Apr 25, 2019 | CIrvine | 1420 views
Minor Midget A Team
Thursday April 25 11:18 a.m.
Dear Parents and players, Welcome to the 2019-2020 hockey season. My name is Craig Irvine and I am honoured and excited to be the Head Coach of the Minor Midget “A” Team for the upcoming season.
I would like to take this opportunity to outline a few items regarding coaching philosophy, tryouts and the season ahead.
I would also like to announce that Steve Rose has been selected as an assistant coach for the Minor Midget “A” Team.
Coaching Philosophy
My coaching philosophy is simple: to promote the development of hockey skills and team play while providing a positive, fun and productive environment for the Minor Midget age group to advance their skill set and to work together as a team.
Respect, hard work, development and teamwork are the cornerstones of my philosophy. I want the selected players to “want” to come to the rink and continue to improve their skills throughout the year. I expect every player to work hard and be attentive, especially at practices, where we will spend a considerable amount of time working on team strategies.
Tryouts
The registration table will be set up in the lobby of ACC#2 and will be open an hour before the scheduled tryout. You can register your player there and pick up an assigned tryout jersey. The jersey must be returned to the desk at the end of each tryout. Each player must also have the proper protective equipment in order to participate in the tryout.
Tryout #1: Sunday, April 28 1:30-3:00 PM ACC (2-McAlpine Lincoln) Tryout #2: Tuesday, April 30 8:00-9:30 PM ACC (1-McAlpine Ford) Exhibition Game: Wed, May 1 7:15-8:45 PM ACC (2-McAlpine Lincoln)
The tryout player list will be posted on the website after each tryout. The list will be posted after 4 p.m. on Monday April 29, 2019 after the first tryout and by midnight April 30th and May 1 for the second and third tryouts. Please respect the OMHA protocol of a 24-hour waiting period after the final tryout.
Players are expected to arrive at the rink mentally and physically prepared to participate in the tryout. Besides the fundamental skills required for this age and level (skating , speed and hockey IQ) I will be looking for players that demonstrate focus, determination, effort and team work.
The first two tryouts will consist of a variety of drills. The third tryout will be an exhibition game with the Minor Midget A Newmarket Redmen. The AMHA dress code will be in effect for the exhibition game. Please note that body contact will be included in our tryout sessions.
There will be several evaluators at each tryout assessing the players. I will be relying on all of their feedback to select 15 players and 2 goalies. After each tryout a list of passport numbers will be posted on the 2019-2020 Minor Midget “A” webpage. These numbers will indicate which players are being asked to return. Those not listed will have been released to the Minor Midget “MD” team.
Bubble Calls
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!
Tournaments and Team Budget
The goal is to participate in 4 tournaments (Including a local early bird). Two tournaments will be local and one will be away. The budget for the upcoming season has not been completed but costs are expected to be approximately $2,000 - $2,500 per player.
Important Dates
Mandatory Tigerware/Game Jersey Fitting (Monday May 6th from 9:00-10:15 pm) Located at Lion’s Share Marketing (16610 Bayview Avenue, Unit 8) Players must bring their shoulder pads and one shin pad for their game jersey/sock fitting.
First Team Meeting (TBD) Our first team meeting will be held following the AMHA Coaches and Managers meeting (currently scheduled for May 15).
I wish everyone the best of luck at the tryouts. See you at the rink!
Thank you,
Craig Irvine Head Coach – Aurora Tigers Minor Midget “A”