

3.     When you arrive at the lobby of the arena, 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! It does not go home.

4.     Please ensure that players come prepared for their session, this includes warmup clothing, water bottle, full protective gear, including neck and mouth guards – players without, or missing such protective equipment, will NOT be allowed 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 assessing the players. The AMHA will also assign a team of independent evaluators.

7.     During and after the tryout, please do NOT approach the evaluators, as they have a job to do.

8.    The first on ice session will be open to any 2007 registered AMHA players and NRP's.   The second session will include all candidates asked to return from the first ice session. The final session will be an exhibition game vs. Newmarket 2007 players.  All players attending the exhibition game must be at the exhibition game 60 minutes prior to game time in order to sign-in, complete a warmup and be prepared for the game.      

Drills and Evaluations
The tryouts will be an anxious time for all of us while the players are evaluated. 

It will be an extremely difficult task choosing 17 players (15 players, 2 goalies) for the team from a large group of hardworking athletes.  Player selection will be based on their individual abilities and consistency of execution within these categories:

Selection or Release Process

After each session a list of passport numbers will be posted on the 2019/2020 Peewee AA webpage.  These numbers will indicate which players are being asked to return, those not listed will have been released to the Peewee A team or in the case of NRP candidates, to their association of origin.  

Communication of my decisions after each tryout will occur via the website and NOT in person at the arena. Your child’s tryout passport submission ID number is your code that identifies you on the website (Look at PEEWEE AA for the team and the tryout page). 

• After the 1st tryout, results will be posted after 4pm the following day.
• After the 2nd tryout, results will be posted no later than midnight the same day. 
• After the 3rd tryout, results will be posted either by midnight of the same day or by 10am the next day.

Parents/Guardians of ‘released’ players are welcome to reach out via email to the Head Coach but please respect the OMHA protocol of waiting 48 hours after the final tryout, should you have specific questions or desire additional feedback. 

“Bubble Calls” - NEW

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, the coach of that specific team would contact the family of the player prior to the 3rd tryout who played on the team in the previous season, who is now fighting for a final spot on the current seasons team. Upon discussion, the AMHA has decided that there will be NO “Bubble Calls” to incumbents for the 2019-2020 season. The rationale for this decision is that the AMHA continues to expect us as coaches to select the best skaters and goaltenders to comprise our team. The AMHA will still have independent evaluators which provides consistent discretion on individual talents on each player that are compared to our evaluations. As always, we encourage that you share this information with your child and to make sure that she/he understands that they must always give 100%, at all tryouts, and all season!

Team Expectations

The 2019/20 season will likely begin in early September and run through until the end of March/April. The schedule will consist of between 24-30 games. We expect to enter approximately 3-4 tournaments, 1-2 of which will be out of town. Generally, there will be 2 games per week and 2 practices per week. Budget outlines have not been completed but we expect it will cost approximately $2,000-$2,500 per player for the season.

Parents may be called upon to obtain sponsorship and organize fundraising activities to help offset these costs and to support the team administratively.    

Please expect to still be playing in March. (So please book your holidays appropriately).

Coaching Staff

I will be selecting the remainder of the coaches/staff after the final tryout once the team is selected.

Positions

All decisions about player positions are at the discretion of the coach and may change during the season based on the needs of the team, and / or for development opportunities.

I am aware that some players (and/or their parents) may experience anxiety during this process. PLEASE kindly reinforce with your child that they perform at their best when feeling relaxed and confident. 

It is also important for parents to help manage their child’s expectations during this process. A roster position on this team should never be assumed. Let’s all make the tryout process an enjoyable one! I wish all candidates the best of luck in their tryouts and I look forward to seeing you at the rink.

Steve Bates
Head Coach, Peewee AA